Hi, I'm Julie. You can call me imp, or Julie. I also answer to Your Majesty, Red, and Hotness, although that last is going to take awhile
I'm here because I'm tired of being fat. I wasn't a fat kid - I was a professional ballet dancer, later a cheerleader. So not fat. But genes and pregnancies and fast food and life sent my weight sideways and then upwards starting in my 20s. I'm 5'4", and at my lowest adult weight I was 110 pounds. I didn't look healthy then. Now I'm a little over double that in both age and weight, and I don't look or feel healthy now.
My BMI is 38 something. I'm hypertensive - my doctor is testing me for pulmonary hypertension, even, which: not good. I have obstructive sleep apnea. I'm asthmatic, and I've never smoked. I've been on huge doses of beta blockers and steroids in the past - fortunately, I now have a doctor who is treating me with ace inhibitors and albuterol and only inhaled steroids. And on May 17, I am scheduled for mini-gastric bypass surgery because my co-morbidities have made it impossible to exercise.
So, here I am. Just over two weeks from surgery. My father had the MGB done in late February - he is down almost 40 lbs, off his diabetic medication, and down to one anti-hypertensive from the NINE he was taking. He looks healthier. He's not greyish-green anymore. He doesn't huff and puff anymore. I want to be healthy again, but I know surgery is a tool and not a miracle cure. I've been lurking here for awhile, but just now got the guts to say hi. So, hi