Kelly Puma
My name is Kelly. Currently I am 5'4 and fluctuate between 230-240.I am married and have 2 beautiful kids. As most of you on these boards I too have had a weight issue since elementary school. I have been up and down for pretty much what I can remember since child hood, Gym class always being made fun of whether it was climbing the rope, swimming a lap, running the mile. All of those wonderful things have lead to to the extremes of trying to loose weight. From pills to weight watchers, atkins, south beach, Physicans Weight Control w/ B12 shots, Nutritionist's, Herbal Life. As far as excercise goes I was working out to DVD's, I have had personal trainers, I was going to the YMCA for 4-5 days a week. Yes I lost weight no doubt about it, but no sooner did that stop and I continued to eat right - YEP you guessed it back on the weight came plus more. NOT FAIR!! I was in a auto accident in 2004 and things just seemed to go down hill from there. I've had 10 back surgeries since 2004 and my other health problems are: GERD, errosive gastritis, depression, borderline diabetic, arthritis of the spine, joint pain, bladder incontinence, borderline sleep apnea, high cholesterol, severe pitted edema. Oh yes fun fun!! I'm a hot mess.
My husband of 13 years was NOT supportive of me when I was looking into this 2 years ago, but he is seeing how I struggle every day, especially with my back. My weight is only making things worse. But its it nearly impossible for me to work out yet the weight is hurting me. Catch 22. . .I finally got him to come to a support meeting w/ the doctor there and he's totally got my back now. 1000% supportive. 
He is hispanic; well let me just tell you that for the most part the don't eat healthy so that's a hard thing to cook for your family and not pick, gorge, or go for seconds. And this too is the same when you have kids - if they don't finish you certainley will help them.
I have been looking into weight loss surgery since 2009. My step mother is a RNY patient and she has en-lightened me on many things and definitley broden my horizions w/ struggling with weight problems. I've been to many meetings, many support groups, have been on OH browsing, searching, reading, comparing, and I guess it's time for me to put up my story and share some of my pics - LOL the stalker I am. My family on my father side is also a hot mess as far as heart problems, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol. Gotta love genes! I've decided to start traking how my progress goes and wanted to share it with others. I really hope I am sucessfull as all my other OH friends on here. I am a very strong willed person and I have failth in myself that this would be the best decision that I have ever made. I'm in this for the long haul.
I have been put through the ringer since end of May 2011. For starters I was having severe abdominal pain go to ER they do a cat scan. They don't know what's wrong. I went to Cancun the first week of June 2011, and I slipped and fell the day before I was ready to come home. 2 days later i started swelling like a balloon. I',m thinking " Oh no a blood clot) but that only happens on 1 side of the body. My toes, feet, ankles, calves, forearms, fingers, hands on both sides, I had my neighbor drive me to the ER (ankles too swollen to drive), doctor says pitted edema from the "sun" in Cancun - I looked at him like he had 10 heads b/c I got a base tan before I went. It got worse even w/ diaretics. I couldn't wear rings or shoes. I was wearing house slippers to work. Started making appts for someone to connect these dots: my primary, the OB, a cardiologist, etc - normal, normal, normal, lots of blood work - Out of range like crazy on alot of things. Go back for a annual to OB - she asked what ever came out of the situation w/ the blowing up and swelling. No one knows. She pulled my results from my CT Scan that the ER did - she was FUMING that no one followed up w/ me. Well they found a bunch of abnormalies on the scan. So I've been going through more testing. I asked one doctor to write a script for Upper Endoscopy and Colonoscopy, "Nah your too young" I demanded it. Shoot if my insurance company has this covered how hard is it for him to write me a script. Well what do ya know: This is how I found out about the GERD and Gastritis, ulcer, spot on the lungs, something on my duodnum, 3 polyops (1)pre-cancer of the colon. I told ya I'm a hot mess. So moral of this story - Don't ever let a doctor tell ya your too young for testing. No one listened to all of my weird affects I was having. Well apprently this all plays a part in what I'm going through and looking forward to WLS making this to POOF be gone!!!
