I am scared but I need to change.

I have always been overweight. And now, for the past 5 years, I have been obese. I have felt horrible, and my health is declining. I have high cholesterol, and fatty liver. I had a baby 5 months ago. It was amazing I was 320lbs when I got pregnant. I lost weight throughout my entire pregnancy, and then I lost a lot after I had her. I ended up being 280. I have since then gained 10lbs. And it keeps going up. I am hungry all the time. And I dont know why. I have had tests done, and all I have is high cholesterol, everything else came back good. But the hunger wont stop. I am scared that all I am doing is killing myself. And I have to do something about it. I cant stick to a diet because I want to eat all the time. So, this is my last resort. I want to do this, but I am afraid of surgery. I am afraid of dying. And I know that if I stay on this path I am on now, death isnt too far away. I am almost 29. I dont want to spend the rest of my life fat. Can anyone out there help me? Give me the pros and cons. I havent talked to my doctor about it. It has been something I pondered upon but not until recently did I make the decision to have it done. I know the first step is to make an appointment. I need help and advice. I dont know what else to do for myself. I walk everyday, and it seems to not be helping me. I can feel my belly getting bigger and bigger. And I feel more and more horrible. Any advice?

Leslie I don't even know where to begin....WLS was the best decision I have ever made in my whole life. Sure getting married, having a baby, quitting smoking....all great but not as awesome as finally taking control of my weight and my life. How is it that our weight can make such an impact on everything? I was thrilled with my daughter but all I could think about was how fat I was and how would I ever lose the weight? And when she turned 8 I thought well it isn't baby fat anymore! I think the best thing to do is go to a WLS seminar in your area and get the ball rolling. Like I have told many people that have asked me at work...just get started. It doesnt cost anything to start the prep work. Because trust me once you decide on the surgery you cant have it soon enough. It took me over 2 years to get everything done and that included 3 denials from my insurance company. It is not an easy road and you must be willing to fight for yourself and jump thru alot of hoops. Feel free to check out my profile. Jen 5'4" 243/153/143

Leslie - First let me say you are me. I was 300+ pounds when I finally got pregnant. I was just a little older 29 at the time. I am now 32 and I have lost almost 100 pounds. I feel like a new person. I am smaller now then I was when I graduated HS. I love my new life and what I can do. I too was scared to death of the surgeries. After talking to many doctors and going to many seminars my DH and I finally decieded that lap-band was what was right for me. I have not regreted for one minute my desicion. There are so many choices out there so start looking and check with your insurance to make sure thre isn't an exclusion. Good Luck on your journey.....

Kim, Thank you for the response. That is the surgery that I am deciding on. The lap band. Did you have anything bad to happen? I heard that this is the lowest risk surgery. I had a c section, back in april, I did really well with it. Actually, the day I came home I really didnt rest. I was up and about. And I acted as if I really didnt have the surgery. Where do they go in? What part of the abdominal area? Is it a lot like gallbladder removal? Let me know.

Surgery is always a scary thing. Try taking a piece of of paper folding it in half and writing down a list of what you think the pros and cons of surgery are... take another piece and write down the pros and cons of living your life the way you are now. Find a support group and talk to people who have had the surgery - that will definately give you more insight and allow you to ask a zillion questions (us postops love questions!). I am 3 months postop as of last week... the entire experience for me has been completely wonderful. The process of getting approved was a stressful one - took me from Sept 05 to April of 06 but I hung in there and fought the insurance company until I got my way. When I saw my Surgeon for the first time I weighed 286lbs. I didnt think I would get approved for the surgery so I struggled and lost weight during the whole process.... 2 weeks before surgery I weighed 250. My surgery went very well - I went in Tuesday and was back working Monday. I had very little pain and even questioned if the surgeon even did anything! (ha) Since then everything has been great. I havent gotten sick or dumped once. I went and saw my Surgeon Friday for my 3 month follow up and am down 42lbs!! Also all of my bloodwork is completely NORMAL. I am not showing any signs of maltnutrition/malabsorption from the surgery (well except for losing weight).. no hair loss... no low iron/calcium/b12 etc. I do feel tired in the afternoons still but the surgeon said even people whose bloodwork is good that happens to. Anyways - you can read more about it on my profile here. If you have any questions feel free to ask. The only thing Ive struggled with so far is changing my eating habits. I take it one day at a time... eating new foods cutting out old foods that were bad and always reminding myself of the rules my surgeon and NUT set! Good luck!