Suddenly Shrinking Susan
Decision Time:
I have struggled with my weight since 6th grade. I come from a family of overweight people who love to eat. I have done just about every diet available (Adkins, Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, eating less than 10g fat/day, trying to eat less than 1000 calories a day)... All of them to work in some fashion.. so losing weight wasn't really my problem... it was KEEPING IT OFF that was the issue. I did very well with Adkins.. lost 68lbs in 4 months and was in a size 14/16 (180lbs) and was extremely happy. That was in 2000-2001. Met my husband in 2001 and as I became more happy, I started to celebrate with food. By my wedding date (8/9/2003), I was already back to a size 18/20, weighing over 200lbs. Things went downhill from there. I tried getting back on Adkins about 15 different times.. but it never seemed to work as well as the first time. So in 2007, I was weighing a massive 300lbs. My husband and I tried having a child... trying through normal means for about 2 years.. with no success. I found out I was diabetic and had poly-cystic ovarian syndrome which was creating problems. I went to an infertility specialist and did chlomid for 4 months.. with insemination at $450 a pop... no luck. That's when I made the decision to have WLS - in January 2007. I had thought about it before, but knowing my relationship with my parents (mainly my mother).. she would not approve. I had a breakdown one night and told her I had made the decision to have WLS... she tried to talk me out of it, of course... and then she didn't want to discuss it anymore. Instead of just keeping her out of everything.. I made the decision to get her 100% involved. She has gone with me to every pre-op appointment and I stepped back and allowed her to ask whatever questions she chose to the surgeon. This helped ALOT. After that first consultation, she never tried to talk me out of having it done again. From that point forward, there was no looking back for me!!
