The great weight debate and my motivation

[Guest guest]

I am probably a genetic nightmare.

My maternal grandfather, as with 3 of his brothers and sisters, all died before

age 40 of heart disease. 1 survived to old age. My mothers generation was

luckier. Thanks to better treatments and knowledge only half of her siblings and

cousins died before 50. Mom has a healthy heart but suffers from parkinsons.

Of my generation, so far I'm the only one with the severe heart disease as minor

problems have been caught early and treated.

My paternal grandmother died from complications of diabetes. My father and his

three siblings all have developed diabetes. Two of the siblings have so far

been able to control their blood sugar and have avoided complications. My uncle

died at age 60 after having lost both legs and his sight. My father has been

blessed with heart disease, blindness, neuropathy and myasthenia gravis. I've

been watching him die a little more each day for 15 years.

It became very clear to me early on that my only chance for a normal life or

life expectancy was to take charge of my health - my diet, exercise and seeking

the best medical available to stay healthy. Was the diet perfect? No. I love

coffee ice cream and and brownies (my own). But I bought a half gallon of

coffee ice cream 2 months ago and still have 2 servings left. So 80 percent of

the time the diet has been as previously stated - low sodium, low sugar, low

fat. Until I became too ill moderate exercise was a part of my life - including

yoga for stress reduction.

My numbers don't make sense to my doctors or me. My weight gains and losses

don't make sense.I'm having surgery next Friday - praying for improvement and

some semblance of a normal life. Trying to make sure that I plan for possible

complications and after surgery medical care.

I've done everything humanly possible to advocate for myself and live a healthy

life. My best motivation has been seeing members of my family struggle with ill

health and loss. Someone doesn't believe my tale of inability to loose weight,

or doubts my medical history - I don't care anymore. My doctors have seen it

all. And hopefully I can finally have the life I've worked so hard to keep.

[Guest guest]

Excellent judgement. You cannot change your family tree. But you do not have to repeat it. Would be of interest to know their and your smoking history, cholesterol levels and BMI. Trust you are passing these lessons on to your progeny. Keep up the good work. May your pressure be low!CE Grim MS, MDSpecializing in DifficultHypertensionOn Mar 16, 2012, at 18:36, "lk.barns" <lk.barns@...> wrote:

I am probably a genetic nightmare.

My maternal grandfather, as with 3 of his brothers and sisters, all died before age 40 of heart disease. 1 survived to old age. My mothers generation was luckier. Thanks to better treatments and knowledge only half of her siblings and cousins died before 50. Mom has a healthy heart but suffers from parkinsons. Of my generation, so far I'm the only one with the severe heart disease as minor problems have been caught early and treated.

My paternal grandmother died from complications of diabetes. My father and his three siblings all have developed diabetes. Two of the siblings have so far been able to control their blood sugar and have avoided complications. My uncle died at age 60 after having lost both legs and his sight. My father has been blessed with heart disease, blindness, neuropathy and myasthenia gravis. I've been watching him die a little more each day for 15 years.

It became very clear to me early on that my only chance for a normal life or life expectancy was to take charge of my health - my diet, exercise and seeking the best medical available to stay healthy. Was the diet perfect? No. I love coffee ice cream and and brownies (my own). But I bought a half gallon of coffee ice cream 2 months ago and still have 2 servings left. So 80 percent of the time the diet has been as previously stated - low sodium, low sugar, low fat. Until I became too ill moderate exercise was a part of my life - including yoga for stress reduction.

My numbers don't make sense to my doctors or me. My weight gains and losses don't make sense.I'm having surgery next Friday - praying for improvement and some semblance of a normal life. Trying to make sure that I plan for possible complications and after surgery medical care.

I've done everything humanly possible to advocate for myself and live a healthy life. My best motivation has been seeing members of my family struggle with ill health and loss. Someone doesn't believe my tale of inability to loose weight, or doubts my medical history - I don't care anymore. My doctors have seen it all. And hopefully I can finally have the life I've worked so hard to keep.