Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.

I had tried every diet out there, I had tried Adipex wt loss pills (and gained back all of the wt I lost on them), I played soccer, walked minimally for exercise, and I ate ALL the time in HUGE amounts (at the time I didn't think it was so much food!!!). I couldn't fit on the rides at the fair or Cedar Point. I was diabetic, taking insulin AND pills daily to stay in the lower 300 range (which is still extremely high!) My HGBA1C was 10.4, the highest normal value is around 6! I had high blood pressure, I had high cholesterol. I was always tired, always out of breath, always out of energy and didn't feel like playing with my daughter. I had 3 miscarriages and 1 stillborn child mostly caused from my obesity. I was on the verge of a divorce because my husband was trying to tell me to quit eating the way I was so I didn't kill myself and it caused several heated arguments. Obesity caused a huge uproar in our household all of the time and made me a miserable person on the inside, and I looked miserable on the outside!

What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?

The worst thing in the world was knowing that my choice to be obese was causing our family to repeatedly lose children (3 miscarriages and 1 stillborn). This left my (now 11 year old) daughter without a brother or sister, and we had to attend our son's funeral because I was overweight and it basically killed my son!

If you have had weight loss surgery already, what things do you most enjoy doing now that you weren't able to do before?

I look forward to being able to get pregnant and be healthy during the pregnancy, but what I am most excited about for the time being is that I'll be around long enough to enjoy grand children now!!! I now have normal blood pressure and cholesterol readings. I DON'T TAKE ANYTHING FOR MY DIABETES!!!! I was at 6 shots/day and 2 pills/day... now NOTHING and my readings stay around 100!!! I have more energy, and now I'll be coaching fall soccer!!! :) I've passed on my better eating habits to my daughter along with my exercise regimen!