What was the straw the broke the camel's back for you?

Hi everyone.  I was inspired to ask by a topic Eggface posted on the main board.  I was wondering from a 20's perspective, what did it for you?  What made you decide to choose surgery?  (Amy, I read yours but feel free to re-post here if you want!)  I'd love to hear your stories because I know I personally didn't have any major medical issues.  But I also didn't want to waste one more year being overweight and scared of potential health issues. For me, it was multi-fold.  I first began considering it when I saw Carnie Wilson on VH1 (Yeah, I know.)  I thought it was something for people over 400 lbs.  Then about a year ago, I heard one of my best friends from grade/high school had had RNY.  She disappeared off the face of the earth when we were in college (the same college, incidentally) and it was only by sheer coincidence I heard.  I think she wanted to sever ties with her old life because it must have been very painful for her.  Anyway, her after pic was so beautiful and I was intrigued and jealous at the same time. Fast forward to sometime around August 2007.  My Dh was very worried because I was snoring very badly and I knew I would wake up gasping for air.  I was also having random dizzy spells where I would get disoriented just sitting at my desk.  Dr's couldn't tell me why.  I got scared. I also got winded walking in from the parking lot at work, I couldn't get up from the floor without huffing and struggling, stuff like that.  I have a 2 year old, you HAVE to be active!  My ankle (fractured in 2003) hurt constantly (still does).  And I *finally* weighed myself and looked at the number.  275.   I was mortified. I went to the info seminar at the advice of a friend and WLS'er and the rest as they say was history.  I'm so excited to have my re-birthday soon.

Like you it was a bunch of things. In december 06 my friend invited me to go to seminar, she signed me up and everything, I declined... When she came back she showed me all the info and stuff she had to do to get it.. I was interested then, But decided to see if she would die or not (I am serious) Then on my honeymoon my hubby and i did a tour of amusement parks and some of the rides I could not fit in!  I was mortified...  It was the most embarressing thing to happen to me ever! I started to think about it, and my friend didnt die from surgery.... We had moved to an apt that was upstairs and you had to walk far from where you parked,  a normal person wouldnt have a problem, but I suddenly would be out of breathe before I even got to the stair.  it made me miserable. Then last thing was that my clothes were fitting,  I bought some new pants and they were 24s! and the only "cute" shirts I could find were for fat chicks, and I hate the whole lany bryant fat chick crap. So i made an appt to go to seminar, called my wls friend to borrow some clothes.  When I went to her house she looked great, so from then on I knew I had to get it.  

OMG we went to an amusement park for our honeymoon too and I really struggled to get the harnesses secured.  Yep, that sucked.  I remember I had to buy size 3 tops from Torrid and I could still see rolls and I just wanted to die.

Hi I had first heard about WLS when carnie wilson had it done. I was only 14 at the time and didn't give it much thought until about  5 years later when I was 19. I was already up to 370lbs. I had wanted to have WLS because I had tried dozens of diets and nothing worked. I would lose 20 lbs and then that was it. So between the ages of 19-21 I had gained 80 more pounds I just felt horrible and was miserable. I was unable to do so much and was constantly in pain. I thought to myself if I feel this way now at the age of 22 How is it going to be in 5 or 10 years. I just knew I had to do something. Simple things like going to walmart or grocery shopping was a all day event to me. I could barely walk thru the store. One day at work a customer came in and I started chatting with her she had just had WLS and gave me her surgeons name and number. I set up a consultation and went. My insurance wouldn't pay for the surgery and I was heartbroken. I wasn't able to take out a loan. So finally months went by and my dad offered to pay for my surgery. I definetly can never thank my father enough. If it weren't for him I wouldn't have been able to have my surgery. Life couldn't be any better. I feel so good, all my health problems are gone, I have confidence.  I am able to live a "normal" life and do normal things. This spring I am taking my first trip to disneyland. I had never went before because I wouldn't have been able to fit in the rides. I am also going to Europe this summer to. Another big thing, now that I have the confidence and am healthy I am moving to California to go to school. Prior to WLS I would of never dreamed of going to school let alone moving to another state. Now Im living a great and healthy life and wouldn't trade it for the world!!

That is so wonderful how things fell into place for you!!!  I'm so glad for you!

I knew two girls (sisters) in high school and we were always sort of fat together.  Unspoken bond and whatnot.  We lost touch after each of us left high school in our respective years, then I heard about them getting WLS and they were successful so far.  I was jealous and didn't want to get left in fatland and looked into it. I still haven't reconnected with the girls and don't know that I ever will, but I've heard that they are still junk food junkies so I am curious to see if they'll continue being successful.  Ah well, just have to wait for the info to travel down the grapevine before I can find out.

Mine was a progression of a bunch of small straws.  I feel like I have known about and thought about this surgery for ages, I just never really thought it was for me.  Straw 1 - Last year (Feb-April) at work we did a 3-month biggest loser type contest.  I worked my butt off, lost 22 pounds and came in second place.  Then I went on an all-inclusive vacation and gained back 14 pounds in the 2 weeks after the contest ended.  It was so depressing to know that what took me 3 hard months to accomplist was so easily undone.  I have lost and gained a million times before, but this one happening so fast really got to me. Straw 2 - Summer 2007 I went to Martha's vineyard with two friends and we decided to rent bicycles for the day.  I have always been overweight but I used to always be in pretty decent shape.  Well after a couple miles on the bike I really thought I was going to die.  We rode to one end of the island and then had to bring the bikes back to the rental shop.  I walked the bike much of the way, rode when I could and cried because I was so upset and embarrassed that I couldn't keep up with my friends.  Straw 3 - Thankfully this happened when I was at the low end of my weights in the past years.  I don't know how I would have lived it down at my highest weight.  So I was sitting on a picnic bench with a bunch of guys from my old job (all guys, no other girls).  I leaned back to lift my foot up to tie my shoe so my butt shifted to the back piece of wood on the bench (there were like 3 planks of wood there).  Well, the wood broke and I feel flat on my back, feet in the air.  I think I was a fairly good sport about it but that truly was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life! Straw 4 - Finding out that my insurance actually would cover me.  I think that this was my realization that wow, I really am that big that I would qualify!  And after all that here I am. :)

Oh my god that bench thing is terrible!!!  LOL Don't feel too bad, I broke a plastic lawn chair.  Those things are the work of an evil power.

I started really thinking about it seriously when my grandmother died last Easter.  I had to get up and give her eulogy.  She had a stroke when I was four or five years old and lived the last 20 to 25 years of her life with limited use of her right side.  She also had heart surgery.  My grandfather had heart surgery.  My other grandfather had a pacemaker/defib. implanted this summer.  My dad's side has a history of high blood pressure.  Genetics are not my friend in addition to those factors that I can control but had failed to do so for so long.  I guess all that reflection on how she had spent the last decades of her life sparked a fire in me to do something, ANYTHING, that would prevent that from happening to me.  I was saddened but not exactly grief-stricken I think because I channeled the emotions into starting a positive change in my life. More immediately, it was when I wanted to go rafting with my friends on the Ocoee river but canceled because I knew they wouldn't have life vests that would fit me.

I bet your next rafting trip will be much more awesome!