44YO, 500LBS, and terrified

Greetings,
I'm a 44 year old male that has let his health get away from him.  Due  to caretaking for my grandparents over the last 6 years, as well as having no health insurance until very recently, I have health issues.  My weight has ballooned up to 500 pounds (up from 320), but more importantly, I unknowingly developed High Blood Pressure, which has caused serious damage to my kidneys.  I now deal with excessive fluid retention in my legs, making it very painful to walk more than a few steps.  The pain is unbearable.  I honestly have no idea how I got to this point.

After speaking with my GP, an endocrinologist, and a nephrologist (sp), I have been swayed to thinking that bariatric surgery is the best option, but I am in the catch 22...can't do it until the blood pressure goes down...which  is hindered by the weight gain and water retention.  I've taken numerous diuretics and BP meds, nothing helps.  

I've been beating myself up mentally about this, which I realize is no help.  I've been a vegetarian for years, don't drink, no added sodium,  so it isn't a dietary issue.  

WLS will help you tremendously.  You should get a referral to a bariatric surgeon.  They usually have orientation meetings that you have to attend, and the surgeon usually stays after to answer questions.  At 500 pounds, many surgeons will require that you lose some weight before surgery.  But programs usually include visits with nutritionist and psych eval, sometimes a cardiac consult, and a sleep apnea test. Also, check with your insurance company -- 1) make sure you are covered for WLS; and 2) find out what their requirements are.

Most of us have high blood pressure pre-op, and go off that medication shortly post-op.

Take the steps necessary to get the ball rolling -- and read the boards here as they contain information that will help you.

Good luck!

beating yourself up don't help.  I do believe gastric bypass will help.  It took a long time to get the weight on. I know it kinda creeps up on ya.  So it will take time to get it off.  The journey through weight loss is well worth it.   Keep your chin up, and keep moving forward.  life is great.  Have a great day today.:-) 

Don't give up!  

It amazes me how much some doctors do not know about WLS so your best bet is to get with a bariatric surgeon, starting with your insurance company first then look the doc up on here.  Look for history in the field because it's blowing up rapidly and every doctor is not as good as the other. 

In the meantime, think about some counseling to deal with all the changes in your life, including the caretaking of the grands to the weight gain. My very wise sister says "It's not what you are eating but what is eating you."  And there is truth there but then simple math comes into play...calories in vs calories out!   Invest some time in YOU and you won't be sorry.   

I wish you all the luck in the world.  You are young and deserve to be happy and healthy, not angry, sad and miserable.  

God Bless!  :D

I was in pretty much the same boat you are. I was 52 when I had gastric bypass, and topped out at 475 pounds. The only thing that helped with the edema in my legs was keep them elevated, very high, for as long as I could.

Things like high blood pressure and diabetes do creep up on you, because unless you have them tested, you aren't aware. If you aren't diabetic yet, you will be. All of these things terrified me, so it's not a surprise you are terrified.

Now there's a couple of things you might not want to hear. You say you have no idea how you got to this point, and that, since you are a vegetarian, it's not a dietary issue. But, honestly, you really should know how you got in the shape you are, and it absolutely, positively is a dietary issue. 100 percent. All of the issues, morbid obesity, edema, joint pain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart problems -- they all stem from eating way too much, for way too long.

I know first-hand how hard a problem it is to fix. I had to have surgery to fix my problems, and so did everyone else here. All from eating too much. Being a vegetarian doesn't matter. There are lots of obese vegans and vegetarians. You can eat the healthiest foods in the world, but if you eat too much, you will gain weight.

One of the best things I ever did was start logging my food, to keep track of how much I ate, and help keep me from eating more. I weigh and record every bite of food that goes in my mouth. You might want to try this for a while, and if you can stick to it, I would bet you can start losing a little. Keep your feet elevated, and your edema will get better. All of this will take a little time.

Continue to think seriously about surgery. It literally saved my life. I went from 475 to 185. My blood pressure is low, the diabetes is gone, and I'm not on meds for anything. I look at my feet, and they look nothing like when they were bloated and swollen.

I hope you stick around and do the hard work you'll need to get your health back. I promise it will be worth it.

This is so well put that it brought tears to my eyes.  

TO the OP, you aren't alone.  I was over 344 pounds, had insulin dependent diabetes, high blood pressure, protein spilling into my urine, swollen legs and ankles and sleep apnea.  I actually ate healthy foods -- just waaaaaaayyyyy too much of them.  When I finally starting tracking via my fitness pal -- I was eating over 4000 calories a day.  I am a 5'5" sedentary female!!  I was truthfully in denial about how much I was eating.  

Since the beginning of the year, I made a strong commitment to log every thing I eat.  EVERYTHING.  That means even my vitamins, a bite of something … heck, I even log the communion wafer if I go to mass.  I noticed that those who were successful at this process do this --- and get really honest about their relationship with food.  It wasn't an easy habit to get into, but the benefits have been massive.  

WLS can definitely be the tool to help you regain your health.  Since my surgery (I had an RNY) I have rid my life of diabetes (technically remission), HBP, sleep apnea, kidney issues, fatty liver, and swelling.  I can run, climb and fit everywhere -- and I am not even to my goal yet.  All these things are waiting for you, too.

I am 44 and just weighed in at 480 this past Friday when I had my initial meeting with the doctor that will be doing my surgery. I have a host of pre op things to do. I have to meet with a heart doctor, lung doctor, nutritionist, sleep study, upper endoscopy, have labs done, and go to a support group meeting. I weighed 395 lbs. for most of my adult life and at 6 ft 3 in I carried it pretty well. After my relationship with my fiance failed and I lost my teaching job my heart sand and I gained up to 440 lbs. Then I got a job driving a truck and over the last two years my weight has crept up to my current 480 lbs. I am so excited about having surgery. I guess that I finally came to the conclusion that if I were going to lose weight on my own I would have done it already. I am so big now that I can't really do much effective exercise. Throw that in with the long hours that I am in my truck I was feeling down hearted like you seem to be. I know that after surgery as my weight begins to come off I will be able to get out and do some walking. I have started buying some dumbbells and will be buying some other weight lifting equipment. I think that it will be baby steps, but I am looking forward to getting this weight off and beginning to enjoy many of the outdoor activities that my weight has prevented me from doing. Hang in there and know that God will see you through this.

I feel bad for you... but at one time i became vegetarian - a few years ago  and in 6 month I put on 50 lbs..  a great naturopath suggested I try Vegan.. I put on an additional 20 lbs.. 

that's when I decided that my body can't deal with as many carbohydrates and starches that vegetarians usually eat... I that my body needed good meat and good natural fat to become more efficient. 

you are not healthy while of the restricted diet  - maybe it is time to change?   maybe your body is not designed to process all the carbs?  

check Keto diet... maybe some major change would help you normalize your body?  and get WLs if that is what you need... 

The first two things I suggest you do: start journaling EVERY BITE YOU EAT, and get some pretty extensive blood work done. Since you're a vegetarian, there's a good possibility part of your edema is due to low protein. Also, as a vegetarian, you're GOT to be eating a LOT of carbs, and they're what got most of us fat.

Do you perhaps have lymphedema? That could also be the cause of your swelling, and can be improved by compression garments.

Thank you to everyone that replied.  All of your info and suggestions are greatly appreciated. I have taken some steps in the right direction, and hopefully my journey will lead to bariactric surgery and subsequently a smaller and healthier me.  It helps to know that I am not the only one dealing with these issues.  Thank you all again.