WandaB
Aloha My Friend, I am 39 and happily married with three children two boys and one girl. My eldest is 20, my middle on is 14 and my baby who's 10. I'd like to blame my weight on having huge babies. My first-born was 9.9lbs all natural; my second was 11.5lbs at 34 weeks! Of course it was by caesarean!!!! My last was 8.5 at 36 weeks! However my family will be the first to say "Yeh Right"!! My closest friends will tell you the same. The truth is I've been overweight most of my life. I struggled with this weight problem then and still do. This year in September I'll be turning 40!!! WoW!!! After everything that my family has been through within the past three months and with the advise of my husband and sisters I decided to look into having the GB. A cousin and good neighbor friend who had the GB anchorages me to the same. One of my one brothers is all for it, the other one well he sees me! Not the struggles I go through, therefore he has some mix emotions and concerns. Overall we all very close especially with my sisters. I'm so excited about having the GB procedure done. I can only hope to be another candidate. I'm sure my life will have a dramatic change but for the better. I want to live long and enjoy life with my Ohana life, as it should be.
So many of interesting stories and struggles you've been through are all so real and understandable. I'd love to hear your up’s downs and I’d will do the same...Aloha 
After extensive research and careful considerations I discussed the possibilities of having a Gastric Bypass Surgery with my doctor. With some hesitation he finally agreed to sign the referral forms for me to meet with the Queens Comprehensive Weight Management Program Team. Prior to me meeting with the QCWMP team. I had to attend their information session meeting. I’ve never been so overwhelmed with the information I’d received from attending their meeting. For the first time in my life I felt very comfortable and not alone. Obesity for me didn’t happen over night, this has been a struggle for me since my childhood.
There is a long-standing history of obesity in my family. My mother, my sisters, aunties and several cousins are morbidly obese. Don’t let the men in our family fool you they too suffer from obesity. My grandmother was also obese; she died of diabetes and bad heart condition. Weight loss programs and dieting were not common to our household and I thought it was right to have eaten the way we did then. Now I know better at the later years, seeing the struggles of day to day life.
Over the past 24 years I’ve taken and tried all sorts of diet products. I can recall my weight at a personal milestone though my life which has not been easy. I’ve gone through a lot of difficulties moments.
I remember it was the summer of my 3rd grade year. My mother and I went into a Woolworth’s store here. There was a pink bikini with yellow boats on them. I wanted that bikini so badly but they didn’t have my size. So instead my mother brought me a bright green, yellow, orange and red striped swimsuit instead. I used it to the mainland and every thing was fine, no one said anything, but when I used it to the pool here at home the children laughed at me and said “look you can see the whale now” how I hated them and went home and cried.
My 5th grade year my mother placed me in softball in hopes it would help me lose some of my weight. My first game I played I couldn’t run fast enough to reach the 3rd goal therefore we lost the game and I was the blame for it.
By I reached my 10th grade I weighed 189 pounds. I’d walk home at least 5 to 6 miles every day after school or from work. My junior year I added Dexatrim to my diet. I lost a little weight and came down to 165 or so. I stop taking the Dexatrim in no time I went up to 210 pounds. My senior year I’d try everything to control my weight. I started walking again at least 2 miles a day everyday after school. I got two after school jobs. Figured by having two jobs it would keep me occupied and away from foods that were left at home. But it only made me sick and was force to give up one job. By the time I graduated I weighed in little over 200 pounds.
After having my first child in 1987, I weighed 250 plus! Immediately I started taking Dexatrim again, and began walking more eventually found myself walking 7 miles a day every week. I lost the weight and came down to 155 but that was not good enough. I started ordering diet pills through the mail; you know lose 50 pounds in 2 months so I ordered them. Not to mention not working just being a house mother I was able to exercise at least 4 hours a day 6 days a week and maintain my weight for nearly 2 years.
April of 1989 I started working. Little time to exercise became a problem and started picking up the weight, before I knew it I was back in the 200 category again. By the end of 1989 I was engaged and would be married in 1991. I met up with some ladies who encouraged me to join Jenny Craig. For awhile it was going good, until I started to free myself away. The weight came right back on.
1999 I started dieting again, walking 7 miles a day Monday – Fridays. Swimming Saturdays and Sundays, and taking old famous dexatrim maximum strength this time. The weight came of fast I’m down to 165. I was able to maintain this weight for about a year until my fiancé’s parents came to live with us. I started picking up again, back to 200 pounds again. Being that the housework was done all the time it gave me time to exercising. I brought Richard Simmons exercising tapes and would exercise twice a day and take Mr. Dexatrim. By the time April 1991 came around the corner my weight was between 175 – 185. Another year went on my battle with weight was like an escalator up and down I’d reached 232 pound.
1992 I’d gotten pregnant for my 2nd child only this time I’d run into major complication which would require me to terminate the pregnancy or let nature take it’s place by being bedridden and so I did; bedridden it was. December 1992 admitted into the hospital I was 268. I remained in the hospital for nearly a month. February 3, 1993 I had my weight taken I’d reached 305 pounds. Two weeks after having my son my weight came down to 273. I guess after having an 11lbs.5oz baby I should have drop at least 32 pounds. However since then no matter what I’ve done to lose the weight I just couldn’t I had the hardest time doing so.
