Cronniss
Hello!
I am new to ObesityHelp.com, so I thought that I'd introduce myself here in the blogsphere of this site.
I have been over-weight for half of my life. In the B.C. Era of my life (Before Children) I was relatively slender my whole life, but always tall for my age. I started high school at 13-years-old, and I was already 5'10" and 175 lbs. When I graduated high school, I was 17-years-old, 6'1" and 210 lbs.
I turned 18 in basic training (for the U.S. Army Reserves), and when I got out of basic I was 6'2.5" and 175 lbs. That was approximately 4 months after I graduated from high school. In February of the following year I exited A.I.T. (Advanced Individual Training) at 6'4" and 199 lbs. At 19 years-of-age (just before my daughter was born and I turned 20), I was 6'4" and 200 - 215 lbs.
After my daughter was born and I had turned 20, I quickly hit 250 lbs. I have never been that weight since. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I was able to look straight down and see my toes! (When I wear shoes, I can see the tips of them...so I know my toes are there...hehe. But then, I wear size 14EEEs...hehe.)
I hit my max somewhere around 2010/2011 - 408 lbs. So I've been carrying a lot of weight for a long time. There are a couple of reasons for this.
First, I come from a large family - both in numbers and size. My father is 1 of 16 children (8 boys, 8 girls). In his family, even the women get up to 6' in height (with a couple of exceptions). My own daughter is 5'8". (While her mother is 5'3" / 5'4".) My mother is 1 of 4 - all girls, but all (eventually) over-weight. As far as where I'm at in my generation of my family, I'm right in the middle - but I'm one of the tallest. In fact, I believe that I only have 1 cousin that is the same height as me.
I used to have an uncle that was my height, but he died when I was 17 due to congestive heart failure. (He was 6'4", 400+ lbs, a little older than I am now.) After his first heart attack, he was hospitalized. During that time he lost a tremendous amount of weight due to the strict diet they had him on, and suffered a second heart attack due to the rapid weight loss (which is what killed him). Because of the size of my family - size...get it? lol (yes, I can laugh at myself; you have to be able to in order to get through a lot of stuff in life) - if you look for any particular type of disease or disorder...you will find it. 16 children, 42 grandchildren (that's the group I'm in), 112 great-grandchildren (my daughter is there), and currently 16(?) great-great-grandchi
Most of the men in my family are built like me - tall (we do have a short one or two), averaging about 6' in height; broad shoulders; long torso. When we're in shape, we're barrel-chested. When we're not in shape, we sport kegs instead of 4-/6-packs. And when we reach our 20's, we pack on the weight - every single one of us.
The other reason for this is that in 1997 I had a near fatal accident that has resulted in me having headaches, debilitating migraines and seizures. (It's actually a funny story - at least the way I tell it; but that is for another time/post.) I'm not able to be as active as I need to be to keep the weight off. At that time I was between 280 and 300 lbs. I've steadily increased since then - the big jump in my weight being in March of 2007 when a headache started and never stopped. (I still have the headache going on, and it is going to be 2013 in less than a week.)
In the last couple years I've had a radical change in my environment - I moved in with some friends that help take care of me instead of being with family that not only completely stressed me out, but thought that I had been faking my condition for years. Since that change (and hitting my max weight), I have lost a few pounds. In fact, in a four month period I lost about 20 lbs simply due to a combination of a lack of stress and changing my eating habits.
I am eating much healthier now than I was before, and I am also eating smaller portions. Unfortunately, my condition keeps me from performing regular exercise. (I can't even be outside in the sunlight for too long, because the sunlight will trigger a migraine.) But I'm afraid that I've hit a wall in loosing weight because I am not able to exercise as I should.
My neurologist believes that my weight may be contributing to my constant headache, migraines and seizures. She thinks that if I can loose enough weight I might be able to break the cycle that my body may have gotten itself in to.
I've been reticent to take surgical action to induce weight loss. Other than the fact that I am over-weight, I have no weight-related issues. (Other than the neurological ones, which were actually created due to a T.B.I. (Traumatic Brain Injury).) My blood-pressure (while relatively high) is normal, my cholesterol is normal, I am not hyperglycemic (I am hypoglycemic, but I was diagnosed with that when I was 18, and it is controlled through diet), etc. All of the doctors that I have seen have been amazed by the results of all the tests they have given me - besides the aforementioned neurological issues and my weight, I am "perfectly" healthy.
But I am no longer happy. Honestly, I'm tired of the furniture groaning BEFORE I sit in it! I would like to get into a vehicle without it tilting as I climb in. And, I have had more than one chair break underneath me. (Damn termites.)
After doing some research, I am leaning towards the Lap-Band. The biggest reason for this is that due to my neurological issues, I have to make sure that I can keep a balanced "brain chemistry" so that I don't slip in to agonizing pain that nearly nothing will help ease. From what I've read, the Gastric Bypass and Sleeve Gastrectomy both cause changes in the way nutrition is handled. I am assuming that the Duodenal Switch does as well, but I have not read up on it.
I could be wrong, so I hope that I am able to find and maybe receive assistance here. Right now I'm just doing research. I will be speaking with my current physician (who has been pushing me to get surgery done for weight loss for two years now) about this soon. I just want to have information under my belt when I walk in to talk to him. Even if I don't have answers, I at least want to have questions.
So I sit here, writing this, looking to you (whoever is reading this), sitting at approx. 380 lbs (in my 500 lb-rated desk chair) hoping that I can get to somewhere close to 250 lbs without losing organs.
If you wish to provide information that is considered negative towards the Lap-Band, I will let you know that I am not afraid to hear/read it. I would rather go in eyes open than walk blindly into a wall (or a pit).
