Palmettosleeve

[font=comic sans ms,cursive][color=#FF0099]My name is Kendall. I have been overweight since i hit puberty. I kept gaining weight every year even though i had no big changes in my diet. At 18 i was diagnosed with endometriosis and polycystic ovarian sydrome. After highschool I went off to college and gained the freshman 50. A couple years later i noticed things happening to my body such as always lethargic and fatigued, my hair was thinning, my skin was dry, blurry eyesight, joints/bones aching, etc. I went to my doctor (primary care physician) who id used for the last 8 years and she said i was too young to have anything wrong with me, and refused to do any bloodwork. Being young and dumb, I trusted my doctor's opinion and left it at that. A year later, it all got worse. I had gotten over 300 pounds and could barely make it through each day. My mom and I did some research online and both agreed that it sounded like something was wrong with my thyroid. I finally was able to convince my doctor to check my thyroid. She did bloodwork on me and a couple days later i got a call from her saying that my thyroid numbers were so bad that there was nothing she could do for me that she referred me to a specialist. A couple months later i was able to see the specialist. He said that my TSH (normal range is 0.5-4.5) was the worst he'd ever seen anyone's thyroid. It was at a 98. He put me on synthroid and told me that my body was basically shutting down. He said i needed weight loss surgery. Without the surgery, due to how bad my thyroid had already gotten to, he gave me 1-2 years to live. I immediately looked into weightloss options. After doing research on all the surgery options, i decided that the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy was the best option for me. I then called around to see who did the surgery, and after meeting Dr. Washington, i knew he was the right surgeon for me. After doing all of the preop stuff like breathing test, sleep study, etc, i was ready for surgery. I had the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy on August 22nd, 2011 at Conway Medical Center with Dr. Morris Washington. I had a textbook surgery. I was in the hospital an extra night due to a fever my second day there. But after spending 4 days in the hospital, i was sent home. My starting weight was 341lbs. I am now 218 pounds and would like to get down to 175. Please feel free to ask me anything! I love to inspire others. I am so much healthier and happier now and wouldnt have changed my decision for anything![/color][/font]