Back to work August 1993. Between then till 1995 I joined the SPA and started taking dexatrim, when that didn't work I started taking other diet pills fat burners, night owl, adding slim fast to my diet and drinking all sorts of dieters teas. I kept on going to the Spa and eventually some of the weight came off weighing in anywhere from 255 – 265. It was an up and down battle for me and stood that way for nearly 3 ½ years.
1996 I’m pregnant for the 3rd child. My weight is 243 or so, by the end of my pregnancy I reached 285 pounds. After having my daughter I’d loss some weight and came down to 255. At this point I was tried of taking diet pills, killing my self on strenuous exercise and mile walks I stop!
December 1996 due to my weight problem I ended up with menstrual periods, never stop bleeding since the birth of my daughter. I bled just about every day. I got seen by my OBGYN and she placed me back on birth controls even though I had cut and tied my tubes. March 1997 came and no luck still bleeding. The pains were unbearable nothing she did seamed to do work. I awaken up to these pains, unbelievable and thought I was dying. I got rushed to ER only to find out I had gallstones that had to be removed immediately. Not only am I suffering with the menstrual periods, but having to recover from the gallstone surgery. By the end of May 1997 after recovering from the surgery I lost 20 pounds weighing at 235. Of course the weight came back to 265 – 275 by the end of the year.
My OBGYN reminded me one of the reasons why I’m having this menstrual period is because of my weight. So I started reading about Dr. Adkins Diet Plan, I followed the Dr Atkins' Diet Revolution, ate only protein, I lost about 50 pounds. I considered it a successful diet. Over the next 6 months, I gained back the weight and found myself at a higher weight than when I started the diet. Next, I read several weight loss books and tried each new diet for while; losing weight and eventually gaining it back. Dr. Shintani's Diet Plan, Herbalife Products (I lost some weight and felt good and healthy, no back problems, but it was too costly nearly impossible to continue with this product own my own). After Nemours attempts I had gone to see my doctor he gave me a prescription for a diet pill that I used. (Needless to say it was very messy and uncontrollable). No matte what I’ve done the weight come off only to come back on. Changing my diet didn’t stop the bleeding eventually after nemours attempts to stop the bleeding I had a hysterectomy. After having the hysterectomy I decided to try taking over the counter diet pill once again from Xenadrine, Supeerdine Xenadrine, Meatabolife 356, Trim Spa, Diet Tea's Ultra Slim, Slim & Trim, and Fat Burners. I exercised to Billy Banks Tae Bo Tapes, Richard Simmons, Power 90; I continue to walk for at least an hour a day. Though it hasn't help me lose the much weight it does help with my breathing. The two most recent diet pills I've taken in the last year was Calogel when that didn't work I tried Hoodila Slim I've spent a lot of money on this product and it didn't work at all. I've taken so many other over the counter weight loss product over prior years, but once I stop taken them the weight came right back on.
Despite my recent successes with changing my eating habits and improving my food management, I feel the success has come too late. I suffer on a daily basis from the past twenty four years of weight loss and weight maintenance failure. I now suffer from the following co-morbidities:
***Chronic Migraines – receiving medical prescription Maxalt Mlt 10mg, for severe migraines I take Butalbital/APAP/Caff 325 issued by my PCP; ***Heal spur – avoiding surgery I’ve been using special made shoes (receiving treatment from podiatrist); ***Chronic back pains; ***Stress incontinence: especially in the mornings when I wake up I can’t stand on my feet because of the heal spur and bad knee strain; ***Unable to sleep – I wake up from the pains that runs from my hip down to my legs. (Over the counter pain killers); ***Infections with my skin folds behind my knees and appendix area: treated with Desitin; and Easily fatigue.
I have experienced ostracism in social situations when out in public. My family suffers by association. My son who’s diagnosis with neurofibromatosis is not only teased because of his disease he’s also teased because of my weight. My daughter is teased about her mom who has a “really fat bun”. My husband and children hears strangers making comments to me as I pass by them especially when getting to seat at the movie theatre. Last season I was ask to help with my daughter’s side line at the soccer field but I declined, as I could not stand for the duration of the game. So once again I decided to be a soccer mom instead. I turn down opportunities at work when it comes to traveling. My company would have to purchase two seats instead of one, because one seat won’t do.
Most of the women in our family struggles from obesity, 85% of them have the same issues they all have diabetes, high blood pressure and thyroid problems. I want to avoid these problems they’re faced with.
March 4th this year we rushed my mother to the hospital, immediately they began to give her blood transfusion, not knowing that was wrong other than her diabetes and high blood pressure was frustrating. The bleeding was over whelming and uncontrollable. Several testes were done only to find out she’s been diagnose with colon cancer. I was very devastated by the news, and blame her for not getting the proper care she needed. I visited and cleaned her every day. I must admit it was very difficult my mother too was also a very large person trying to understand what she was going through terrified me. I started thinking about me.
This is not something I've thought about over night. While my mother was being cared for in the hospital I spoken with her, my husband and sisters. A commercial from the QCWMP came on as we were talking, and so this would be the first step I’d take. That’s when I call and attend a seminar that took place later that month. After attend the QCWMP meeting I gave a lot of consideration on having the gastric bypass surgery. 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 prior surgeries I've had. I realize that a lifestyle change and exercise are major components of gastric surgery and I have already started making those changes. I also understand that this surgery is an irreversible procedure.
Needless to say did I know that five months down the road August 12, 2007 would I contact my sisters, brothers and family members to notify them of my mother's death. The reason colon cancer, cardiopulmonary arrest, and anemia.
