They cut my head open, your excuse is invalid!

dsgoingtodoit

So happy you got the care you needed - and thanks for the motivation.....
here's to your continued good health!

Deipneus

Ok, in all seriousness, I am a super nice person but I like to have some fun too so I hope the title doesn't offend anyone.

It is the best title ever. I understood what I was about to read before I clicked on it and it pulled me in. Great story. Great job. You look fantastic too.

wendybird5

You are awesome!! :flowerforyou:

nancycaregiver

Wow! You have done amazing! You have a very strong will! I am so proud of you. And I don't even know you!

And my daughter-in-law (well she will be my daughter-in-law in 2 weeks) also has Chiari Malformation.

37434958

You look amazing!

37434958

mdamrow

Thanks for sharing....I've been having a strange, nagging issue and have been toying with seeing my doctor to see what might be going on. Your story has inspired me to stop making excuses as I have no reason to "not" see the doctor, exercise, eat better. Thanks so much. Here's to hoping for good news when you have your follow up.

khrys1

Wow, amazing story, and amazing weight loss- you are awesome!

MercenaryNoetic26

The thread resurfaced and worth another read!

eta: spelling

Deipneus

The the thread resurfaced and worth another read!

Recycling is good!

Anita1271

Wow! You are truly an inspiration!! Cheers to you!! :drinker: :flowerforyou:

missmegan831

Such an inspiration!! Thanks for sharing

Sherarob

WOW! No more excuses for me!

annabellj

you so amazing! rock star! thanks for sharing. makes all my stuff seem tiny.

Seachicken84

Great headline! Great story! Great use of turd in a sentence! You're a winner in every sense.

MB_Positif

Thanks for sharing....I've been having a strange, nagging issue and have been toying with seeing my doctor to see what might be going on. Your story has inspired me to stop making excuses as I have no reason to "not" see the doctor, exercise, eat better. Thanks so much. Here's to hoping for good news when you have your follow up.

YES! Definitely go to the doctor! We have to take care of ourselves! I actually did already have my follow up 2 weeks ago. I was cleared for normal activity! The thread resurfaced b/c I posted the link in another thread!

MB_Positif

Great headline! Great story! Great use of turd in a sentence! You're a winner in every sense.

Haha, thanks! Turd Always makes me smile!

awake4777

Thanks, I needed that.

marooned

Wow!!!!

God bless you, inspiring stuff

SkinnyBubbaGaar

WTG. Great work and such a positive attitude. Thanks for sharing your story to help all of the rest of us out here fighting the fight.

smalldreams75

I AM SO GLAD YOU ARE DOING MUCH BETTER...KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK...

Mainebikerchick

This brought tears to my eyes as I was reading! I am in total awe of you, just so you know!

CoderGal

I want a new scar pic! :P

Sassybmom

I have acm as well (6mm not a ton of sx thankfully!)... Do you have EDS? I have a big question on lifting heavy is it even okay or does it put added pressure on the spine? I should probably ask the neurosurgeon or acm group but I'm curious what your neurosurgeon's response was. You are so so so inspiring!

zeusbella

Thank you for sharing your story... you are beautiful.

MeIShouldB

Ok, in all seriousness, I am a super nice person but I like to have some fun too so I hope the title doesn't offend anyone. Life happens to all of us and some of us let it get us down and others give it a swift kick in the you know what. So I am going to try to keep this long story as short as possible. I joined MFP in January of 2011 at 188 pounds and I am only 5'-2" tall, wearing a size 16. Please excuse any ridiculously sized pictures, I am not that good at this. This is what I looked like then:



Then I started eating proper portions, never depriving myself of anything really, just paid attention to quantity for the most part. I didn't eat terribly before, just way too much food. So in my first year I lost right around 50 pounds, wearing a size 10 by eating better, running, lifting weights (machines in the beginning using Jamie Eason's Live Fit Trainer, then free weights using Stronglifts 5x5), and doing some other things like kickboxing videos, about 3 or 4 days per week. This is what I looked like then:



I continued focusing more of my time on lifting throughout the spring and summer of 2012, and by the middle of the summer I had lost only 2 more pounds, but was wearing a size 6 and looked like this:



So, during the time between summer of 2011 and summer of 2012 I started having headaches every morning. I chalked it up to dehydration, stress, you name it, but nothing was wrong with me. Well, mid summer 2012, the headaches started getting worse and they would linger or happen more often, etc. I decided at that point to try and just maintain my weight as my health was more important that trying to lose the elusive last few pounds. In September of 2012 enough was enough and I decided to see my doctor for a physical and ask about these headaches. We did a bunch of blood work and pretty much came up with nothing. Two weeks after seeing the doctor I got a cold that knocked me down harder than a cold ever had in my life. Two weeks after that I was still so fatigued that I went back. She ordered more blood work. Still nothing. Then I was sent to a blood specialist for more blood work. Still nothing. The symptoms I had were as follows (if I can remember them all): Dizziness, Extreme Fatigue, Double Vision, Weakness in my limbs, Heavy feeling in my chest, Confusion, Numbness and Tingly in my body, The headaches and neck pain continued almost constantly, I became very clumsy and was falling a lot. I stopped driving. Finally in December of 2012 I had MRIs done of my brain and cervical spine. On January 8th 2013 I got my diagnosis, I had a rare brain condition called Chiari Malformation. Here's the link to the Mayo Clinic page on it: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/chiari-malformation/DS00839

I met with a Neurosurgeon on February 5th and he said I had to have brain surgery as soon as possible to relieve the pressure on my brain stem. Basically I had almost no spinal fluid flowing into my brain, causing all of the neurological problems. We scheduled surgery for February 18th. Here's a pic of my stitched up incision:



Here's a pic of my healing incision from a couple of days ago:



And last, here's a pic of me today after getting back from a Starbucks date with a girlfriend 18 days post op still wearing a size 6 and an occasional 4, at 132 pounds:



So, what I am saying here is, life will hit you with ALL kinds of stuff. If you are going to succeed with maintaining your weight you have to be smart about the choices you make during the weight loss process. Don't restrict in ways that you can't continue for the rest of your life. Don't think you have to exercise all day every day to maintain your weight. I haven't worked out since July and I've even lost a few pounds in the process! Ultimately just keep pushing through, don't let things get in the way...big or small. I go back to my surgeon on March 19th for my post op visit where is SHOULD clear me for driving and exercise again. I can hardly wait to get moving again. This surgery has given me my life back, most of the symptoms disappeared before I left the ICU. A few more have gone since I have gotten home. Pretty much all that is left is an itchy incision and a bit of a headache. If I can get through this, you can get through your tough stuff too!

I clicked on this topic b/c I too have had my head cut open LOL. Hydrocephalus. My friend's son has Hydrocephalus as well as the same thing you have. So with all that and your dedication to get fit....YOU ROCK!

kj5850

Thanks and congrats! I am sidelined with a herniated disc now and having a hard time mentally. I lost 62 pounds before the injury and am at 70 now. I am frustrated and your story will help me keep focused.

cupcakes_and_cardio

Amazing - you're such a strong individual! I love your positivity and you look wonderful! Keep up the great work, you are my inspiration

LexiAtel

Wow, great job! I like the second picture best, but you look healthy as is.

strawberrytoast

Thanks for sharing, glad you got sorted :flowerforyou: