Scared Silly

I just found out I may have sleep apnea and a host of other medical issues. My BMI is 45.8. My only problem is that the surgery scares me silly. I've tried to lose weight but I always put it right back on and exercising just makes me a bulky fat girl. I have no idea if this is right for me but I thought maybe I would look into it. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions for me?

I had sleep apnea. When I went for my first sleep study they said I stopped breathing on average about 119 times an hour. They said I had it bad. I used a cpap machine but found out I was allergic to something in the mask, because I would wake up with a knot on my head and my eyes swollen. So, I had surgery. They took my tonsils, uvala (the thing hanging down in the back of your throat) and part of my soft palet. It worked, but if I keep gaining weight, It could come back. As for the surgery. I too was thinking about it for a long time. I now have a surgery date of 7/6/05 with Dr. Strickland in Columbia. What I did was go to a few information meetings with doctors who do the surgery and then make up my mind. Hope this helps. I also thought, with all my medical conditions I will probably die young. My dad died at 55 and I'm 37 right now. I'm taking after my dad. So I decided that the surgery is the only way I can lose the weight. Hope this helps. Wendy Fowler

Brooks, You are in the right place. Hang out on this site, more on the main one than just SC messageborad. Everything and anything you want to know about WLS is there! I have one more informational seminar to go to, then I make my decision on the physician. I never thought about WLS before, then I found this site, and after reading and reading and reading and emails, I realized this is for me. There are major changes that you have to make regarding eating. For me it is worth the sacrifice because I hate myself and I hate being FAT. If you have any particular questions, you can post them on the messageboard or you can email me if you like. Lori