Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.
I was never a chunky kid and boot camp took the last of my childhood roundness away so when i had trouble losing weight after my first daughter was born I was surprised but thought I would be able to get it off eventually.. Needless to say it didn't happen, I got pregnant with my son and went up to 200 with him. After he was born I did eventually get back down to 160 again but then almost immediately got pregnant with my youngest daughter. Back up over 200 with her and then the weight stuck at 250 pounds. That began my dieting journey... Weight Watchers since it was cheap, anything we could find in thrift stores since I really couldn't afford programs like Nutri-System or Jenny Craig. On one of my thrift store trips I found Tony Little and Susan Powter videos and between the two of them I dropped 90 pounds in a year. Back down to 160 and then I got sick. Rhinitis, strep throat, bronchitis and HPV hit all at once. I was put on steriods for a few months. In the process I found out I also had fibromyalgia, pre-cancer of my cervix, and was clinically depressed. Off I went on round after round of medication trying to control my symptoms. And my weight quickly blossomed again but instead of trying to get it off I was too busy working 2 jobs, going to school full time, and trying to ride herd on 5 kids. And my weight went back up to 250 pounds.
When I moved to Colorado to help out my parents I worked hard on my weight and dropped to 180. I moved to Wisconsin and and was very active in the outdoors and while I didn't lose anymore weight I was not having a difficult time maintaining at 180. Then on my 40th birthday I found out I had uterine cancer and within a month had a hysterectomy. My weight hit 210 but I thought for sure I could get it back down. I began having fibro-flares fairly regularly and went to my doctor about them. I was put on Lyrica and within 2 weeks gained 30 pounds. That began my crazy search for ANYTHING that would take the weight off. I tried every diet pill on the market. I drank weight loss shakes until I thought I would puke. I worked out until I couldn't move and never dropped a single pound.I weighed 248 pounds by now.
I walked to and from work everyday, a mile and a half both ways. One day on my way home from work I suddenly got a cramp across my abdomen that literally took my breath away. If my daughter had not been with me I would not have been able to get home. I made an appointment with my family practitioner and began a ride of tests that showed I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and several other medical issues as well as still having fibromyalgia and the depression. I broke down in my doctors office so upset because of my weight and all the medical problems. She suggested the lap band and I told her I would look into it. Six months of more medications and not only was I not losing weight I was not getting any relief from the medical problems. I went in for a cholocystectomy (gall bladder removal) in June of 2011 and also had my appendix removed at the same time. I started research on the lap band and soon discovered that there are several other types of bariatric surgery.
What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?
The very worst thing about being overweight for me, was not being able to keep up with the activities I loved. Hiking, hunting, fishing and just being out and about with my family all went on the back burner because I was too heavy to do anything. It was hard to walk into my kitchen in the mornings knowing that in addition to my morning coffee, I was going to have to down a handful of pills to try to get the medical conditions under control.
If you have had weight loss surgery already, what things do you most enjoy doing now that you weren't able to do before?
Nowadays, I am loving going dancing with my boyfriend, fishing, hiking, hunting. Sex is more fun now too. I have so much energy I should be bottling it up and selling it. I have more self-confidence and having a lot of fun meeting new people, going new places, doing new things. Life is so good.,
kahlana
