LadyBurdett
A have been overweight my entire life. As the oldest of 5 children, while my brothers and sisters grew tall and thin, I grew out instead.I have tried many weight-loss plans/diets. These include The Atkins Diet (off and on for over 20 years; I loose 30-40 pounds and then regain even more) Weight Watchers (on 3 different occasions I have lost weight with this program but slowly regained it when I returned to old eating habits), I purchased packaged meals from Jenny Craig for awhile and have even tried the Cabbage Soup Diet.I am an educated person who understands the concept of metabolic rates, food intake (calories and carbohydrates) and the importance of exercise. At my current weight I have limited energy and sometimes feel that just making it through the day is a big challenge. At this point in my life, (while looking better as a “normal” sized person would be a plus), my true motivation in pursuing weight loss surgery is to improve my health and my quality of life.I am familiar with all the tricks and techniques to motivate one to lose weight. I am also knowledgeable about concepts related to emotional eating. I really think weight loss surgery would work for me as I know it is a tool to get the weight off and most importantly to maintain a weight loss. I know I can be compliant with the lifestyle changes required with weight loss surgery. I am very compliant regarding avoiding certain behaviors that would cause me immediate grief. For example I avoid foods or substances that trigger migraine headaches. As a result I have not consumed alcohol or chocolate since I was 27 years old. As a Registered Nurse, I am well aware of the implications of my morbid obesity on my health. I currently suffer from common co-morbidities associated with my disease including Type II Diabetes, Hypertension, Hyperlipidemia, and Sleep Apnea. (I also get migraine headaches and have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia). While I am taking medications and using a CPAP machine while I sleep every night to attempt to control the damage these do to my body, I realize that I have a high probability of developing devastating complications of these diseases including heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, blindness, and amputation. I further realize that I am a prime candidate for developing osteoarthritis in my knees and hips due to the excessive amount of weight I carry. My endurance is very poor and even walking for any extended length of time (like 5 minutes)is difficult for me. I am easily winded when I need to climb a flight of stairs. In spite of my medical conditions I lead a very busy life with multiple roles: I am a wife, mother, daughter, and friend. I care for a home (believe me it is hard to do housework at 348 lbs). I am employed full time as a Nursing Professor and also work part time as a Home Health Nurse. I am the editor of a professional nursing journal and active in my professional association. I am a very functional person in all areas of my life except for my ability to control my weight. This is a source of embarrassment to me as a health professional. I am a very poor “role model” for both my students and my patients (and my family) when it comes to taking care of my own body. (I feel rather like the cardiologist who is smoking as he instructs his own patient to quit).The bottom line for me is, I am tired of being a fat person, it is very hard. Not only do I deal daily with health problems, but basic personal hygiene is a challenge, I get skin irritations in my “fat folds”, some days my arms seem barely long enough to “wipe my butt.” Clipping my own toenails is an enormous challenge. The world was not designed for fat people; I need a seatbelt extender on airplanes, I do not fit into most restaurant booths and squeezing into a seat at a theater designed for a “normal sized bucket” is pure misery! I eyeball chairs before I sit on them to determine if they will hold my weight (I have broke a few!)I would like to get healthy and be better able to enjoy my family. I also truly fear becoming a burden to them. They do not deserve that! I have researched bariatric surgery in depth and I am well informed. I know there are risks associated with gastric bypass surgery, just as there are risks associated with any surgery. I realize that a lifestyle change and exercise are major components of bariatric surgery and I have already started making those changes. I have lost 35 lbs in the past 6 months while attempting to follow a low carbohydrate diet. While it is progress, it would have been more if I had not taken a 3 week family vacation during which time I resumed my previous eating habits and regained most of my recently lost weight. Had I gone on vacation after weight loss surgery, I would have been forced to maintain my healthy way of eating (to prevent vomiting or dumping). Weight loss surgery sounds like a tool that would be very helpful to me while trying to attain a “normal” life.
