Patient Experiences

 

In high school I was active, played in marching band and played tennis, I was always a normal size. I ended up in an abusive marriage right out of high school and became a mom at 19. Ended up packing on the pounds and never was able to lose much without hitting a wall where the diet and exercise just quit working. I finally left that relationship about 9 years into it and just did not make myself a priority. I had an active job as a paramedic but also ate my way through all the delicious offerings the city of Chicago had to offer. I did the yo-yo diet thing on and off for a few years, losing 30-40lbs, hitting the wall, then gaining it all back again. I had always considered bariatric surgery as the "easy way out" and never really entertained it until I tried getting on the yo-yo again. I finally looked into it and realized it was far from the easy way out but if there is one thing I am, it's stubborn and I set my mind to it. Within six months of my first appointment I was getting ready to have gastric bypass.

 

My highest known weight to me was in 2012 and I was 305. I hated how I looked and felt. Most of that weight was dealing with a back injury after a car accident so once I got back moving after that I lost about 25lbs on my own without much trying. After that it was just a bunch of ups and downs. Now I'm down to 160-165 depending on the day from my initial consult weight of 275. I have taken up skydiving as a hobby and can confidently get on any roller coaster without fear of getting told I'm too large to ride. The amount of energy I have now is crazy, I never imagined I'd be on the downward slope to 40 and wanting to be this active. 

 

- Audrey