I am a mother of two crazy little boys
, a wife of a man that adores me. My children and husband deserve a healthy mommy and wife.
I am not a typical female,
although overweight most my life, I am very comfortable with myself. Do not get my wrong, I'd jump on the "dieting" band wagon here and there, but never stuck to them like most people my size may would have thought they needed to. I like me. With that said... comes the next part...
I was having a pain, really low, one of them pains that make you bend over out of no where, shooting throbbing pains... I decided to go to the ER. I get a CT scan done, found out I have cysts on my ovaries. Got meds, referred and went home. Thinking I'd visit my OB and get right. When I visited my OB, she told me I have a very fatty liver and that she is referring me to a liver specialist. My response... "yea, im a chunky gal, ever organ in me is progbably "fatty"." Turns out this fatty liver is a disease, I have a Non-alcoholic fatty liver. Basically theres alcoholic induced and non-alcoholic. Non-alcoholic looks the same as alcoholic, basically my liver looks as if I have been drinking heavily for the past 29 years (all my life).
Not knowing what to prepare myself for, I attend my appointment @ The center for Liver and Digestive Health. Even if I would have known what to prepare myself for, I was not prepared to hear what he had to say. I had read that people with fatty livers get put on strict diets because the liver is a very forgiving organ and can "come back to life". He did not suggest dieting to me. He flat out told me, he is suprised that my blood work doesnt show signs of failure of the liver. He estimate 6-9 months before complete failure, if something is not done. The reason he couldnt suggest a diet was that basically it wasnt fast enough. He reccommended me to go to a seminar regarding Bariatric Surgery. I looked confused, and said "what is that?" His answer was a slap in my confidence... "one of the kind of Bariatric surgeries is Gastric Bypass."
DOOOO WHAT?? This man is crazy, I mean I am fat, chunky, thick, but man I am not obese!!
I go to work, tell my co-workers, email my mom, tell my husband, the doctor I seen today is a QUACK!! How dare he say I needed that, whatever!! This man didnt know me.... I love who I am, who is he to tell me! All he is looking at is a chart... well, reality is, thats all he needs to be looking at.
I then scedule a visit with my regular doc, I discuss weightloss with him. He explains in laymens terms what the Liver doc was telling me. Basically that was, I need to do something drastic. A regular yoyo diet would not work due to how crucial it is to get the weight off in order to quickly turn my liver around before it fails. He said if I am totally against bariatrics I could attempt the HCG diet, but its costly and not guarenteed.
After months and months of debating it in my own mind, out loud with my husband, and the demons within me... I then woke up one day knowing, I have two beautiful boys, a loving husband that I do not wish to leave any sooner than I need to. This is what I have to do.
September 18th 2012, I attended the Bariatric Surgery seminar in which is the first step you have to take in order to see a bariatric surgeon here in Savannah. It was very informative. It was there I learned of the Gastric Sleeve VS the Gastric Bypass... at this point, I think Sleeve is the choice for me..... IF I do this... it sort of is still an "IF" within me.
The seminar dicussed each surgery in detail, theres 3 of them. Your BMI has to be a certain level inorder to qualify for some of them. If your BMI isnt too high, then you can have "comorbidities" which help qualify you for them such as fatty liver, high BP, diabetes, etc. But I didnt even need a co-morbidity, because sadly my BMI is 51.9. I am considered "Super morbidly obese".... anyone know how hard that is for me to swallow? Have I lived in denile all the years? I am a confident woman... how am I a confident super morbidly obese woman?? HOW??
At the seminar, I was given letters that I needed to present to my referring doc, whom had to complete one for me. "Clearance for Surgery". Well, this was another ride. Unbeknownst me, I have always border lined High Blood Pressure. I went two pregnancies with no high BP, but now it is... I get put on meds. So know I have a fatty liver and high blood pressure (2 co morbidities plus out rageous BMI).
October 5th, I attended my first meeting with the Bariatric Team. Everyone was very comforting. At this appointment I answer a small questioniere about my sleeping habits... the nurse says based on my answers she is pretty sure I have sleep apnea, another co-morbidity. I now have to have a sleep study done before surgery and get treated for it if I do have it.
This gets me caught up to now... it is October 7th, and I am more uncomfortable in my own shoes as I have ever been. I catch myself wondering what others are thinking of me, where as before I couldnt care one bit. My journey has just started, but I am starting it... if I go through with it... thats totally up to me. But the thought of living a heathly life with my husband and babies looms over my head. I am selfish if I do not do it.
Thats all for now.... :-)
_Bratty Ash!
