I guess it all began with two awesome parents with really bad genes.. Three of four grandparents had diabetic issues, all four had heart issues, one was severely obese and died at 55, leaving me without an awesome grandmother! Two of my five brothers had heart attacks and seven stints between them at age 50, one of them is diabetic, another brother and a sister have Afib, one of them has had Ablation twice.. Hereditary high cholesterol in all but 2 of the eight kids, one is a vegetarian and always tired, the other has chrons disease,, great bunch huh?? My dad never drank or smoked, but never had his cholesterol checked and had a heart attack at age 75 on my daughters first Christmas. My mom passed away in a car accident, but struggled with her weight from 40 to 55. It took her two years to lose 80 lbs through weight watchers but she did it and kept it off for 8 years before she passed. It was right around the time that I had really started gaining. I had a 4 month miscarriage and let the sadness get the best of me. I didn't take that weight off, and more piled on. I was pushing 240, and met my hubby. We were partying, I was a bartender, dancing and never eating and lost 25 lbs.. and got pregnant.. I gained 58 lbs with my 10 lb daughter,, I suffered through two more miscarriages between them, lost about 20 lbs and be came pregnant with my son. I was about 268 when I delivered him at 9lb 12.5 oz,, I lost some of that, but my female problems were taking over my life. After 5 years of misery I had a complete hysterectomy. I was convinced that this would end my weight cycle once and for all. I was going to have this surgery to save my life and my sanity and lose the weight. I started walking daily, seeing a dietician, and was really into it,, I lost eight lbs, and it took me 4 months to do it.. very discouraging.. still convinced my female problems were the root of it all I had the hyst.. A week later I was down to 242,, extatic and proud of it.. Live was grand, no complications and healing wonderfully.. We bought a pool and I started swimming everyday along with the walking.. Went to the docs, stepped on the scale and I was 250,, what??? Bad scale, water retention, I would be find.. Kept at the calorie counting and exercise,, felt sluggish, went back to docs,, 260 in 3.5 weeks.. I told them I wanted off the HRT,, they said no, we need to up the dose, thats your problem.. I started having hot flashes, mood swings, panic attacks and headaches.. went back to the docs at 6 month mark,, I weighed in at 289:scared2:, I was devestated. I told them I was going off HRT and every med I was taking to stop the gaining. They disagreed with me and said it would make it worse,, I did it anyway and never gained another pound... but never lost any either.. I have been fluctuation between 283 and 289, but never less in 1 yr 9 months. So here I am, considering and being considered for the lap band..

I don't know where this is going or how it will end, but I do know that with 304 cholesterol,, bordering sugar levels, apnea, gerd, hiatal hernia, incontinence when coughing, back and leg pain, potential heart risk, I have to look into this.