The History

  Ok, everyone I figured I had better give you a little back story as to why I am getting the Lap Band surgery done. In May of 2005 I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. I went through chemotherapy treatments and radiation treatments. I was also on a steroid regiment to help the chemo work and keep fat on my body. I was sick the whole year. Barely ate a thing. But, went from 180lbs to 356lbs. During the radiation treatments my thyroid was fried. I went into full remission in June of 2006 just 3 days before I graduated HS. I did not find out that my thyroid had been destroyed until a year later. My then Oncologist told me that getting the weight that they put on me would be hard especially since my thyroid no longer worked properly. She also told me that weight loss surgery would probably be a great option for me and most likely my only option. I chose not to believe her and thought that hard work, diet and exercise would get the weight off. I worked with 2 more doctors and 2 nutritionists to help set up a diet and exercise program as well as get my thyroid medication to where it needs to be.
   WELL... it has been 4 years since I went into remission and my weight has not budged. I even had my daughter lost 12 pounds but gained it all back. My doctor and oncologist say that the reason I can lose weight but gain it right back, even though I am still dieting and exercising is because of what the steroid regiment did to my body. I was on the steroids to keep fat on my body so that it would not attack my muscles. So now my body is trained to think that every time I lose weight it needs to rebuild the fat.
   So with this in mind I did some research into the Lap Band Surgery. I talked to my husband and family, took all the tests and got approved. My surgery is set for the 6th of October. Talking to my surgeon I found out that this surgery would be perfect for me. It will SHOCK my body into losing the weight. I will be able to retrain it and be able to lose weight. I will work closely with my doctor and nutritionist. Along with start a strict exercise regiment. My goal is to get back to my pre-chemo weight of 180 and a size 13. Wish me LUCK!!