FineIn09
12-09-08
I was born to be thin. However, somewhere along the way, my destiny took a different direction.
I was pretty much skinny from birth to 3 years old. My Mom and relatives wanted me plump and tried to fatten me up. They couldn't stand that I was thin--they thought I looked sickly and was dying, when in reality, if you look at pictures of my temporarily thin body at the age of 3, I think I looked like a normal child. I remember my mother chasing me down with a bottle of Geritol, since it was supposed to "open up my appetite" as well as boost vitamin B and iron levels. Well, I guess it worked, because I steadily gained weight well into my teens. In school, I remember a few unpleasant moments of teasing, but I didn't really do anything about my weight until I was about 16. I remember my first crash diet. I ate practically nothing for a whole month and lost 20 pounds. The feeling was exhilirating, as I had total control over my body. I wasn't even all that heavy then, but I was trying to keep up with my stick-thin peers. I weighed 135, and though I was far from stick-thin, the change started making heads turn. Namely, teenage ones. This was something I could live with!
Between 16 and 27 when I married, my weight fluctuated constantly. Being a foodie, I could not tolerate not eating for long periods of time anymore, and I was never a vomiter, so I tried to work out whenever I'd binge. For the most part, it worked. Then I met my first husband. He was also a big eater. Our dates consisted of eating out, working out (in bed) and eating some more. Together, we were so bad for each other. I gained 100 pounds in this relationship. I had a daughter with him, but after 9 years of marriage, we divorced. No, it wasn't the "food thing", we had many issues that we would never resolve.
I met my present and forever husband in 1996. We've had many, many ups and downs, but I love him like no other. We are very compatible and he supports me 150%. I am truly blessed to have met him.
My beloved Mom died in October, 1999. In January 2000, I was diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure. I started having anxiety attacks. My world seemed to be collapsing all around me. The weight issues had brought on so many medical issues, and with the death of my mother, it was so hard to cope. I have tried umpteen diets--Weight Watchers, Atkins, Jenny Craig, LA Weight Loss, Richard Simmons, Grapefruit Diet, Cabbage Soup Diet, Phen-Fen, Meridia, Medifast, Slim Fast--just everything under the sun. I am really at the end of my rope. I have gained and lost the same pounds over and over and over again. My sugars continue to be very high, even though I am taking the highest oral dosage possible.
For years, I have been very scared of this surgery, but I know now that gastric bypass is the answer I have been looking for. It was right in front of me, but I couldn't see the forest for the trees, as they say. I've been researching WLS all year long and am fully committed to living a new lifestyle. All I need is some help.
I am waiting for my new insurance to take effect, which will be January 1st, 2009. I've selected Dr. Nestor De la Cruz-Munoz as my bariatric surgeon. He has operated on 4 friends with very successful results. I've attended the serminar and am preparing for my new life by taking vitamins and trying out different protein shakes.
I will keep you posted as to my progress.
Thanks for reading!
