zeleriem
Well, my story is pretty simple and straight forward. I've always had problems with my weight. As a child, I can remember being teased about it...being referred to as "the big girl." By the way, I've always been one of the tallest of my class, big for my age, looked older than my true age and of course, a bit heavier. I developed early too, so that certainly didn't help. Anyway, as I got into my teens, I was not referred to as fat but..."big boned." I was able to accept that description of myself and thus, I was comfortable with my body. Went through college and I began to question myself...seems like all of my friends at the time were super skinny....I couldn't share their clothes, didn't get much attention from the opposite sex, didn't seem to make a lot of friends, etc....
Well, then came marriage, two beautiful children, a stressful job..and now 100+ pounds later I have hypertension, pulmonary hypertention, high cholesterol, chronic edema in my legs, ankles and feet, back pain and knee pain. I've tried WW a million times, but couldn't stick with it, been to counseling, did J. Cr**g and it was too expensive, plus I was always hungry on that one, joined the gym countless times, hired a trainer, and I'm still overweight.
When my health plan started approving patients for GBS, I was quite surprised...everyone knows that Kaiser won't pay for anything. I was thinking about the surgery, but didn't want to talk to my dr about it. I was sure he would tell me that I just needed to count calories and exercise. Well, during a follow-up appt. he actually recommended the surgery. At the time, I was very afraid to go through with it. He talked to me about my fears and suggested that I do it. He made the referral and I started the process, but I didn't follow through. A year and a half later, I am more educated about the new life that I will need to lead....AND I AM READY!!!! I have completed my 24 week Options classes with Kaiser, done my consult with surgeon and I am now awaiting my surgery date. Please pray for my as I continue my journey as I will pray for you. Peace and Blessings.
