What Was Your Final "straw That Broke The Camels Back"

[butterfyeffect 257]

Having been overweight all my life, becoming obese just sort of crept up on me, so it took multiple little things happening over the course of several years in order for me to finally come to the decision that it's time to make a permanent change.

-My older sister being diagnosed as diabetic, and me realizing I'm not that far behind her.

-My mom having gastric bypass surgery four years ago, and now weighing almost 80 pounds less than me (!)

-Having the work clothes I bought 6 months ago getting too tight already.

-Not wanting to have my picture taken anymore

-Having trouble getting the seatbelt buckled on planes.

-Going for a hike that used to be fun, only to huff and puff the whole way through it.

-Shopping at a favorite store and realizing the only clothes I can hope to fit in are the largest size they carry.

-Trying diet after diet, only to end up defeated a few months later, then gaining it all back, plus a few pounds.

There have been hundreds of little moments like this over the course of the past two hears. I am planning my surgery for less than three months from now. I wish it could be tomorrow!

[pam1965 4]

Good luck to you on your surgery!!!

[ColleenF 0]

Two things made me finally decide to do this. One is finding out about sleeve gastrectomy. Band surgery I have never liked b/c it is a foreign object. Bypass was never an option because of the malabsorption; I have a form of leukemia that requires lifelong medication, so I'm a bit paranoid about making sure that medication gets absorbed properly (the kind I take is metabolized in the stomach).

Finding out about the sleeve allowed me to consider surgery when an ENT doctor decided I was too fat to get my tonsils out. I have very large tonsils and always have and they must have grown a bit or something b/c I now have extremely frequent earaches and mild sore throats. Plus the frequency of throat infections like strep. He first wanted to not do it b/c of the CML, but my oncologist shot that down so he came back with "lose some weight first and then we'll do it." I'm not giving up on getting it done sooner rather than later, but it was finally just enough. I had to do something different about my weight b/c the thought of trying to diet off enough for surgery is just depressing.

[kw2walker 211]

Two things made me finally decide to do this. One is finding out about sleeve gastrectomy. Band surgery I have never liked b/c it is a foreign object. Bypass was never an option because of the malabsorption; I have a form of leukemia that requires lifelong medication, so I'm a bit paranoid about making sure that medication gets absorbed properly (the kind I take is metabolized in the stomach). Finding out about the sleeve allowed me to consider surgery when an ENT doctor decided I was too fat to get my tonsils out. I have very large tonsils and always have and they must have grown a bit or something b/c I now have extremely frequent earaches and mild sore throats. Plus the frequency of throat infections like strep. He first wanted to not do it b/c of the CML, but my oncologist shot that down so he came back with "lose some weight first and then we'll do it." I'm not giving up on getting it done sooner rather than later, but it was finally just enough. I had to do something different about my weight b/c the thought of trying to diet off enough for surgery is just depressing.

The surgery is the best move I ever made. Love my sleeve. All the best to and for you.

[Stephen T 6]

When my wife and I took a trip to Hawaii I needed a seatbelt extender,I told myself I have to do something,upon our return I starting the process . I'm waiting on insurance approval which should be here next week so I can regain control of my life.

[bigyanks83 1]

i think the fact that i stayed semi active, playing sports with my friends and walking everywhere and going to the gym once a blue moon made me feel "i wasn't that bad"

then i hurt my back playing kickball, by missing the ball on a kick of all things, lol. then i started having recurring cases of cellulitis that had me hospitalized for a week. just being in the constant pain of trying to move like i used to is a big bummer on me.

since i don't have HBP or diabetes my primary suggested it might be time i consider WLS as an option since dieting hasn't been helping and before anything else health wise got worse.

[motherearth 23]

The society we live in can be so cruel. I've been teased, bullied, mooed at. Ignored, disrespected and humiliated from a very early age. Obesity genes play a part on both sides of my family.

Diagnosed with hypoglycemia in my twenties and Degenerating Joint Disease in my hips.

Hypothyroidism when i was thirty.

Type 2 Diabetes when i was forty.

