Lynelle Brubaker
I have alway been over weight all my life I was 165 pounds in 6th grade how many 6th grader do you know that heavy? All through high school I was teased about my weight. Sometimes it got to me other time I just wanted to smack them. After high school I was in the 195 range and then I got pregnant and bumped up to 245 that was in 1994. Never lost a pound after my daughter was born and up and down mostly up in weight since then. Diet after diet with no real weight loss some pounds here and there which always came back x2. So 11 years past which brings us to 2006...
Over the last 3 years my health has detoriorated considerably. I started with serious back issues, diagnosis of osteo arthritis that was just the start. I begged my doctor to send me to endocrine and at that time my doctor was not so helpful and he said you would not qualify for any help so he wouldn't send me. At that time I requested a new primary doctor and I can say nothing but good about him. He has been very, very helpful sent me over to do the Learn program & I progressed through the stages in to the behavioral modification. During that time I starved myself or should I say my 2nd employer starved me, never allowed me to sleep, eat & I just worked all the time so needless to say I lost some weight that pulled me out of the program. I cut ties with her in 2007 and the weight came back which put me back in the program after about 6 months, then about a year ago in January of 08 my step dad got diagnosed with cancer. WOW what a shock and that drove me to quite smoking which increased my weight even more. In December of 2009 I talked my doctor into doing a full lipid panel including glucose as I knew something was changing in my body I could just feel it. Well needless to say... My back problem & osteo arthritis were now joined by pre-diabeties, congestive heart failure, pitting edema in my legs, acid reflux - I could hardly stand it. It was hard to look in the mirror and see myself as I was very disappointed in myself for getting like this.
In January I got an appointment in Endocrine for March 18, 2009 (now mind you this was the 3rd time I was there over the last 3 years!). I was ready to be disappointed and denied to get any type of help again maybe that they would just put me back in the program. I sat down with her and she said so why are you here? I explained my whole story to her even shed a few tears with her. She completely understood and she said you are here for the right reasons. You being upset about your health is quite appropriate. She agreed that I had to do something about my health as I was headed on the path to Heart Attack city. Which ultimately killed me because I knew that could mean my daughter might not have her mom there if something tragic would happen to me. My endocride doctor said I was a great candidate for this surgery. I did a double take and said what? She said I am approving you for surgery. WOW!!! From there the progress moved forward...
