Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

Recommended Posts

My journey began around 3 years ago. I was under the treatment of a number of specialists most recently Endocrinologists. I received a diagnosis of Hypo-Pituitary and Hypo-Thyroid. I could not pursue weight loss surgery until I had a release from my endo. I received that approval in December 2010 and began my journey with Atlanta Bariatric and Dr. Christopher Hart. My insurance is Aetna and the approval I sought required 6 months weight loss consultations. I met with a primary care and a nutritionist. I was approved in August and my surgery to place on August 31, 2011.

My highest weight was 567 with my endo and my weight before surgery was 479. I am sensitive to wheat and gluten, corn and potatoes. I was well aware of what I could not eat. I needed those six months to get a good idea and what I could eat and lose weight eating. In my teens and 20’s I had experienced some events in my life which caused me to want to alter my appearance. Believing that if I made myself unattractive I could keep myself out of harms way. In my 30’s I got the help that I needed and I realized that I myself was putting myself into harms way. But I struggled with ending this cycle of self-abuse. In my late 30’s I was married and lost my appetite with my second pregnancy. It never fully returned and I thought nothing of eating once a day. If I got hungry I knew the pain would eventually subside. So fast forward into my 40’s I commit to do a better job caring for myself, but my body refuses to respond. I start to get recurrent infections, my weight loss efforts plateau soon after diets start, and I just literally feel like I am slipping away. Maybe I waited too long. The weight loss Doctor told me that I needed to see a specialist because there was something going on internally that diet and exercise alone could not address. I went to Progressive Medical and they referred me to my first Endocronologist and after extensive testing I received my diagnosis Hypo-Pituitary and Hypo-Thyroid.

You know when you receive medications that help in one area but can make you ill in others? Well that was my experience. We stopped the infections and lessened the fatigue. The trade off was weight gain and becoming Insulin resistant due to the medication. That was not an acceptable trade off for me. I changed Endo’s and was freed from the medication. My body was responding positively to the positive food choices and I was infection free.

So here I am it is a new day and a new chapter in my life. I have learned so much about listening to my body and I have experienced so much love and support. I look forward to being apart of a community who happen to be headed in the same direction, Health and Joy and Peace.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

:welcome:

You've been thru quite a lot. Welcome to the forum and I hope you are healing and recovering quickly from being sleeved.

:)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • KimBaxleyWilson

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • bellaamey

      https://alluniqueguide.com/java-burn-coffee-reviews/
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×