My weight sky rocketed to the highest of 385 in 1992. The year i was married and also the year i was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism Once my thyroid was under control i became pregnant. My OBGYN told me i was a high risk pregnancy and that i could endure many unhealthy hurdles. But i went ahead with our pregnancy. I did get gestational Diabetes and gave myself insulin shots through out my 2nd and 3rd trimester. I was put on a Diabetic diet during my pregnancy and actually gained 19 pounds because i had started losing weight at the end of my pregnancy. The Diabetes left as soon as i had my baby. Only for it to show up six years later as Type 2 Diabetes.

That was the straw for me.

I have endured Breast Cancer, Acute Severe sleep Apnea on top of morbid obesity. I had to make a change or i want going to see my daughter live her life and experience all the wonderful life experiences you do with a daughter.

So i opted for weight loss surgery. Best decision i ever made. Well, one of them at least.

Hope has returned and i am so looking froward to getting off the sidelines of life and back into the main stream of enjoying life again. When you hear of people say they came fro the school of hard knocks, well i'm one of them.

It definitely built character and wisdom and gave me the tools to go with the tool i received "the Sleeve" Looking forward to what life has in store for me now.

[green*eyed*girl 170]

I was always fat. All my life is about being heavy and trying to live a normal life, but lately it's getting harder and harder by the minute. My mom told me when I was born I had asthma and she had to leave me in the hospital for 6 weeks. I was the only baby who gained weight even in the hospital! Chubby cute little girl turned into a chubby not so cute anymore teen, and after age 25 (now I am 39) things got out of hand and I am gaining some kilos every year. Done every diet possible but I always gain everything back.

About 3 years ago I moved to the UK and my God I have never in my life had to climb so many stairs I have to climb in this country. My knees gave out pretty fast. That's when I knew I have to lose the weight for good but I had no idea how am I going to do that. My mom asked me if I would consider the gastric band and I was all about it until I've learned more about it and decided it's not for me. That's when I came across gastric sleeve, researched it for a year and had my consultation a few weeks ago. I will have my surgery in April.

I have to fly quite a lot, using these charter flights whithin Europe is a complete nightmare for a heavy person, I have to fight my seatbelt every time, sweating bullets by the time it finally clicks - trying to do this gracefully is an art I've mastered! I am tired of being fat. I am so heavy I can barely do my work, being on my feet all day is killing me and I could cry by the end of the day I am looking forward to live a healthier life.

[pam1965 4]

Good luck to you.. <3

[wn51 1]

Thank you...lost 40 pounds so far since December 2, 2013.

[Inactive Profile 104]

I had a friend that never knew me thin, since 2009 I had gained 128 lbs, she seen my wedding pic hanging in my room and gasped " is that you?! You used to be so beautiful" I knew I had to get my old self back

[willow13 59]

I suffer from hypothyroidism as well, for years they could not get my levels sitting anywhere near a level where I could actually loose weight. Then I had an accident at work which left me with a crushed knee and the weight piled on through me not being mobile. I was just getting over that when I herniated 2 discs in my back and trapped the sciatic nerve I was that fed up and felt that sorry for myself I began comfort eating. Before I knew it my weight was out of control and I was struggling to try to get a grip on it. By then I have gone to 350lb and my thyroid was going nuts. I then got told I was not absorbing levothyronine correctly and they started me on Armor thyroid replacement which helped but it was a really slow battle, an underactive thyroid makes everything much harder so surgery for me was the crutch I needed. I get my operation next month and cant wait.

[millergirl314 168]

Even though surgery was on my mind for a long time, the final moment that made me more sure of anything else in this world was HUNTING ! Last season was my first season and my hubby loves to hunt and so does my Dad. It's an important bonding experience for my Dad and I, we never really did much when I was growing up. I could find waders for duck hunting. Not the women's or the men's sizes.

Another is running a 5k with my friends and dancing, I love to shake it in the club!

[Susysleever 265]

Another lightbulb moment. Too embarrassed to post a selfie.

[skikyd 165]

Another lightbulb moment. Too embarrassed to post a selfie.

Oh c' mon. Do the selfie!