Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.
I have been heavy all my life, being overweigh and obease runs in my family. I have eight siblings and each of us has a weight problem. The boys tend to put it on and take it off but the girls always seem to be the ones that pack it on and keep it on. My highest weight was 323 pounds. It isn't easy when you weigh that much. You get teased a lot, you can't breath, tie your shoes, bend down, much less bend over or see your feet. I was called all kinds of names at school, and I was always on a diet. My mom would make me hard boiled egg sandwiches with plain bread and the egg sliced into rings. I had that sandwich everday for longer then I can remember. Cottage cheese was a staple, and there was this diet candy called "Aids" that I use to drink with hot water or hot tea before every meal so that I would eat just a little actual food. There was always a new diet to try. In junior high I use to walk home from schol and one day as I was walking, the bus fromn school came by with kids that lived further then I did. As I looked up at the bus some kids had plastered a picture of these huge jenas that some man who weighe over 400 pounds wore. (He was pictured in the newspaper for some reason.) They had put my name on the jeans and they were all laughing as they rode by. It was awful and something I never forget. It made me even more embarresed and of course you know what I turned to.. Food! In high school things changed some, and I was determined to be positive and upbeat no matter what. I got elected to the student government, sang in the school choir tried out and won a place in a selected group of singers called "Noteables." I also was in drama. These things kept me busy and active and in the "lime light," so to speak. But at night when I was alone I was bored , miserable and lonely and I turned to food. No matter what I did, the weight kept pouring on, and the pounds stacked up,. I ate, dieted, ate and dieted. I missed my senior ball, and all the dances in between becasue no one asked me to go. I was lucky to go to my Junior Prom. A guy I knew well asked me mostly becasue he felt sorry for me I think. He would not admit it but I knew!! It was nice to go and I looked gross, but I went. As the years progressed the weght was constantly a battle and no matter what I did the fat was always there. Weight Watchers, Slim fast, Dexatrim, Grapefruit, Atkins, Hollywood diet, Tomatoe diet, fasting, you name it I tried it. Young adult years were tough with not many dates and those I had wanted one thing only and figured they could get it because I must be desperate to have men, and I was fat and it didn't matter. WRONG!!!!!! In my late twenties I married a great guy who accepted me for who I was. I struggled with my weight up and down, losing and gaining. The doctors put me on a medically planned diet but still no luck. I continued with Weight Watches and lost 25 to 50 pds but this time at least keep my weight under 300 pds. Always around 280-285. I was checked for Diabetes which runs in my family and was told at the age of 31 that I had type Two Diabetes. They started me on pills, and I was a "Diabetic in good control." Those days seemed to go by quickly and years later I found myself being subjected to two different types of pills twice a day, and being called a "diabetic out of control." As the years past and the weigh stayed I was switched to different meds and finally they had me on two types of med three times a day and checking my blood sugar regulary. This has kept up my whole life. I Struggled though family death, stress and depression because I could not have children for unknown reasons all the while eating and then dieting. Then came the big blow in my life a seperation from my spouse after 15 years of marriage. My weight went up and then took a drastic change and I began to lose. But, I was doing it the wrong way I was starving. I wouldn't eat, couldn't eat. I lost 45 pounds very quickly, and decided that I needed some professional help to get though this hurtful stressful time in my life. I met a great Doctor at Kaiser whom I really liked and she helped me see food issues that I wasn't looking at, and helped me with my feelings about my husband. Once I felt "normal again," whatever that was I thought I was on my way to a new start. I began to eat again, started going to church again keeping busy, and then pounds started to creep back. My doctor was concerend and changed my meds again to the maximun dose and said if I didn't get them under control that Insulin was the only thing left. I tried, and knew that I would never go on insulin but the weight didn't come off and the Diabetes was out of control. After a lot of crying and anger I met with a diabetic educator who taught me to use a needle and how to inject myself. It was one of the hardest things I ever did. My blood sugars were still erratic and out of control. 351-365 was not unusual for me in terms of blod sugar readings. I was tired all the time, slept at the drop of a hat, yet worked like a dog, and gave all of my free time to church activities, events, community meetings, music and drama. With the help of my pastor I started a drama group in our church and that kept me extremely busy. Still,. the weight piled up and the blood sugars stayed high. Fat, Fat, Fat, I would always be fat and it was my fault. But the one thing I never let anyone do to me was discriminate against me becasue I was overweight. i always got looks, and whispers but if anyone said anyting unkind directly to my face, I let them have it. noone should be critized, belittled, whispered about, put down or discriminated against because of their weight! NEVER! I have no tolerance for that. Enough is enough. My first plane trip was seven years ago. I was told I would not fit in the seat and that I would need a seatbelt extender, I didn't and I did fit, but it is so small on the planes that as a large person you squeeze yourself in so that others will have room. I hate that! When will the airlines learn that Sardines might get them a bit more money but giving some room would get them even more because more people would choose to fly if they had room to breathe and move a bit.
What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?
There are so many,. tight seats on ariplanes, chairs that are too small, being called names, whispered about, sneered at, heckled, not being able to breathe well or move. Being tired all the time and not beign able to play certain sports or games. n\Not fitting into good quality nice clothing. Having diabetes, taking longer then others to get over a sickness, or body injury. Not being able to cross your legs, or reach down to pick up something. Looking horrid in a dress or heaven forbid a bathing suit.
If you have had weight loss surgery already, what things do you most enjoy doing now that you weren't able to do before?
Too soon to tell. willupdate in the future. I can tell you that when ever I fly I am going to sit next to a big person to show them that I care and that I don't mind being seat next to them.
Noel H.