I share this because I had two mini-strokes in my late 20’s. I had some risk factors, weight being one of them. This young women didn’t seem to have any, unless there was a family history.

Very scary and sad. Grab a tissue before you watch.

Since 2002 I’ve been in 6 different hospitals in 5 different cities, the total number of admissions I cannot remember. I would guess close to 20. In addition, I have had 4 upper GI’s, 2 colonoscopies, 2 endoscopies, 1 trans-esophageal endoscope, 1 MRI, 5+ Echocardiograms, 6+ CT scans, 1 medi-port placement, 1 medi-port removal, 1 IVC filter placement, 1 IVC filter removal, 2 hernia repairs, 1 PFO (hole in my heart) closure, 3 right to left shunt studies, a bazillion tiny bubbles injected into my veins.

I’m sure I’m missing a few things.

Last year was a “healthy” year. I met only $53 of my yearly deductible, spent 0 days in the hospital for the first time since 2002. For the record, I had NEVER been in the hospital prior to 2002.

So when asked “why did you wait so long to seek treatment?” I can honestly say I didn’t want to go back ‘there’.

I’m not normally one to avoid treatment. Given my medical history I often seek treatment for the things most normal people wouldn’t worry about. When the scale started to creep back up in 2007 I attributed it to stopping the Topamax. When the regain exceeded the amount I had lost while on Topamax I was more concerned, but I had had the tests and been told everything was o.k. inside. I tried to get things under control on my own. When that didn’t seem to be working and I read that my heartburn could be related to a surgery complication and my regain I decided to seek treatment. I saw my PCP first hoping she could do something for me without tossing me back on the medical rollercoaster. Sadly, her response was “that’s not my area, go see the surgeon”.

So I go.

And here we go again…my year of good health was nice while it lasted.

I accompanied a friend to his CT scan this afternoon. I’ve been to this hospital many times, they have recently remodeled the radiology waiting rooms and it was a nice surprise to notice they had a few oversized chairs to accommodate larger patients.

It was annoying and even comical to see two normal sized people approach it as if it was a two seater. One very slim couple successfully sat together. Another set of normal sized adult sisters tried their best to sit together, if I didn’t have manners I would have taken a picture of them squeezed (one half on, half off) in the chair. Eventually, one moved to the next chair. Perhaps the chair should have a fatty label on it.

“Your ass must be at least this wide ——— in order to sit here”

Thankfully, my ass fit comfortably in the regular chair. But it’s nice to know hospitals are thinking.

The internet is such a vast resource of information. That is a good and a bad thing. I like that I can research, but then I always seem to do “this” to myself.

My brain is full of information and I’m obsessing about the “what if’s”. I’m a planner and this crap is messing with my plans.

Will I need to have my hiatal hernia repaired?

If they wrap the top portion of the stomach around to fix it, how will they do that with just a RNY pouch?

How long will recovery be?

I’ve read 7 days in the hospital on one site OMG this is more serious than I thought.

I know these are great questions to ask my surgeon…but I want to know NOW. So I post on a hernia forum, and the one reply I get back FROM A DOCTOR is that the acid reflux is most definitely because of my recent weight gain. Thanks doctor, as if I’ve NEVER been told a medical issue is DUE TO MY WEIGHT. And how many years of medical school did you have to complete to make that great conclusion?

I’m watching Dr. Phil. The show today is the Ultimate Fat Debate. There is a guest named Michael Karolchyk, owner of the Anti-Gym who is wearing a shirt that says “No Chubbies”. He is the perfect example of what I’ve found in most commercial gyms. If he thinks he is helping the obesity epidemic with that method he is wrong, however, watching his video I see no obese members of his program. This is what I’ve found in my quest for assistance with an exercise program, gyms and trainers are for skinny people.

First, most machines cannot accommodate obese (morbidly or super morbidly). Treadmills and elliptical machines do have weight limits, and weight machines don’t allow room for big legs and bellies. I started my workouts at 500lbs in the water, my swimsuit didn’t fit, but I wore shorts and t-shirt over it because I was determined to get in the pool. However, it can be difficult to find a pool with steps; obese people have a difficult time with pool ladders.

