Lisacotter

There is always a beginning to a story and mine started back when I was a young child.... I started to have a weight problem since I was 3 and even though I saw many doctors and was on all different kind of diets none of them worked.... I remember a childhood of hidden pain, the teasing and things i went through at school really had a big impact on my self esteem. In 2000 I weighed over 363 pounds and was going through a messy breakup when I had a near fatal asthma attack. I ended up in the critical care unit and in hospital over 2 months on breathing support.... i was only 21 and had a 3 year old son and was told if I did not do somthing I would die.... That was the beginning of my Lap-band life.... In 2001 I was sent to see Dr J Tooli at flinders private hospital in South Australia, he explained the lap-band and what I would go through and I was asked to get private health cover to cover the cost of the band, it would cost me $1000 cover then $500 out of pocket expences... I was then told there would be a 12 month wait, I also met a dieticin who explained the foods i would eat and how much and given a small booklet on what to expect. At the time on going on the waiting list I weighed 341 pounds , and was in a pretty bad state.  Over the easter long weekend in 2002 I had my Lap-band operation, I arrived at the hospital early so they put me in a room with a girl who had just had the band removed ! I remember being farelly nervous but even more so after she told me her bad experience with the band and she told me to not get it done.... I was also very hungry and when I turned on the TV  all the shows on were cooking shows !... at 2.00pm I was asked to shower and put on a special nightgown and plastic socks, hair net and wheeled down to the operating room. I remember being in a waiting room and the clock said 3pm every second felt like a hour... at 3.30pm a lady was wheeled out screaming and if it had not been for the door being locked i would of balted...At 4.00pm i  was wheeled in to the operating theatre where my surgeon greeted me and they put a drip in my arm and a mask on my face and counted back and that was it.... I woke at 10pm feeling rather sick and a nurse told me to try vomit, which I did but i just remember feeling rather ill. I was in hsopital and did not feel like eating for the whole time so the doctor had to force me to drink even 10 ml made me feel sick. I was back on my feet on the second day but felt very tired.On the second week I had my first fill 3 ml in a 10 ml band and had already lost 18 pounds, but because I was losing the weight to fast my doctor put me back on  mushy solids earlier.... I found it hard to handle and did miss allot of foods but over the weeks i learnt what was my limit. In the first year I lost 55 pounds and then it slowed down allot.In 2004 I got married and fell pregnant but lost the baby at 16 weeks, i then fell pregnant again in 2004 but again lost the baby... so a new chapter of my life came to be, i was diagnosed with PCOS and put on diaformin and on a low gi diet, which wasn't easy being on the band but i lost 44 pounds in 4 weeks and fell pregnant again... I had my second son on 23rd Dec but again I had another asthma attack when my son moved up I found I couldn't breath again I was in the critical care unit and in hospital 3 months I lost allot weight over that time but my son was born on the 23rd Dec and was the best xmas pressy any one could have... after the birth I was down to 213 pounds.Soon after having my second son I was breastfeeding but the weight came back on and then I found out I was pregnant again.... I had a early scan and told every thing was ok and at 32 weeks I gave birth to my third son he was 7 weeks early but was very healthy but very small he was 4.8 pounds he was kept in the neonatal unit for 3 weeks then allowed home.... When he was 12 weeks old I was diagnosed with having precancerous cells on my curvix.... I had to wait for nearlly a year to have them removed and it was a very stressful time for me.... I had the operation and they did a pregnancy test and it came up negative and came home thinking all was fine..... I remember feeling sick as I did with the Lap-band but this kept on then I wanted Timtams ( australian chocolate cookie), then sick again.... 3 weeks after my operation I found out I was pregnant again ... but I had not had sex since the operation... so I must of fallen pregnant just before my operation.On easter sunday 12th April 2009 I had another son he was 2 weeks early but 7 pounds and very long he fitted into size 00's straight away.... I remember being weighed and had put on weight since my last weigh in and weighed 215pounds.... since having my 4th child I have had a IUD put in to stop me getting pregnant and have gotten down to 198 pounds....I am now about to go through another chapter of life with having a Tummy tuck which is scheduled for June the 9th through the public hospital system.
It has taken me 8 half years to go from 341 pounds to 198 pounds with a total loss of 143 pounds.... I no longer have asthma and I am a new person who feels so good... I had set a goal of being 165 pounds and though I have not reached that goal yet I know one day I will ! I feel fantastic to be me......