erickajm

[font="tahoma, geneva, sans-serif"]My "fat" journey began 6 years ago, August 2006. I was put on a medication that had a bad reaction, causing my thyroid to stop working. It is thought that I already had an underlining problem that hadn't been caught or diagnosed. At the time I was around 128lbs, size 4 or small clothing. I exercised 5-6 times a week.[/font]

[font="tahoma, geneva, sans-serif"]August 2006, I gained 18lbs in 16 days. I was fatigued... not tired. I couldn't pull my head off my pillow and slept for days, rarely getting up. Within 6 months, I had gained an astounding 62lbs! Going from a size 4 to a solid 14. At that point, I was tired of messing with my PCP and made an appointment with an endocrinologist. There she discovered I had many nodules on my thyroid and thus began a long journey into finding the right doctor and the right treatment for my Hashimoto (Hypothyroid). [/font]

[font="tahoma, geneva, sans-serif"]I continued to gain another 12-15lbs over the course of the next 5 years. I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2008. I have since struggled with my sugars, especially my fasting sugars. I take 4 metformin pills a day, trying to control my sugars, without much success. My weight stayed around 200lbs, give or take. It didn't really matter what I did, exercise, diet.. I could lose 10-20lbs but it would always come right back on. I did the P90X, lost 3lbs. Took prescription weightloss pills, lost 20lbs in the first two months, nothing the remaining months. The weight came right back on when I stopped taking them. [/font]

[font="tahoma, geneva, sans-serif"]This past summer is when I started considering the lap band surgery. I had to visit my parents because my father was dying. I stayed a month with them and had to take my father to dialysis. He had poisoned himself trying to treat his prostate. He had taken too much potassium. One day while taking him into the dialysis center, it dawned on me that eventually this was going to be me. I am able to control my sugars during the day but my fasting sugars are always high. I know my next step in life is insulin, then dialysis eventually. I was able to do some soul searching and decided that I did need to take this into my own hands. I wasn't sure I would be approved because I knew I wasn't heavy enough without the diabetes. I am considered obese but with the diabetes, I become eligible for the surgery. [/font]

[font="tahoma, geneva, sans-serif"]I am excited to "get my life back". I initially thought it was all about the diabetes but it isn't. This surgery is for my overall health. Inside and out! I want my old body back! I want my confidence back! I want my health back! I want my life back! This will let me have all the above.... with hard work. I can't wait!![/font]