The greatest opportunity in my life by far has been having the
Lap Band procedure!

Most of my life I have been overweight. My mother allowed me
to eat what I wanted without much opposition.
However as I grew into adulthood I found that eating healthy was
the best way.

Working in an office job as a telephone operator and eating quickly
on my breaks soon caused me to rapidly gain weight.
When I was in my mid-twenties I began to be obese. Working at
a desk job was hard to be active enough to keep my weight off.
I soon found I had to do something! Because of the split-shifts,
I bid on a clerical job within the telephone company. I soon got
the job as a draftsman. Being in my early twenties I could eat
those extra calories without gaining too much weight then.
It was great going out for lunch, taking walks downtown, and
taking the stairs when I could at work!

When I met my future husband I was much thinner and happier!
When we got married we didn't want children right away.
My OB/GYN put me on birth control pills. After taking them for about
2 years, we tried to have a baby. The side affects from the pill
caused my hormones to over-work which caused weight gain.
We tried for another year and didn't conceive. (Later I found out
that being somewhat obese could cause infertility, or even the
inability to conceive)!
My doctor soon had me try Chlomed. We were told after I took
it another year that we probably wouldn't ever conceive!
We just decided to just take things naturally. The next year we
were expecting! My body really changed fast! I ate literally
much more than for me and my baby. After our daughter came,
it was difficult to lose the weight after my pregnancy.
I had gained more than 60 lbs. those nine months.

One day in the spring, I was trying to re-live my teen years
as a sidewalk surfer! I had never had any accidents on my
skateboard before. It was a beautiful warm day. I was really
getting excited to try skating on my board again! Skating had
kept me really fit earlier in my life.
My husband had oiled the wheels so I could smoothly glide down
the street. Just as I was skating in front of our home, I slipped
down. I fell off and hit right on my bottom.
I had hit some small rocks along the side of the street. I fell down
on my left side and broke my left heel. After this accident I did'nt
feel the same. Gravity wasn't the same at age 26!
I never was able to lose my weight I had gained during my
pregnancy. As the years went by, I had eventually gained
over 130 lbs. Life wasn't easy when I had to make decisions for
my father who had to be put into a nursing home after a stroke.
This situation took it's tole on me for about a year and a half.
Stress of that experience also caused more excess pounds!
My mother had developed Lou Gherig's disease about 10 years
before. When I found out there was nothing that could be done
for my mother, it was just so much to handle! Earlier in our
daughter's childhood, she had Epileptic seizures from age 4
until age 17. My stresses and difficulties caused me to put on
those 100 plus pounds over the years.
I had tried so many diet programs but none were successful!

When my doctor recommended the lap band procedure, I was
so excited! My life had been spared because I had three medical
conditions that could eventually cause me to have chronic health
issues: Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, and obstructive sleep
apnea. I was so glad to be a candidate for the lap band. This would
mean I would be able to get off all my medications.

Currently I am losing an average of 3 lbs per week! I feel so
much better now. My health is improving and I feel great!
I am so glad I made the decision to have the surgery.
If I had my time to go over, I would do it again because I want
to live a healthy and more active life!

To those who are considering the lap band procedure, I would
definitely recommend it.
It just takes making up your mind!
You have to make a life-style change for the rest of your life, too!
I look forward to buying a new wardrobe soon.

Our grandchildren mean so much to us. They are really active
kids! My goal is to be close to my original size before I conceived!
Being able to keep up with our kids will be my first priority, then
who knows I may want to train for a marathon, too.
Time is the best thing- on my side!