, a wife of a man that adores me. My children and husband deserve a healthy mommy and wife.
I am not a typical female,
although overweight most my life, I am very comfortable with myself. Do not get my wrong, I'd jump on the "dieting" band wagon here and there, but never stuck to them like most people my size may would have thought they needed to. I like me. With that said... comes the next part...
I was having a pain, really low, one of them pains that make you bend over out of no where, shooting throbbing pains... I decided to go to the ER. I get a CT scan done, found out I have cysts on my ovaries. Got meds, referred and went home. Thinking I'd visit my OB and get right. When I visited my OB, she told me I have a very fatty liver and that she is referring me to a liver specialist. My response... "yea, im a chunky gal, ever organ in me is progbably "fatty"." Turns out this fatty liver is a disease, I have a Non-alcoholic fatty liver. Basically theres alcoholic induced and non-alcoholic. Non-alcoholic looks the same as alcoholic, basically my liver looks as if I have been drinking heavily for the past 29 years (all my life).
Not knowing what to prepare myself for, I attend my appointment @ The center for Liver and Digestive Health. Even if I would have known what to prepare myself for, I was not prepared to hear what he had to say. I had read that people with fatty livers get put on strict diets because the liver is a very forgiving organ and can "come back to life". He did not suggest dieting to me. He flat out told me, he is suprised that my blood work doesnt show signs of failure of the liver. He estimate 6-9 months before complete failure, if something is not done. The reason he couldnt suggest a diet was that basically it wasnt fast enough. He reccommended me to go to a seminar regarding Bariatric Surgery. I looked confused, and said "what is that?" His answer was a slap in my confidence... "one of the kind of Bariatric surgeries is Gastric Bypass."
DOOOO WHAT?? This man is crazy, I mean I am fat, chunky, thick, but man I am not obese!!
I go to work, tell my co-workers, email my mom, tell my husband, the doctor I seen today is a QUACK!! How dare he say I needed that, whatever!! This man didnt know me.... I love who I am, who is he to tell me! All he is looking at is a chart... well, reality is, thats all he needs to be looking at.
I then scedule a visit with my regular doc, I discuss weightloss with him. He explains in laymens terms what the Liver doc was telling me. Basically that was, I need to do something drastic. A regular yoyo diet would not work due to how crucial it is to get the weight off in order to quickly turn my liver around before it fails. He said if I am totally against bariatrics I could attempt the HCG diet, but its costly and not guarenteed.
After months and months of debating it in my own mind, out loud with my husband, and the demons within me... I then woke up one day knowing, I have two beautiful boys, a loving husband that I do not wish to leave any sooner than I need to. This is what I have to do.
September 18th 2012, I attended the Bariatric Surgery seminar in which is the first step you have to take in order to see a bariatric surgeon here in Savannah. It was very informative. It was there I learned of the Gastric Sleeve VS the Gastric Bypass... at this point, I think Sleeve is the choice for me..... IF I do this... it sort of is still an "IF" within me.
The seminar dicussed each surgery in detail, theres 3 of them. Your BMI has to be a certain level inorder to qualify for some of them. If your BMI isnt too high, then you can have "comorbidities" which help qualify you for them such as fatty liver, high BP, diabetes, etc. But I didnt even need a co-morbidity, because sadly my BMI is 51.9. I am considered "Super morbidly obese".... anyone know how hard that is for me to swallow? Have I lived in denile all the years? I am a confident woman... how am I a confident super morbidly obese woman?? HOW??
At the seminar, I was given letters that I needed to present to my referring doc, whom had to complete one for me. "Clearance for Surgery". Well, this was another ride. Unbeknownst me, I have always border lined High Blood Pressure. I went two pregnancies with no high BP, but now it is... I get put on meds. So know I have a fatty liver and high blood pressure (2 co morbidities plus out rageous BMI).
October 5th, I attended my first meeting with the Bariatric Team. Everyone was very comforting. At this appointment I answer a small questioniere about my sleeping habits... the nurse says based on my answers she is pretty sure I have sleep apnea, another co-morbidity. I now have to have a sleep study done before surgery and get treated for it if I do have it.
This gets me caught up to now... it is October 7th, and I am more uncomfortable in my own shoes as I have ever been. I catch myself wondering what others are thinking of me, where as before I couldnt care one bit. My journey has just started, but I am starting it... if I go through with it... thats totally up to me. But the thought of living a heathly life with my husband and babies looms over my head. I am selfish if I do not do it.
Thats all for now.... :-)
_Bratty Ash!
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