Can 500-Pound Woman Transform Her Life & Health?
Chrissy weighs over 500 pounds and she fears she will not live to see her 35th birthday. She has come to The Doctors to hopefully transform her life.
She says she has struggled with her weight since she was a child and by the time she was in the seventh grade weighed over 300 pounds. In an attempt to control her weight, she had lap band surgery, but it was unsuccessful. Two years ago, she developed pericardial effusion, which is the accumulation of fluid around the heart, and she underwent surgery. She says she was told that if it had gone on for another week, her heart could have stopped beating.
Watch: Obese Woman Wants to Live a Normal Life
Chrissy tells us her weight is causing her constant pain in her joints, back, shoulders, feet, and neck. "I want to be a different person," she says, explaining that many nights she lays in bed worrying that it will be the night she dies.
We send her to see bariatric surgeon Dr. Kai Nishi and internist and nutritionist Dr. Melina Jampolis to assess how her weight is affecting her health.
Watch: 500-Pound Woman’s Test Results Revealed
"[My weight] has taken everything [from me]. You look in the mirror and don't see yourself that way, but then you feel all of the things that hurt," Chrissy tells us that she often cannot do things with her friends due to her weight. She also says she sees how her loved ones are having to make compromises to accommodate her weight.
Watch: Can 500-Pound Woman Turn Her Life Around?
Dr. Jampolis tells Chrissy that she has elevated fasting blood sugar, elevated fasting insulin, and she is on track to being diabetic. She also says she has high levels of cholesterol and is a high risk for heart disease. Dr. Jampolis says she also found a vitamin D deficiency and elevated testosterone levels, which suggests that she could have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Despite the bad health news, Dr. Jampolis explains that PCOS can be managed with diet and lifestyle. "I truly think with right diet approach that we're going to get you on the right track permanently," she tells Chrissy. Adding, "You have done a lot of different things part of the way [about your weight], but you haven't done them all together, all the way. But I really, really do believe that you have enough things that we can help you with that you can do this if want it badly enough."
Additionally, Dr. Nishi explains that Chrissy is also dealing with fatty liver disease. He says that despite her obstacles he is hopeful that she can successfully lose weight on her own.
The Doctors also welcome Tony Johnson the head trainer from Premiere Fitness Camp, who offers Chrissy an all-inclusive 6-month stay at the facility at no cost to her. But will she accept the offer and take the first steps to hopefully transform her life? Find out in the video below.
