Lisa C.
I was overweight as a child, with both parents working over 40 hours a week we lived on fast food. I have always been very active, when I was younger I was on the swim team, played tennis, on the soccer league and from middle to high school played on the basketball team. It was after high school my weight got over 250. I had numerous female issues (endometrosis, polyocystic ovaries, etc.). I had my first laporoscopy at 19 to surgically remove endometrosis growth. After that I had a surgery every other year for a total 4 surgeries. I gained over 100 pounds during this period of time. I believe it was mainly due to the lupron shots they were giving me to control the spread of the endometrosis. Finally, in 2001 I had a complete hysterectomy. With ovaries the size of softballs and all the scar tissue I had slim to no chance of childbirth. I was right around 400 pounds after my hysterectomy. I lost about 45 pounds since then and have been at 350-360 for the past 4 years or so. I have tried every diet out their from the grapefruit diet to weight watchers, jenny craig, nutrisystem, to South Beach. I have been to counselors, nutritionist, taken every diet pill they make both prescribed and OTC. Now at 34, just married a year and half I see my health going down hill (sleep apnea, irregular heartbeats, High Blood pressure, high cholesterol, borderline diabetic, chronic back pain, onset of arthritis in knees and feet). My weight is holding me back from being able to do the things I love the most . . . gardening, swimming or even taking a long walk with my husband and dog. When I look in the mirror I don't see myself as fat . . . I think I'm very pretty, I still see myself at 250. It's when someone like a family member or doctor says something about my size or even small children have come up to me at the grocery store and said "your fat" or "your too big". That is when reality hits you in the face. I have been considering weight loss surgery since 2003 when my doctor said it would be a good option for me. After this past year of low to no energy, no gardening, little to no exercising because of pain or fatigue, my mind was made up. I wanted to take back my life.