MommaD88

[size=3][font='comic sans ms']I am a wife and mother of two boys. I am a leukemia patient in remission since 2004 but still underwent two years of chemotherapy with no relapse occurrence. I love camping, cooking, reading and racing. My husband and I spend most of our time with our children. We rarely eat out as we live in rural area outside of our local towns. I do most of the cooking in our home. I have been heavy all my life. After my 2nd son, my weight gain has been significant and have worked with doctors/diet programs to try to control it without success.

Since then my health has been declining and in the last year, more rapidly. I have severe asthma despite treatment with severe attacks and the coughing never ends. After my 2nd year of these issues and being on the multiple medications and asthma medications. My pulmonary doctor referred me to ENT/vocal specialist and surgeons as my voice has now deteriorated and getting harder to speak. This is causing huge issues for me at work and now been placed on disability. After multiple tests and vocal therapy, tests show that I have severe GERD, severe esophageal reflux with a hiatal hernia, morbid obesity, obstructive sleep apnea and severe asthma/attacks. Upper respiratory infections set up easy and have been admitted to hospitals multiple times. Everything now has spread up to my vocal cords causing muscle tension dysphonia and inflammation. I vomit almost daily and unable to do any activity without issues with breathing, severe coughing thus induces more vomiting causing the muscles around my vocal cords to tighten even more to the point of choking. I am now getting to the point that food and liquid is making me nauseous if I intake too much or the wrong things. My medications are no longer working, and my asthma medications is weakening the sphincter valve that meets my stomach and esophagus. I have been referred for Gastric Bypass surgery to start correcting my issues. My primary specialists are in Madison, WI. For insurance reasons, I am seeing surgeons in Chicago, IL. I was apprehensive about moving to another medical center but so far have been treated very well.

The hospital intake coordinator and case manager were successful in submitting for insurance approval of my surgery for medical necessity. I can only pray now for a successful surgery and trust my doctors and God to keep me safe through my journey.

My support system is my family. My husband has also been through Gastric Bypass but when the surgery was newer.
He has gained back some of his weight since then. We both believe that as he is my support person, we will both be on track to a healthier lifestyle again.[/font][/size]