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Before You Fat-Shame Me, Here's What You Should Know About My Health

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I met my old teacher from high school the other day. The first thing she said was how I gained a lot of weight since high school, how I look bloated and unhealthy.

The fact is, I’m doing better than ever.

I’ve been fighting with Crohn’s disease since I was 9 and it was not easy at all. I suffered from malnutrition and anemia, I was constantly being fed by tubes because I threw up everything I ate, even water. I was tired, sad and starting to give up. But my friends did not see it that way. They were always telling me how they wish they were as slim as me and how jealous of my weight they were.

After fighting with Crohn’s for eight years, the doctors decided to remove part of my colon. It was a huge, complicated operation, followed by two weeks in the ICU and then slowly getting back to my life, but everything went fine and that operation saved my life. After all those years, I felt no pain at all. I could eat and drink everything I wanted to. Imagine not being able to eat a single meal without horrible pain, tears and throwing it up for eight years. I could finally live my life without any complications.

It has been four years after this life changing procedure and I gained some weight. Even thought I’m not overweight, people around me are noticing the change on my body and are asking me daily what is happening, while telling me to start exercising. There are people that are straight up yelling at me that I’m a “fat ass” and how I should do something with my life. There are people that are telling me that I would be so much prettier if I “lost some weight.” What they don’t know is, I do exercise every day, it’s just hundred times harder for me to lose weight because I suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome too.

I’m tired of telling everyone that I feel good. I’m tired of people that are constantly destroying my confidence.

I’m not on the edge of life anymore and that is the only thing that matters.

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Originally published: August 1, 2017
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