bariatricdivalatina
As most stories go, I was overweight all of my life. Diet after diet! I never could hold on to the trophy long enough. It seemed that I had lost the same weight over 50 times and it managed to find it's way back onto my body. I can remember when slim-fast first came out. I had a paper route and on my way home was a pharmacy. I would park my bike outside and buy me a can. The pharmacist knew me well. I had told him they were for my mother and he would allow me to buy them. I would drink them at lunchtime in elementary school. Hiding in the bathroom, I would mix the powder into my milk carton and guzzle it down. But after school I would srike back with a vengance, hitting up the liquor stores for chips, candy and soda and swearing that tonight I wasn't going to eat dinner. O.k. after slamming dinner down, I would pinky-promise myself that tomorrow was going to be different. Little did I know that this pattern would be MY LIFE. Before long, I was 14 and buying every weight-loss pill I could get my hands on! By the age of 28, I had a serious addiction not only to food, but to Ephedra. Losing 93lbs. and 65 more to go, I was desperate. At a plateau, I decided to take drastic measures. I doubled up on the pills. After three days of literally coming in and out of consciousness I snuggled into bed for the night. I felt myself slipping away into a deep dark whole. I knew that unless I pulled myself out, I would die. Waking up in the hospital and finding the doctor doing a spinal tap was not pleasant. I had the usual tests done and found out that I had a stroke. I was fortunate enough to be whole afterwards. I had to go to treatment afterwards, all the while taking the pills. The obsession to take of the weight was driving me. It didn't work. I had failed, this was the last time that I was going to allow the weight and more importantly my battle with food addiction to win. I investigated WLS and found my answer. I went to meetings and orientations and set my sights on Dr. Fobi. My husband refinanced the house and I was on my way. I had my surgery at age 30 and here I am 4 years later, standing on the mountain and declaring my victory. As for my addiction with food, I battle it daily. Some days are good and some days are bad, but I will never give up the fight. I now have hope to live and leave a legacy to my beautiful daughters.
