Joanne P.
At 5’’ I am currently at my all time highest weight of 297 pounds. Being 170+ pounds overweight negatively affects my energy level and self-esteem, but more critical are the comorbidities I am now facing: Hypertension
Elevated triglycerides
Osteoarthritis both knees
Edema - feet /ankles / legs
Shortness of breath and overheating upon minimal exertion
Unable to walk more than a half block at a time or to stand for more than 5 minutes
My father was an insulin-dependant diabetic, blind (diabetic retinopathy), and on dialysis for ten years prior to his death at age fifty two. My sister, four years older than I, was diagnosed with diabetes in her early forties, and my younger brother, age forty three, is hypertensive and struggles to keep his cholesterol levels down. Both have been overweight since childhood. Almost all of my maternal relatives have been obese as adults and suffer from a variety of weight-related disorders including diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and high cholesterol.
At the age of fifty, the quality of my life will only continue to diminish without serious intervention.
I have made numerous attempts at weight loss -- and have even lost some weight here and there -- but I have yet to be successful with maintaining a healthy weight long-term. My weight loss efforts over the past twenty five years have included:
Weight Watchers
Richard Simmons Program
Think Thin
Overeaters Anonymous
Psychotherapy
Atkins Diet
Cambridge Diet
Scarsdale Diet
I have been researching WLS extensively over the last few months, and I am well aware of the risks. The way I see it however, I am more at risk right now, as I write this.
WLS is neither cosmetic surgery nor a “quick fix,” but the tool which may finally help me realize lasting weight loss. If successful, it will diminish my appetite, help me limit portion sizes, eat more slowly and “thoughtfully,” and to recognize when I am full. I am willing to commit to a healthy eating plan under the guidance of a nutritionist, and actually look forward to the time when I can exercise and enjoy an active life-style -- instead of being unable to walk more than several steps at a time. Without making these necessary life-style changes, I will not lose the weight I so urgently need to, despite surgery.
I referred to WLS a “tool,” but I think “weapon” might be more accurate. My life is being threatened by a very formidable adversary, but I can now fight back with a weapon that has been missing from my arsenal for all these years.
I expect the journey from morbid obesity to health will bring up some issues for me, as I develop a new way to relate to food and eating, and deal with the fallout from so many years of suffering. Since I have never experienced adult life at a healthy weight, I plan on reaching out for support as I learn a new way of being in the world. With this new weapon and some strong allies, I can look forward with optimism to the changes that I will experience.
My strongest ally is at home, though. I am fortunate to be married to someone who has stood by me for twenty years as I struggled with my weight, and who will be at my side, enthusiastically and unconditionally, as I make this stand for the last time. We have so much lost time to make up for -- and many more years to share in good health and happiness.
