Amanda F.
As long as I can remember, I've always been bigger than other kids my age. Hell, I came in to the world weighing 11 lbs. and 3 oz.! I guess it would be fair to say that I have been overweight all my life. I became super morbidly obese when I was pregnant with my first child tipping the scale to a whopping 412 lbs. I was miserable then. I had gestational diabetes and it became clear that diabetes was a scarey reality. My mom and bio dad have diabetes so I am at risk for having it permenately. Somehow I lost weight and got my weight under 400 before I got pregnant with my second child. The scales haven't made any drastic movements since. I've lost 40 pounds here and there but always gained it back.
I learned about WLS about 5 years ago. I remember watching TV and hearing about it and wondering if it would possibly be an option for me. Never gave it much thought until about 2 years later when my PCP told me he thought it would be a good thing for me to do. I started to do some research. I read all sorts of things and talked to numerous people who actually had the surgery. I began to think that this would be something good for me to do. I made several attempts to follow through with a couple of WLS programs but I was always cut off when it came down to the "out of pocket" fees. Because I am disabled and on a limited income, I was never able to affors it. I started talking to my mom about it. She actually went to an informational seminar with me. I have her total support. It is because of her, 3 years later, that I am able to this. She has paid for all my fees and without her, I would be lost.
