Should I print this off and take it to the GP?

[SassyMummy]

About Me…

Name: Stacey ******

Age: 25

Weight: 104.4kg (as at 16/5/2011)

Height: 161cm

BMI: 40.3

Heaviest Weight: 110kg

Lowest Adult Weight: 87kg (this was the result of barely eating and exercising endlessly)

*I have struggled with my weight since I was about 11/12. At 12 I was already 65kg. I was approx. 148cm at age 12. I have continued to gain weight since, but not gain much in the way of height.



Ways I have tried to lose weight…

*Tony Ferguson for 2 weeks – I was starving and my family was unsupportive, making it very difficult for me to stick to the plan. The shakes were also disgusting, making it even more difficult. I also find sugar-free products to taste quite strange and give me bad gas pains. I lost nothing.

*Lite n Easy for 5 months – I lost 10kg during this time, but it was very costly and after a while I could no longer stand feeling hungry after meals… so would add foods (albeit low-fat, low-calorie foods) to my diet and it seemed pointless to continue on it.

*Atkins diet for 8 weeks – I stopped because I began to crave fruit and milk, and couldn’t understand why I was sticking to something that made me avoid those 2 healthy things (I was surviving without sugary foods and bread/pasta/etc). Lost 4kg in the first week, but nothing afterwards.

*CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet for 6-ish weeks – I did this after Atkins as it was still low-carb but allowed me to have both milk and fruit. I found the quantities of meat I was expected to eat excessive and very expensive.

*General low-fat/low-Calorie eating – after reading books about calorie counting, I began to do this and implement an exercise program as well. Counting calories was not the issue, but I often found myself hungry even after reaching my caloric limit (even though I’d eaten healthily all day, with low-caloric foods like fruits and veges).

*Using the Wii-Active program – this helped to tone me a little I think. I’m not sure why I stopped… I think I slacked off for a few days, tried to get back into it, but just couldn’t find it within myself to continue. I lost 3kg in about 3 months.

*Used Calorie King website – useful, but rather time-consuming to add each and every thing I put into my mouth. Again, always hungry after reaching caloric limit.

*Eating very little. This did work, and made me lose a lot of weight quite quickly. I also exercised like crazy when I did this. I was not healthy though, and was tired all the time, probably because I had nothing to fuel my body. I did this after a relationship breakdown. I could not do this again, even if I wanted to. I was mentally in a crazy place.

*I went to the gym. I did enjoy it, but I could barely move for days afterwards, and found it really difficult to go back each time… I was the fattest person in the classes, and was surrounded by skinny, toned beauties who looked fantastic. I’d exercise… but then come home, feeling so ugly by comparison, and eat to console myself, so it was kind of a waste of time anyway.

*Duromine – I took this for 1.5 months and lost maybe 2kg in that time. I found that it didn’t do too much to curb my appetite, but instead made me feel very jittery and just generally unpleasant. I did not enjoy being on this drug.

*Walking for 2 hours each day (and then whatever extra I needed to do to get from point A to point B). I kept myself occupied by walking briskly while reading. Where I live, there’s a large number of mosquitos, and I had to give this up as I’d come home covered in bites, regardless of whether I used mozzie spray or not, or the clothes I wore. I also didn’t lose any weight or feel any fitter – but it was something I managed to do.

*Have an exercise bike and exercised on it daily for at least ½ hour each day. I ride at a pace of about 33km/h. It does nothing to my weight, and my bum kind of swallows the seat, leaving me with a painful behind.



Reasons I want to lose weight…

*My body is uncomfortable to live in at this size.

*I want to be able to run and climb and jump with my daughter without gasping for breath or wearing out after 2 minutes. I want to be able to do this relatively pain-free (right now I hurt afterwards – my joints and my feet in particular).

*I have noticed that my feet are copping a lot from my weight. I can no longer take my daughter to the school myself and instead have to put her on the school bus, as I sometimes find it so painful on my feet that the next few days I have to stay off my feet as much as possible because it just hurts too much.

*At last check, I had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I’ve also had my gallbladder removed as a result of large gallstones, no doubt caused by my poor diet. I do not want to die from these conditions.

*Diabetes is in my family, as is heart disease, and I want to do my best to avoid suffering from these conditions. I know this is most likely if I lose weight.

*I want to stop worrying about my weight – I am sick of thinking about it every second of every day. I want to be able to sort my weight issues out so I can focus on the other issues in my life as well. At the moment, my weight seems to be my primary focus, so I ignore any other issues.

*I have a daughter who is soon to turn 6. I want her to see her mother living a healthy existence, rather than gaining more and more weight as time goes on.

*I want to feel comfortable exercising in public. At present, I feel too fat to be at a gym and feel too embarrassed to attempt exercise in public. I have had comments in the past, and they have really hurt me. Having nasty things yelled at you while you’re trying to exercise makes you want to go home, cry, maybe have some ice-cream, and never try again.

