Jupiter6
Fall 2003--I am a 35 year old teacher, artist, writer and bon vivant, who despite being comfortable with her size, has finally got to admit the weight is hurting like hell. I am 5'4", and weigh close to 340 pounds, and have a BMI of 59+.
(UPDATE 2007--**Edited to add that as of January 2007 it's now 368 pounds and a BMI of 62**)
After a lifetime and successful struggle to accept my own *size*, and enjoying life as a beautiful large woman, my weight is finally, sadly, doing me in.
In June of this year, I had to have surgery for uterine bleeding and polyps, which my surgeon believes are exacerbated by my size. My fat cells and estrogen are waging a nasty little war. The chemo-type drugs I took caused me to have bone loss, and while I had discomfort before- now *any* movement- walking, standing, doing laundry, shopping- has become arduous and painful.
I exercise regularly and take aquatic classes, but they have done little to ameliorate my pain or significantly reduce my weight-- some fat turned to muscle, but the weight itself didn't change much. I am sporting a heavy belly apron and H cup breasts as well, which pull terribly on my spine and make being upright harder to manage every day.
(Update 2007-**Edited to add [courtesy of the joys of aging+obesity]sleep apnea,hydradenitis suppurativa,extreme menstrual pain, extreme back pain, gastric reflux, very limited mobility,cholelithiasis, a ventral hernia, a retrocardiac hiatal hernia, diverticulosis, edema, et alia.)
I come from a family with prevalent obesity-- several generations before the current "epidemic". My father weighs over 375 pounds (**Edited to guess over 400 pounds now), my mother over 275 (**Edited to add that she was down to under 200, but is probably rebounding again on Optifast) I have two brothers who each weigh over 300, and a 550+ pound uncle.(**Edited to add that he lost down to 190 pounds in 2002 via RNYand has kept off most of that.) My grandmother, a short woman who weighed over 275 pounds, has had both her hips and knees replaced multiple times, and has been largely immobile and incapacitated for 20 years. None of these people have ever sustained significant weight loss, even when medically supervised. They gained and lost and gained and lost and ended up worse for the journey. That's the kind of life I can't imagine living: a constant cycle of deprivation and failure.
I need to be able to live independently and well. I am a motivated person, and willing to do the work. As a teacher, ideally I would like to consider surgery in late June so that I could recover over the summer. I'd be happy to attend any meetings and do the necessary work towards insurance approval.
Please feel free to contact me with any advice or referral ideas. I have BC BS Personal Choice of Pennsylvania through my employer. I could also consider a surgeon as far south as Virginia Beach- I have family in the area.