Second, personal trainers don’t seem to want to help the obese. I did find Matt at the SOMC Life Center to be helpful, but that was a hospital based gym. At Bally’s, LA Fitness, etc, they aren’t interested in really helping. I sign up and show up; as soon as I mention I have a medical condition that might limit what I can lift I’m deemed “not willing to try”. I do try, I never refused to do a workout, but I notice while I’m working out the trainer is looking at other chicks. I later find out he didn’t have the machine seat level properly set for my height. I inquire about water workouts and I’m told “they are not a good workout”. Never was asked for detailed medical information. While I was on an upper body weight machine he noticed the scars on my arms and asks “are those surgical scars?” Sure are…and even then he didn’t ASK for any further information.

I just mentioned this to a friend last week. I would love to partner with a personal trainer/exercise physiologist and develop REAL workout program for someone with lymphedema/lipedema. I live in Miami; there are tons of trainers around here, anyone interested in the challenge?

I don’t really believe in luck, well I don’t believe I have any luck…except bad luck.

But if you asked me for a lucky number, I’m going to say 7. I just like that number. I’m #7 in my family, born in 1977.

Today I’m 7 years post-op RNY gastric bypass surgery and I am lucky to be alive.

I sometimes have to remind myself of that.

Yesterday, I found myself questioning if surgery was worth having. There I was once again having a diagnostic test, my 5th upper GI in 7 years, and I thought “is this what my future will be? How many tests will I need during my life to check for possible complications of surgery?” Then I went to an appointment with a friend who has lost over 150lbs on his own. The receptionist in the office asked him if he had “the surgery” and he replied, “No, my insurance wouldn’t cover it, so I did it the old fashioned way”. I razzed him a bit about saying that, but honestly it doesn’t bother me because everyone is different.

But it did make me think more about if having weight loss surgery was worth it. And the answer is had I not had surgery and lost the weight I did, when I did, I wouldn’t be here typing this right now. The mini-stroke I had in 2004 would have been a full blown stroke and I would have died in my small town hospital. I have many medical issues and only a few have been a result of surgery.

I had an Upper GI this morning and the preliminary findings were reflux, hiatal hernia, and Barrett’s esophagus.

I’d first like to send a big THANK YOU to my insurance company who several years ago denied payment for Protonix which I had been on since 8 months after surgery, only stopping for h-pylori treatment and retesting. Continued taking the rest of the prescription, but upon refill was denied. Oh well, I felt o.k. until a year ago when I found myself popping Tums everyday. My PCP then gave me a sample of Nexium and it helped, so I was approved for a year of it via prescription. Well it doesn’t completely work now…and now insurance company you have had to pay for an Upper GI and will be paying for an Endoscopy.

Bet that extra Protonix isn’t looking so bad right now.

So because I like “the Google”….

Mayo Clinic recommends lifestyle changes for Barrett’s esophagus:

• Maintain a healthy weight. Why can’t I ever have a condition that says…gain weight???
• Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Yes, I find myself grazing all day to keep the burning in my throat to a mininum.
• Avoid tightfitting clothes. Woohoo…yoga pants per doctor’s orders.
• Eliminate heartburn triggers. Caffeine…NOOOOO!!!!
• Avoid stooping or bending. Stooping? So no dropping it like it’s hot?
• Don’t lie down after eating. What about while eating…no more breakfast in bed. =(
• Raise the head of your bed. Already sleep on 3 pillows with the top one doubled over.
• Don’t smoke. Other than being smokin’ hot…this is not a problem.

I guess I’m starting an “In Search Of” series. I found my Big Girl Bed….now on to underwear!

I know my mama told me to watch what I say on the internet, and perhaps talking about my underwear is over the TMI line, but I’m very upset about this and I know I am not the only one having this issue.

It seems like in the past couple years the quality of panties sold at Plus Size retailers like Lane Bryant and Avenue has greatly decreased. They might as well be selling disposable panties since some pairs have lasted only a couple wears.

I have several pairs of panties from Lane Bryant that I purchased in 2007. They are still in decent shape, just normal wear and stretch of the elastics. However, I noticed when they switched from “Buy 3 get 2 Free” to “5 for $25” they also changed manufacturers and the quality was very poor. At first I passed it off as just the new change, and at that time I did e-mail Lane Bryant and expressed my disappointment. I figured by this time, nearly 18 months since the change, things would be different.

But the quality still sucks.

I need new panties because I’ve gained weight. I bought a bigger size at Lane Bryant in January and as you can see in the picture, the leg band completely detached from the material!

