My journey as a 16 year old.

[adriannaruth 15]

My name is Adrianna, and I am 16 years old and I'm from New Jersey. As of the 5th grade (I am now a Junior in high school), I hit puberty which had caused me to gain weight. I had been bullied because of my height (I'm 5'10) and my weight. The bullying stoped once I became a freshman in high school. Everyday a student OR teacher/staff would pass a fat comment, or a remark about my weight. I begged my parents to homeschool me so I wouldn't have to deal with this. The day I came home crying because I was threatened, my mom knew it was time for me to seek help. My parents took me to my pediatrician, and he made me get blood-work done for EVERYTHING. The blood results always came back clear, and there was nothing wrong with me. My parents took me to St. Barnabas to see an endocrinologist since my parents didn't believe that I was okay. I was 14 at the time. She tested me for CPOS and Diabetes. It turns out I was positive for Type 2 Diabetes (my father has it), and I also tested positive for CPOS. The endocrinologist was very upset with my doctor since he kept testing me for the wrong stuff all my life, and she was mad when we told her he doesn't treat kids with diabetes and CPOS. At this point, she suggested that I join to a gym and see if that will help me lose weight on my own. I went to the HackensackUMC Fitness & Wellness Powered by the Giants in New Jersey for about 8 months, and I had a personal trainer 5 days a week who made sure I would lose weight. He worked me out to the fullest. I weighed 350 pounds at that time, and I would go there almost every single day and work out but my numbers would NOT move, so we decided to see the endocrinologist again. She said that it's finally time for surgery. She recommended us to Dr. Sadek in Somerville, New Jersey who specializes in adolescents to adults. I met with him in February, and I told him my story. He said that he would do it since I had no other choice. I dieted, I exercised, I did everything to lose weight and he knew I was struggling. I had to go see many doctors just to get approved. My original surgery date was April 5th, 2017. The insurance had denied it because it was not a "medical emergency" and I was not 100% skeletal. We appealed the surgery, and a month later I had gotten approved. My surgery was on May 24th, 2017. It was hard for me to learn new eating habits from a sippy cup to a baby utensil. I am now 6 weeks out. I had lost 35 pounds. My CPOS facial hair is almost gone. It's very light hairs. Before the surgery, I kept to myself and didn't talk as much because of the bullying. Since I got the surgery, I am WAY more confident in myself and I have my new friends to support me throughout this journey. I'm glad I got this surgery done because I feel great.

Edited July 11, 2017 by adriannaruth

[naturallyzee 292]

Good for you Sweetie. Good luck with your new life.

HW 330
SW 292
CW 226.0
GW below 200

[Joann454 1,329]

I'm glad you found someone who would help you and that you're feeling great! Thanks for sharing your story. Very happy for you!

[caddygirl 208]

My name is Adrianna, and I am 16 years old and I'm from New Jersey. As of the 5th grade (I am now a Junior in high school), I hit puberty which had caused me to gain weight. I had been bullied because of my height (I'm 5'10) and my weight. The bullying stoped once I became a freshman in high school. Everyday a student OR teacher/staff would pass a fat comment, or a remark about my weight. I begged my parents to homeschool me so I wouldn't have to deal with this. The day I came home crying because I was threatened, my mom knew it was time for me to seek help. My parents took me to my pediatrician, and he made me get blood-work done for EVERYTHING. The blood results always came back clear, and there was nothing wrong with me. My parents took me to St. Barnabas to see an endocrinologist since my parents didn't believe that I was okay. I was 14 at the time. She tested me for CPOS and Diabetes. It turns out I was positive for Type 2 Diabetes (my father has it), and I also tested positive for CPOS. The endocrinologist was very upset with my doctor since he kept testing me for the wrong stuff all my life, and she was mad when we told her he doesn't treat kids with diabetes and CPOS. At this point, she suggested that I join to a gym and see if that will help me lose weight on my own. I went to the HackensackUMC Fitness & Wellness Powered by the Giants in New Jersey for about 8 months, and I had a personal trainer 5 days a week who made sure I would lose weight. He worked me out to the fullest. I weighed 350 pounds at that time, and I would go there almost every single day and work out but my numbers would NOT move, so we decided to see the endocrinologist again. She said that it's finally time for surgery. She recommended us to Dr. Sadek in Somerville, New Jersey who specializes in adolescents to adults. I met with him in February, and I told him my story. He said that he would do it since I had no other choice. I dieted, I exercised, I did everything to lose weight and he knew I was struggling. I had to go see many doctors just to get approved. My original surgery date was April 5th, 2017. The insurance had denied it because it was not a "medical emergency" and I was not 100% skeletal. We appealed the surgery, and a month later I had gotten approved. My surgery was on May 24th, 2017. It was hard for me to learn new eating habits from a sippy cup to a baby utensil. I am now 6 weeks out. I had lost 35 pounds. My CPOS facial hair is almost gone. It's very light hairs. Before the surgery, I kept to myself and didn't talk as much because of the bullying. Since I got the surgery, I am WAY more confident in myself and I have my new friends to support me throughout this journey. I'm glad I got this surgery done because I feel great.

Congratulations sweetie keep up the good work and keep us posted

[blizair09 3,250]

@adriannaruth, thank you for sharing your story. You are taking control of your health, and that is something to be so proud of.

Enjoy the journey. It will be amazing watching everything transform before your eyes.

I wish you all the best. Enjoy the rest of your summer!

[gwbicster 257]

All the best to you. You will find some very smart and kind people here to help you on your journey. I'm so happy you are getting help. I wish I had done this sooner. Your whole life is ahead of you!

[shericrazylady 113]

Best of luck and we'll done for taking such a big step to better your health! You will be so happy

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[Apple1 2,572]

Thank you for sharing your story. I wish you many blessings on your journey. I hope you will continue to post your progress.

[Sweet as peaches 759]

On 7/10/2017 at 9:46 PM, adriannaruth said:

My name is Adrianna, and I am 16 years old and I'm from New Jersey. As of the 5th grade (I am now a Junior in high school), I hit puberty which had caused me to gain weight. I had been bullied because of my height (I'm 5'10) and my weight. The bullying stoped once I became a freshman in high school. Everyday a student OR teacher/staff would pass a fat comment, or a remark about my weight. I begged my parents to homeschool me so I wouldn't have to deal with this. The day I came home crying because I was threatened, my mom knew it was time for me to seek help. My parents took me to my pediatrician, and he made me get blood-work done for EVERYTHING. The blood results always came back clear, and there was nothing wrong with me. My parents took me to St. Barnabas to see an endocrinologist since my parents didn't believe that I was okay. I was 14 at the time. She tested me for CPOS and Diabetes. It turns out I was positive for Type 2 Diabetes (my father has it), and I also tested positive for CPOS. The endocrinologist was very upset with my doctor since he kept testing me for the wrong stuff all my life, and she was mad when we told her he doesn't treat kids with diabetes and CPOS. At this point, she suggested that I join to a gym and see if that will help me lose weight on my own. I went to the HackensackUMC Fitness & Wellness Powered by the Giants in New Jersey for about 8 months, and I had a personal trainer 5 days a week who made sure I would lose weight. He worked me out to the fullest. I weighed 350 pounds at that time, and I would go there almost every single day and work out but my numbers would NOT move, so we decided to see the endocrinologist again. She said that it's finally time for surgery. She recommended us to Dr. Sadek in Somerville, New Jersey who specializes in adolescents to adults. I met with him in February, and I told him my story. He said that he would do it since I had no other choice. I dieted, I exercised, I did everything to lose weight and he knew I was struggling. I had to go see many doctors just to get approved. My original surgery date was April 5th, 2017. The insurance had denied it because it was not a "medical emergency" and I was not 100% skeletal. We appealed the surgery, and a month later I had gotten approved. My surgery was on May 24th, 2017. It was hard for me to learn new eating habits from a sippy cup to a baby utensil. I am now 6 weeks out. I had lost 35 pounds. My CPOS facial hair is almost gone. It's very light hairs. Before the surgery, I kept to myself and didn't talk as much because of the bullying. Since I got the surgery, I am WAY more confident in myself and I have my new friends to support me throughout this journey. I'm glad I got this surgery done because I feel great.

Throughout all that you have been through, I am proud that you had family that didn't stop caring for you. My dear sweet girl you keep up the great work. I applaud you.

[Sosewsue61 3,185]

You are very brave for 16 and I am rooting for your success, you go girl.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

I am very happy you finally got the help you needed. Best of luck!

[dfluke87 23]

What an amazing soul you are Adrianna. I know you do not know me but I am so proud of you. So proud. I hope you are proud of yourself because you should be. You are 16 years old and today you gave me someone to look up to at nearly 30 years old. I just completed my 6 month review with my nutritionist and I now am able to meet with the nurse practioner (July 26, then go to seminar on Aug 14th. Then I can meet with the surgeons and get a date for surgery. Fingers crossed.). As you can see I still have no idea how long I have until surgery but you give me the faith and the strength to carry on and not give up. You are awesome Adrianna. Thank you for giving me the mind to never ever give up and keep pushing forward. XOXO. I'm looking forward to hearing about your amazing success in the future. You have a bright one ahead of you!

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[Carol Blackburn 35]

Good for you,you go girl,do this for yourself and don't listen to the ignorance

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