WajJaw1678

I haven't struggled with weight my entire life, actually I was a thin, very active kid, adolescent, young adult.  By the time I was 25 I had had my 3 children. My first at 20 I weight about 115 when I got pregnant 140 when I gave birth. (he was 10lbs 04oz.) My 2nd son came 3 years later I was about 125lbs when I got pregnant, 150 when I had him he was also a big boy 9lbs 06ozs. My 3rd child my princess came about 2 years later she was 7lbs 06ozs and when I got pregnant I was about 140lbs and I ballooned to a whopping 175lbs! I could've died I thought that was just ridiculous and the end of the world(lol). Well I got back down to 145-150 I fluctuated between those 5lbs for a few years. Now we moved from NYC, we're we were born a raised, to AZ for a slower pace and change. My husband was injured/attacked and stabbed he was in ICU for the last month of my second pregnancy, talk about stressed I just needed a drastic change so we moved 3000 miles away from all we knew. We lived there for about a year. We had our daughter there and it was great but he received a call from his former employer and received an offer he couldn't refuse :) So we moved to NV. We've been here ever since. Well during this time our family has been through a lot of trials and tribulations. My husband is a type 1 diabetic who was diagnosed at 13. About 5-6 years ago he began going into renal failure 2 1/2 years ago he went on dialysis and his diabetes during this time was progressively getting worse. He would have hypoglycemic episodes driving the kids home from school. In the supermarket and they were becoming more frequent and more violent. It was scary it was exhausting. I became very anxious and depressed. The help I sought prescribed medications that were addicting so I became dependent. In March 2009 my father passed away. That was the absolute hardest thing I have ever experienced. He was 52 years old. He had cancer of the liver.  All the while my weight was gradually increasing. My husband received a double organ transplant on June 29, 2009 a modern day miracle. He is doing amazingly well! I went cold turkey on my meds and learned to meditate and just try to cope. I do still see someone, a new therapist when I can't handle or find it difficult to handle something on my own. When I finally opened my eyes, took a deep breath and accepted reality I was 234lbs. I typed in my height and weight on one of those free BMI things that pop up all over the place and it said I was Morbidly Obese. OBESE!! I couldn't believe it. How did it happen? When did it happen? Now over the years I've dieted, worked out, joined a million gyms, programs all the normal stuff but never really registered that I was slowly killing myself with food. I was being consoled, embraced by creamy mashed potatoes and gravy. Dessert all types ice cream, pies, cakes, you name it I enjoyed it and it took care of me.  When reality set in I knew I had to do something or I would end up just like my dad and leave my children devastated and had'nt they been through enough. So I started doing research on Bariatric Surgery went to umpteen seminars, classes, groups. Read 100's of books, articles and decided on Dr. Soong and Dr. Atkinson at the Gastric Band Institute. I had my surgery on 12/15/09.