lucky1gg

My weight problems began as a child.  I can't say I ever thought I was fat or felt rejected because of it... which is fortunate I suppose.  When I look back on family photo albums, I was average weight for my height and age until 3rd grade.  During 2nd grade, I had my tonsils and adenoids removed and after that, I began to pack on weight.  I grew up in a large family (immediate and extended) all living in the same small town.  We had frequent family gatherings and celebrations, which always centered on food.  We didn't have money and often food was a reward, that is certain foods were not prevalent except on special occasions.  One of my best childhood traditions was my birthday... no money for parties and balloons so my mom prepared my favorite dinner and baked whatever flavor of cake.  She did that for each of us, every year.  I went through highschool happily.  I was considered smart and funny.  I was liked and accepted by most cliques and had close friends too.  I didn't date though I never really attributed it to being fat though maybe it was?!  I was a size 18/20 all through highschool and 2 yrs of college, weighing 190-220lbs.  I began dieting in college when peer pressure forced me to see my weight as an issue... I had roommates who were "fat" in size 10! lol We all dieted, a million different things.  Now with my issue being outed, I started trying medical options... diet doctors, pills, etc.  Nothing worked well or for long.  I once dieted and lost 30lbs in one stretch! That was through diet, joining a gym and drinking tons of water.  It all came back and more soon enough.  I never really stopped trying to diet but my effort waned easily.  I quit college (boredom and financial issues)... and in the real world of working women my weight wasn't a major issue.My life kind of just went along the normal path of things... career, relationships, family, etc.  I was happy... and overweight. I had a career I loved, a supportive network of family and friends.  I purchased a home and a few years later had a beautiful baby boy.  I even lost a bit of weight after having him.  But, by the time my son was two, I had ballooned to 250lbs.  I can blame a lot of things... my career advanced and so did the responsibilty, I was a single mom (and dad), I had lost a mom and brother to cancer after hard fought battles, I had been caring for my moms mom in my home for almost a year, etc.  Then, I just hit a brick wall.  I had no energy, I felt like I had the flu.  My memory was slipping, I couldn't concentrate... just normal daily tasks seemed like climbing mountains.  I finally went to my doctor (something I hadn't done in years).  She started by listening... then the testing began.  I had every test imaginable.  I was diagnosed with obesity (surprise), sleep apnea, hypothroidism and acid reflux. Wow! Guess I was sick! So I began a regimen of meds and got a CPAP machine... as a bonus to having all of these issues I also was informed that my blood oxygen levels dropped to brain damaging levels during REM which explained the memory loss and lack of concentration!After taking all the meds for a few weeks (Synthroid, Propulsid, Iron, Multi-Vitamin and the C-PAP), I felt better but developed another symptom... my throat was completely closed every morning for the first 20 minutes and I had a lump in my throat for most of the day.  My doctor sent me for a throat ultrasound and they found some nodules, but a biopsy cleared up any major cancer scare.  I was assigned to an ENT for further help with the closed throat.  Dr. Drankwalter, handsome and young with a soap opera name.  He concluded that the combination of meds were inciting my acid reflux and he worked to find just the right regimen to reduce the problem.  But, he had was very frank about one thing... all of my issues had one root cause. OBESITY!  He made it clear that I needed to lose weight, but he also felt that the odds of me doing it alone were nearly impossible. I hadn't been succesful in the past, my thyroid condition and the sleeping diorders were going to keep my metobolism down and even if I had some slow success it would probably not spur me to keep on to a goal. He referred me to a group of doctors who had vast experience in surgical weightloss.  I attended meetings, met with a doctor and considered my options.  I chose to have the Lap-Band.  This is the end of the paragraph but only the beginning of a new chapter in my life.