*I enjoy swimming, but am too embarrassed to get into a bathing suit. I have difficulty even finding a bathing suit. I want to be able to swim, and take my daughter swimming as well.



Reasons I have chosen to have the sleeve surgery…

*I want to be able to feel full. I never feel full, and I want to be able to get to that point so that I can stop myself from eating. I find it so hard to lose weight not because I cannot stick to difficult plans, but because I do not feel full and thus never satisfied.

*I want to use the sleeve as a tool to assist me to lose weight. I know it will not do the work without my help… but I am not sure I can do the work without it either.

*I have looked at the risks VS benefits, plus the alternative weight loss surgeries available, and believe that this is the one that I prefer above the others. I believe that it caters bests to my needs and my wants.

*I do not want to reach 40, add another 50kg to my frame, and look back and wish I had had this surgery back when I was 25 (which I currently am).

*I have tried to lose weight on my own, and each and every time something stops me from succeeded… my health is at risk here, and I NEED to do something. I’d rather do it now and avoid a number of health problems that I could have to deal with if I continue to try and fail for years to come.

*At last check, my BMI had me at 40, which makes me morbidly obese.

*I have been overweight since I was about 11… since that point I have tried to lose weight but have never successfully lost and kept off enough weight to reach a healthy weight that I am comfortable with. I feel that the sleeve could assist me in reaching this goal.

*I do not want to die. It is a huge fear of mine – dying young because of my weight. I want to take charge of my future and give myself some certainty – certainty that I will lose weight. I need the sleeve to assist me.



More Info…

*I have thought about this for a year now. I first thought about this surgery when early last year. In August 2010 I decided that it was the right thing for me to do for myself, and took out private health insurance to help cover my surgery. As such, I’ve had a long time to think about this decision in its entirety, and still believe that it is the right move for me to make.

*I would like a referral to Dr Justin Greenslade from the Brisbane Bariatric Centre.

Okay, so the above is something I have just written out. Tomorrow I see the GP and ask him for a referral to the surgeon so I can have my WLS. I have no doubts the surgeon will agree - but getting the GP to may be a bit harder.

My GP doesn't know me that well (I used to see a diff one but he's gone and his practice is gone too), but I have seen him in the past for my weight issues - he discovered my high BP and high cholesterol and was the one to suggest duromine to see if it would do anything (it didn't really).

I wrote the above out mostly for myself, because I SUCK face-to-face, even moreso when I'm discussing important or personal issues, so I wanted to refresh my memory so I had clear answers to any questions he asked... and also maybe to take with me for reference if I need to (so I don't go home thinking, "Oh, I should have said...").

Should I just hand it to him though? I did this when I saw a dr about my mental health issues for hte first time because I couldn't stand the thought of saying it out loud. So I wrote it down and handed it to him. It was awkward and a bit weird, but probably less so than if I had been forced to say it all out loud. I'd have left out a lot too because I'd have gotten nervous and freaked out and rambled about nothing instead.

Is there anything I should add? I'd normally reserve this just for my fellow WLS buddies, but I know some people who have had WLS don't frequent those threads, so thought I'd make a more general one too.

(PLEASE do not harp on about WLS being a bad idea - I've made my decision for myself already. This is just about this note and whether or not I should print and hand it to my GP tomorrow).

[chicken and eggs mum]

Absolutely!!! And like you something I have done in the past!!!

Stick to your guns and get the referral!! I could have written 1/2 of what you wrote!!!

Good luck sassy!!

[zombiekitty]

What is WLS?

[SassyMummy]

WLS = Weight Loss Surgery.

Thanks Chicken - I think I might... take it along...

[anewme]

Yes I would. It is very well written. It answer all the question the dr should ask for the referral.

[borntobemummy]

Yep good idea, it would be good if he had time to read through it before you even got there so he was familiar with your reasons. Might be a bit awkward in person, but better that way than having to remember everything on the spot I think
Let us know how you go

[PurpleStars]

I think its a great idea to take it along with you. I do that too, walk out of the doctors office going 'crap, there was 5 things I wanted to ask and didn't.' Definitely a smart move to take your notes along with you.

[SassyMummy]

Thanks guys.

It would be a good idea if he had time to read it, but I don't really have time to make that happen... though he is a nice, fatherly type so hopefully he won't be too bad. He hugged me last time I had a whinge to him about my weight issues, but I didn't go into it in much depth... I obviously need to go into a bit more depth this time.

I'm hoping he doesn't really require anything of me to give me the referral - and instead just acknowledges that I've obviously put a bit of thought into this and simply hands it over... I am so awkward and nervous and uncomfortable... I'd rather not come out of it tomorrow feeling rubbish.

Will report back when I'm done and let you know how it went.

[anewme]

When your there ask for a health-care plan (medicare) for the dietitian. It will help bring down the cost as you have to see them before and after the op.

[SassyMummy]

Oh thanks Jen. I shall!