New and wanting as much info as possible

Hello....my name is Debbie and I am 46 yrs old. I am married with 2 children and reside outside of Detroit. I have been lurking for a few weeks now...reading posts, admiring the photos of those that have lost weight, and trying to take in as much info as possible. I have battled with my weight all my life. I am a twin an alwasy found it hard to deal with a thin sister. She had all the boyfriends, wore all the cute clothes and was very athletic. Even as we aged... I kept gaining. I am 5 ft 1 inch and I weigh 265 lbs. My twin is in a size "3"!!! I have lost weight here and there but always gained it back. A few years ago I was diagnosed with Cushings Disease. I had a Pituitary tumor. I was up to 280 lbs. Weight gain was a side effect of Cushings. After surgery to remove the pituitary tumor I did lose the weight we think I put on from Cushings, but didn't take long to put it back on. Which puts me at my current weight of 265. I am tired of feeling tired. I have no energy. I don't feel good. I have quite a few comorbid symptoms. High BP, underactive thyroid, sleep apnea, diabetes (insulin dependent), back pain, hair loss, depression. I probably could go on and on about all that ails me, but this is long enough. I am sure you see the BIG picture. ME!!! I have an appointment today with my PCP to see if he is going to support me in my decision. As we all know, support is so very important. My husband and kids are very supportive, a few others are a bit skeptical. I want to be healthy, have energy, be off meds, be able to enjoy life with my family. I am still so very young and have alot of time to enjoy life!!! Any other websites or resources I can look at to help me understand COMPLETELY and follow this lifestyle to lead a better healthy life, please pass along!! I have HAP HMO and was told I had to go to Henry Ford Downtown Detroit. So if ther eis anyone that has had it done there, I would love to hear from you about your experiences. Thanks for listening (reading)!!

Hello Deborah, I'm 47, no kids, and spent most of my life fighting obesity. It was in 1992 that I started my research on gastric bypass surgery, but for reasons of numerous proportions, such as: my job wouldnt let me take time off I needed, or my insurance wouldn't cover the procedure, I did not have it done until July 19, 2005. When I first came to this area, I weighed 310. I had type 2 diabetes, high bp, high cholesterol, feet problems, sleep apnea, and chronic asthma, seasonal allergies, and wore size 32 pants and 3-4 X tops. I did not shop in public at all. I would buy things, then take them home to try them on. If it fit, I kept it, if not, I returned it. Trying on clothes made me sweaty, miserable, and nothing ever seemed to fit. I was a couch potato who ate half of a pepperidge farm cake and a quart of milk nightly. I could eat half a pan of brownies no problem and didn't care 1 bit about my diabetes. I just was in denial mostly. Then, I got REALLY REALLY TIRED OF BEING TIRED, AND MOST OF ALL LOOKING IN THE MIRROR SAYING TO MYSELF """NO WONDER YOU ARE 47 AND SINGLE, I DON'T EVEN LIKE ME!!!"""". So I began my journey in March of 05 where I had the referall from my PCP and met the Psych for consult and in May met the Bariatric surgeon here who would perform my surgery. Talk about issues I had no clue that would occur? On my Pre-Op testing day June 24, 2005? My father was diagnosed with terminal cancer that eventually would take his life on February 15, 2006 after an 8 month battle and 6 horrid rounds of chemo that just made it worse. I literally was "on my own" here, limited friends, and no family here to support me. BUT, I did survive, do things right, I listened to my nut, (we call Nutritionists NUTS here) and followed the rules for a while. Then I went off course a while and lost some hair, so I am presently back on track and logging my protein intake daily and my vitamins. I now top 100 grams of protein per day. I am now 166 and my fat mass and fat percentages are within NORMAL limits. My bmi is 31.9, and when I first came here it was 67 something. I walk 6-10 miles per week, either outside (first option is outside if not too hot!) or on the treadmill at the gym I belong to. I cannot jog yet but that is my passion -- soon to be visiting a plastic surgeon to hopefully have a needed tummy tuck and whatever else due to the excess skin. My dream is to run a race, whether I win or not, just to say I DID IT. I would do it again in a heartbeat, and know that every one of us have different stories and experiences. I would recommend reading lots of profiles, simply click on the person's name if it is in blue when they post. Most people here write long stories about their journeys that people who are new, can learn a great deal from. And never stop asking questions!!! Welcome to oh.com and hugs! Stacey

Welcome. I wrote a similar note here in March and began reading all the boards all the time. I had no insurance restrictions and chose Dr. Zeni and the bariatric center at St Mary Mercy in Livonia and I haven't been sorry. There are monthly support group meetings, our next is June 28 at 7:00 pm in the hospital auditorium. Join us! There are also monthly informational meetings for prospective patients and their support people. I suggest attending this kind of meeting at as many programs as you can, just to get familiar with what is available and what people think. I've had the surgery so recently that I don't feel that I can advise you, but it was the last hope of a normal life for this 55 yr old. I would suggest that you also investigate other ways of losing weight so that you can make the best possible choice for yourself. And look out, these boards are addictive!

I am 45 and I went thru Henry Ford downtown myself, as I also had HAP. I had Dr. Genaw, but I have also heard good things regarding Dr. Carlin. OH is probably the best website!! You can ask questions and get answers. Some people had an easy time, and others not, including myself.

Welcome tot he board. My best advise I can give is check out ppl's profiles, you can llearn alot of what ppl went through. I found this site when I first started out getting info on the surgery and met a lot of wonderful and learned so much from these fine folks. Best of luck to you on your new journey. Hope to chat with you again. Lauri B

thanks for the welcome and for your replies. I had my Dr appt today and my PCP, whom I love to death, is behind me 100%. He saved my life a few years ago when I had Cushings Disease. So now I need to contact HAP and find out what I need to do. Or do I contact Henry Ford and they handle all the paperwork? (it can't be that easy) I was told that all HAP people have to go to Henry Ford-Dowtown. Looking forward to being a part of this support system.