withGodsHelp26
MY STORY .... WELL I GUESS I'LL START FROM THE BEGINNING. AT BIRTH I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ASTHMA. I WAS HOSPITALIZED QUITE OFTEN. MANY OF MY TODDLER AND EARLY CHILDHOOD YEARS WAS SPENT IN THE PEDIATRICS WARD OF DC GENERAL HOSPITAL AND ALSO CHILDREN HOSPITAL LOCATED IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
AS TIME WOULD PASS I THOUGHT MY ASTHMA DID ALSO. UNTIL THE AGE OF 15 IT LAY DORMANT NEVER GIVING ME ANY PROBLEM UNLESS I HAD A COLD OR A SINUS INFECTION.
AT THE AGE OF 15 JUST BEFORE MY 16TH BIRTHDAY WHILE ATTENDING DUKE ELLINGTON SCHOOL OF THE ARTS IN WASHINGTON DC FOR VOCAL MUSIC. THE HEALTH ISSUE REAWAKENED CAUSING ME YEARS OF PROBLEMS.
IF THERE IS ANY ONE OUT THERE THAT HAS ASTHMA KNOWS THAT IF THERE IS A BREATHING ISSUE PREDNIZONE IS THE PRESCRIBED MEDICATION. THE DOCTOR PRESCRIBED IT TO ME ON A BASIS OF TWO YEARS AND UPON COMPLETION I HAD TO BE SLOWLY WINGED OF THE MEDICATION.
AT THE AGE OF 17 I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ACID REFLUX DISEASE THAT WAS CAUSING SOME OF THE PREVIOUS BREATHING ISSUES, AND LATER THAT YEAR I WAS ALSO DIAGNOSED WITH OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA.
I HAVE ALWAYS HAD A PROBLEM WITH MY WEIGHT BUT THE HEALTH ISSUES I HAVE ARE IRRITATED MORE BY THE WEIGHT. BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18-21 I HAVE BATTLED THESES ILLNESSES AND AT THE AGE OF 22 MY DOCTOR DIAGNOSED ME WITH HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE.
NOW AT THE AGE OF 27 I'M STILL BATTLING ALL THE HEALTH ALIMENTS AND NOW THE WEIGHT IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE UNBEARABLE. MY FEET HURT WHEN I WALK MY BACK IS IN CONSTANT PAIN AND MY KNEES WHICH HAVE HAD PREVIOUS INJURIES ARE PAINFUL I ALSO HAVE A PROBLEM WHEN I SIT IN ONE PLACE FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME MY HIP BONE TEND TO KIND SLIP OUT OF THE SOCKET AND THAT TOO IS VERY PAINFUL.
ALL MY LIFE I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN OVERWEIGHT. WHILE AT THE INFORMATION SESSION FOR BARAITRIC SURGERY DONE BY GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL. IT WAS A QUESTION WHEN WAS YOUR EARLIEST DIET IN LIFE.
MY MOTHER WAS WITH ME AT THE TIME I TURN TO HER AND ASKED MOM WHEN DID THE DOCTORS FIRST PUT ME ON A DIET. SHE SIMPLY SAID I DON'T WANNA TELL YOU. I SAID MOM COME ON AND TELL ME AND THEN SHE SAID THE AGE OF 5. AND I WAS SHOCKED NOT HURT BUT HOPEFUL THAT THIS IS THE ANSWER TO MY PRAYERS. THAT THIS TOOL WILL ENABLE ME TO BETTER TAKE THE WEIGHT OFF ALONG WITH MY LIFE LONG DIET CHANGES.
I KNOW SOME PEOPLE CAN'T UNDERSTAND FOR THE LIFE OF THEM WHY SOME PEOPLE ARE OVER WEIGHT IT'S NOT AS SIMPLE AS TELLING A PERSON DON'T EAT SO MUCH , TURN DOWN YOUR PLATE , BACK AWAY FROM THE TABLE BECAUSE FOOD SOMETIME MIGHT NOT BE THE ONLY CORPORATE IN THE SITUATION. AND THEN AGAIN IN OTHERS SITUATIONS THE FOOD COULD HAVE BEEN THE FRIEND THAT THEY HAVE LONGED FOR THE COMFORTER THEY NEED AT NIGHT TO SLEEP, OR A SOOTHER FOR AN EMOTIONAL SITUATION. AND RIGHT OUT SOME PEOPLE JUST LOVE AND ARE ADDICTED TO FOOD.
BUT FOR ME I HAVE TRIED ALL SORTS OF DIETS, OVER THE COUNTER AND PRESCRIBED MEDICATIONS FOR WEIGHT LOSS. EVEN AS I TEEN I WAS PRESCRIBED ANTI-DEPRESSANTS TO CONTROL MY APPETITE AND I WOULD LOSS A POUND HERE AND THERE BUT NEVER ENOUGH TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND NOW I'M AT THE PLACE IN MY LIFE WHERE I KNOW SOME THING HAS TO BE DONE .
AT THE AGE OF 22 AND 350 LBS. I WAS TOLD TO GO SEE A SURGEON ABOUT BARIATRIC SURGERY I COMPLETED ALL OF THE REQUIRED TEST EXCEPT TO GO SEE THE NUTRITIONIST AND GO BACK TO THE SURGEON FOR THE DATE. DO TO A HUGE AMOUNT OF FEAR AND LACK OF SUPPORT I FAIL TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THE SURGERY .
NOW AT THE AGE OF 27 AND 384 LBS. I'M GOING TO SEE THE SURGERY THROUGH TO THE END THIS TIME AND I WANT TO COME OUT ON THE LOSER END A HEALTHIER HAPPY ME WITH OUT THE FEAR OF A STROKE OR A HEART ATTACK HANGING OVER MY HEAD.
