My Story

(Success story video done by CCHMC here.)

I got diagnosed with Insulin Resistance when I was 7 years old. I had shown symptoms since I was 2-3 years old. My doctor assumes I was born with it; because it is possible, but scientists haven't identified a gene yet to test for it or the likely hood of getting it.

I've taken my blood sugar multiple times a day since i was 7 years old. I've been on Metformin since i was 8-9 years old. On strict diet and exercise even prior to being diagnosed.

I have a strong family history of diabetes, heart disease, etc...

I can't remember a time I ever lost more than 10 pounds without gaining it back.. I saw every specialist in the area about it and although I didn't really understand or enjoy what i was being put through, i was usually forced.. and the exercise got done. food was restricted. medications taken. blood sugar taken. etc...

Nothing ever changed... It all plummeted when I got depressed in 7th grade.. A lot was going on, family wise. I had moved a few times, although i was back at the same school i grew up in.. I wasn't accepted. I was bullied to a point I couldn't take it anymore, and left school. And a few months later I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder.

That got better over the years, but by the time i was 15, family issues still very present, i hadn't been to many of my doctors as much as i was supposed to, or exercised as much as i was supposed to, and i was 285lbs, type 2 diabetic, had hypothyroidism, obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, blood sugar was all over the place, and i was just generally very unhealthy. I've always eaten as healthy as possible.. but the depression and lack of medications really messed me up...

I couldn't walk a block without getting out of breath. hell. i would have panic attacks in the shower because my blood pressure would get up and I'd get overheated and feel claustrophobic and freak out..

I don't exactly remember how i found out about it.. I think i saw something on the news, then again online an add for bariatric surgery.. so i decided to look if it was possible for minors to get it.. and sure enough, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, about an hour from my home, had a weight loss surgery program for teenagers... i got a referral immediately.. got back on all my medications, lost 30 pounds immediately with the medications... then it stopped. and then 4 months after my initial consultation at the hospital, i had a VSG (vertical sleeve gastrectomy).. a few days before the surgery at a pre-op appointment, Dr. Inge (My surgeon) asked if I was sure.. because I had finally started losing weight on my own with the medicine changes.. and I said yes. He asked why, and my answer was because it was more permanent. I wanted a permanent tool to help me lose weight, because I know even if I managed to lose all excess weight and was declared healthy, etc.. There would always be that change that it could all come back. It's in my genes. & if I slipped up, it would be there to help me.

As of 8/31/2012 I'm 17 years old. A little over a year out from surgery. I'm down to 195 pounds. It hasn't been easy. I haven't lost weight as quickly as I'd like to. I'm still on most my medications. Higher doses of some. I have issues getting enough calories in, and sometimes I do get frustrated and wonder if I made the right decision. I have trouble explaining it to people who don't understand.. But even regardless.. I've met so many people, friends and doctors, that have helped me along this journey.. I've learned so much, and overall I don't regret it. I'm glad I did what I did. I still have a long way to go, and this is going to be a life-long thing. It's not going to go away. I've been learning to adapt and honestly? I don't think at any point in my life I've ever been happier. I'm generally healthier now than I can almost ever remember... I'm making new friends.. Going out more.. Don't get me wrong, I'm still extremely socially awkward. I'm a very introverted person. But I've found myself laughing with groups of people and smiling a lot more, when I do go out.. and it's not forced. I find myself having people take pictures of me and my friends, instead of me just taking pictures of them so I don't have to be in them... This wasn't just the surgery though.. It was the  whole lifestyle change... Everyone always took my health so seriously... I was always told what to do and I (sometimes not so willingly) did it all. It was different when I got to make this decision.. I knew what I had to do.. I did it. and it was a huge wake up call for me.

This would have been a lifelong battle with or without the surgery.. but I'm extremely grateful that I have this tool to help me stay on track.

I decided to blog along the way because when i was researching teen wls, or even just different diet/exercise ideas to deal with my IR/diabetes, i could never find anything from a kids point of view.. which is exactly what i wanted. so i thought I'd share my journey for people going through surgery, and those who aren't. I've been in both positions..

Its something I was most likely born with. genetics. I didn't bring it upon myself. I didn't eat myself to death. I wasn't lazy. One year, I played soccer for two seasons, did dance, basketball, volleyball, track, swimming, golf, playing outside, AND one hour of aerobics 6 days a week.. along with a really strict diet.. this was in fourth grade.. and i still didn't lose weight. if that doesn't show how messed up it is...

I was told if I didn't lose the weight and get to a normal healthy weight I'd probably be dieing by the time i was 40 of obesity complications... (heart disease, renal failure, etc...)

That scared me straight.. and I took it into my own hands to have surgery... and no one seems to understand why.. It was my last resort. I had tried everything... At one point I was even diagnosed with an eating disorder.. because I was pretty much starving myself, trying to lose weight.. which just messed me up more. It was crazy.. But guess what? The weight loss is slow... but my sleeve (Which I conveniently named 'Chewbacca'.) is helping. & I couldn't ask for more.

All the people who made fun of me for it, or my weight growing up, never understood... And it killed me. I know kids who's parents have taught them bad habits.. who don't know better. who do overeat, and who are lazy. and that's not me. but i was still penalized for being overweight, because that's the stigma that goes along with obesity. And the kids who don't know any better, or who are really depressed and don't care, aren't at fault either. Most of those kids are alone. They don't know who to turn to. They haven't been taught differently. and Food can be an addiction. Just like alcohol, drugs, self harm, or any other highly addictive thing you can think of.. And it needs treated. People need help. But it's hard for teenagers to access that information.. How to treat it. who to talk to. what to do about it. how to lose the weight in a healthy way. Especially if they have parents who aren't any better off than they are. People spend so much time online these days.. So that is also part of the reason I started a blog.. To try and get information out there for people (specifically children/adolescents) who wouldn't otherwise be able to get it for themselves.


People need to know it's called a silent killer for a reason. (It being Insulin Resistance.) People don't know about it. It could be affecting you, or someone you love, child or adult, and you don't know it. don't just assume a kid is overweight because the parent gives them 3 sandwiches for lunch and a candy bar with every meal. No. it's not always that simple.

Educate yourself. Google metabolic syndrome. Insulin resistance. (don't google childhood obesity.. most of all that will come up are campaigns organized by very ignorant people that assume the only possible reason for a child to be obese is the parent/kid not being educated or school lunches.) "Insulin Resistance in Children" or something along those lines... you'll learn a lot. read my blog. See what I'm talking about. learn the warning signs and if you suspect you have it, or your child could have it, get yourself/them tested! It could save you/them a lot in the long run...


So yeah. that's my story. I'm Ashley. I'm 19. 3.5 years out from a VSG.  as of 02-19-2015. Not type 2 diabetic anymore, but everything else still applies as of now.. I'll probably always be insulin resistant.

A lot of people criticize my parents for allowing me to have wls.. a lot of people criticize me for being overweight in the first place... but things aren't always what they seem. Nothing is ever that simple, now is it?