How do I describe how it feels to finally be healthy and have the body I've always longed for? The body and health I have dieted, exercised, taken pills, wished and cried for so many times? I am finally free from morbid obesity and the personal and public humiliations and limitations that come with this horrible disease.
Obesity runs through every generation of my family – my whole family is overweight. I have a strong family history of diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, thyroid disorders, high cholesterol, and heart disease. My mother suffers from obesity and all of the above problems. My father died at 57 from heart disease and obesity. My sister recently had surgery with Dr. Blackstone and is on her way to a healthier life. At age 37, I began to experience a serious decline in my health. My family's health and weight history was catching up with me. I am told I was thin until age 7 but I only remember being the fattest kid wherever I went. I was active and involved in sports: I ran track, played volleyball and even practiced Judo for a few years. Still, I was overweight, picked on and cast out. I broke my hip at age 12 and wasn't able to be as active, so I gained more weight. My weight continued to increase throughout my teens and twenties. It was a gradual gain of about 5-10 pounds per year until I weighed 365 pounds. I tried dieting, exercising and many diet programs to lose weight but nothing ever worked for very long. It wasn't just a matter of will power; I had that. Every time I tried another "miracle diet", I had so much desire and determination to succeed. Unfortunately, will power and desire were never enough.
As an adult I was fortunate to marry a wonderful man, have two incredible boys and enjoy a nice career. Life would have been perfect if I hadn't been morbidly obese. With each child, I gained more weight I couldn't lose. I also had to admit that my weight and health were affecting my performance as a wife, mother and employee. As I gained weight, I participated less and became more of an observer. I had asthma that required three medications to control as well as severe GERD-Acid Reflux. My knees, hips, back, and feet hurt all the time. I was borderline diabetic, was on the doorstep of high blood pressure and had undiagnosed sleep apnea. Obesity was hard on my family too. They wanted and needed a wife and mom who could be a complete part of their lives instead of just a sideline observer. I felt and looked years older than I was, I felt like a walking time bomb; obesity was killing me.
Then my life changed on November 26th, 2001 when I had Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass Roux-en-Y surgery at Scottsdale Bariatric Center with Dr. Robin Blackstone. I weighed 365 pounds and had a BMI of 55.5 the day of surgery. One year and one month later, I weighed in at 155 pounds and a BMI of 23. I lost 210 pounds and have maintained that loss for a year now. I am 38 years old and for the first time in my entire adult life, I am not obese. I'm finally comfortable in my own body. People no longer stare at me and make assumptions because of my size. I no longer take asthma or GERD medicine and my joints don't hurt like they used to. I am active, healthy and love working out and playing with my family.
I now have an awareness and control over my body that I never had before. I'm learning about nutrition and exercise and what my body needs to be at its best. I exercise on a regular basis and have discovered a love of hiking and weight lifting. I enjoy taking care of my family and myself in a much healthier and active way. My boys are learning how to grow up healthy and listen to their bodies so they will never have to experience obesity. We are all learning together.
I am participating in my life instead of observing it from the sidelines; my life is truly perfect!
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