sheila5497

I have been overweight since Alex was born. I've tried several diets and have lost weight with some and not others. The protein diet served me best. I lost 40 pounds but once I stopped it in 1999 because we moved away from my family and friends I became very depressed and put the weight back on. I tried prescription diet pills with no luck. Because I was depressed I thought going to counseling might help. Although it did help with the depression it didn't for weight loss. I started going to the gym in 2003 and was able to lose some weight and became pregnant and went on to have 2 miscarriages over the next year. In 2004 my dad found out he had lung cancer and the doctor gave him 6 months to live. I decided to go back to school and pursue my RN as my dad wanted and moved to Ohio for 9 months to help my mom with my dad while at the same time taking classes toward my RN and carrying a part time job. Again, I gained weight. After several treatments and an experimental treatment my dads tumor disappeared and he got better so I returned home. I finished my prerequisites for nursing and started nursing school in fall of 2006. Again, weight loss was not high on my priority list but I did quit smoking. In fall of 2007 I found out I was pregnant again and guess what!!! Yes, more weight gain. I had my second child (miracle child because I was told I couldn't have any more children) in April 2008 and he weighed 10 lbs and 23 inches. I weighed 245 when I left the hospital. That following month I found out my dads cancer was back. In march of 2009 my dad died and my husband lost his job that following week. I got depressed again and added weight again. My husband then found a job in Virginia so that meant we had to move again. He started his job May 4th and I stayed back until my oldest son finished school and all stars. In May 2009 my brother called me on the phone and ended his life while talking to me. Once again, I became severely depressed and was also diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Again I struggled with my weight for several months. my maximum weight was 246.7 lbs. So I have, as you can imagine, been through quite a bit and that is what made it so difficult for me to lose my weight. I have to give my husband and my family most of the credit for being very supportive throughout all of my trials. If it wasn't for them I may not be where I am today. After several failed attepts at weight loss and several months of research, the best option for me was the gastric sleeve, and so the sleeve was my final choice. I did not choose the band because I did not feel comfortable with the thought of having something inside of me and that my insurance would only pay for the surgery and not the maintainence follow up visits. Everyone has different reasons for why one surgery outweighs another. I'm so happy I made the decision to have the surgery. I feel so much better and am able to do things I was not able to do before my weight loss. I have no regrets!!!