When I went home in January I noticed a pair of LB panties I had bought my mom had the entire backside of the waistband detached from the fabric. I asked if those were an old pair or a pair I had just bought her in November. She replied they were a new pair and that the detachment occurred the second time she wore them. I brought them home with me and they are in my “bitch” pile. The pile now has 4 pair, this is after I tossed several pair. While I find it a bit embarrassing to take panties back to the store, I guess if I’m open enough to write about it on the internet I should be able to go talk to the store manager.

But it’s not just Lane Bryant.

I was talking to a friend and she mentioned she had gone shopping at Avenue and then she expressed her disappointment in the panties she recently purchased. She said the material is very thin and after few wears and washing they fall apart. I shared with her my experience with Lane Bryant.

It’s very disappointing that these stores cater to the Plus Size customer yet can’t seem to provide a product that can hold up to the plus size booty. And you all know we pay a lot more for our clothing, so this is wrong on so many levels. In additon, Charming Shoppes which owns Lane Bryant also owns the other Plus Size stores Fashion Bug and Catherines, and I’m sure the poor quality can be found in those stores.

So where is a big girl to get some decent panties?

Again, I’ve gained weight and need new panties. So as much as I didn’t want to do it, I bought a 5 pack of Just My Size panties at Wal-mart. I must admit JMS never let my 500lbs ass down. I strayed to Lane Bryant because I loved the cute colors and being able to match my bras with my panties. And at 500lbs I couldn’t fit into the largest size at Lane Bryant. But I can’t be tossing what is now “5 for $29” down the drain on panties that fall apart. A JMS 5-pack was $9.99 and they now do have a variety of colors and styles.

So who else has noticed the poor quality from Lane Bryant and Avenue? What are you wearing?

Click here to send a complaint to Lane Braynt.

Click here to send a complaint to Avenue.

Remember when you wanted to go outside and play because being in the house was boring? Now, the idea of kids going for a bike ride or playing tag outside alone is too dangerous. However, I used to ride my bike, walk to school, and play tag (Ghost in the Graveyard) with a group of friends and I was still a fat kid. Note the article states the kids are less active, no where does it state there is also a rise in obesity…that would be interesting to see the correlation.

Nearly Third of Children Globally are Couch Potatoes – From Reuters
Reporting by Anne Harding, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith

American children aren’t the only couch potatoes with nearly one third of children globally spending three hours a day or more watching TV or on computers, according to study of over 70,000 teens in 34 nations.

From Argentina to Zambia, Regina Guthold of the World Health Organization in Geneva and her colleagues found most children aren’t getting enough exercise and it made no difference if they lived in a rich or a poor country.

“With regards to physical activity levels, we did not find much of a difference between poor and rich countries,” Guthold told Reuters Health. “Growing up in a poor country does not necessarily mean that kids get more physical activity.”

The study, published in The Journal of Pediatrics, looking at 72,845 schoolchildren aged 13 to 15 from North and South America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. The children were surveyed between 2003 and 2007.

The researchers defined adequate physical activity as at least an hour of exercise outside of gym class at least five days a week.

Children who spent three or more hours a day watching TV, playing computer games, or chatting with friends — aside from time in school or time spent doing homework — were classified as sedentary.

The researchers found only one quarter of the boys and 15 percent of the girls were getting enough exercise by these definitions.

A quarter of boys and nearly 30 percent of girls were sedentary and didn’t get enough exercise with girls less active than boys in every country aside from Zambia.

Uruguay had the highest percentage of active boys, at 42 percent, while Zambia had the lowest, at 8 percent.

Girls from India were the most active, with 37 percent meeting exercise recommendations, while girls from Egypt were the least active, with just 4 percent getting adequate exercise.

Children in Myanmar were the least sedentary, with 13 percent of boys and 8 percent of girls classified as sedentary. The most sedentary nations were St. Lucia and the Cayman Islands, with 58 percent of boys and 64 percent of girls spending at least three hours a day in sedentary activities.

While the study didn’t look at the reasons behind the lack of physical activity in various nations, Guthold speculated that urbanization could be a factor as well as access to cars and TVs.

She said schools can help children become more active by having physical education classes and educating students about the importance of exercise.

Adding lanes for bicycles, pedestrian crossings and other changes to promote walking and biking to and from school could help too, she added.

“Even with the limitations that questionnaire data (suffer) from, I guess it’s pretty safe to say that we have a huge problem with physical inactivity among schoolchildren around the globe and that we should take action,” said Guthold.

I’m moving my blog here to WordPress…stay tuned.