chapter 30

Kim had good intentions to lose weight and get back to walking and doing things she loved like taking care of the kids and having sex with Joe. She tried to eat less but by mid afternoon she would demand food from the nanny and then she begged Joe to give her more food at night. Joe hated to see her like this. He couldn't tell her no when she wanted more food. He was starting to think she would never get out of bed and he was very stressed out about it. They had the nanny every day now since Kim couldn't care for Max, other than nursing. He had nursed the longest of any of the kids and wasn't showing signs of stopping. By May, Kim was really depressed. She was going to miss Aaron's kindergarten graduation ceremony. Cindy and Joe went without her and Derek. Kim didn't want to be like Derek but she didn't know how to stop gaining weight now.
In early June, Kim had a severe pain in her lower belly. She called Joe at work and he rushed home. Kim was sweating and looked pale. She was in so much pain. Joe couldn't get her out of the bed so he called the ambulance and told them his wife was over 700 pounds and needed to go to the ER. They brought a special team to get Kim. Luckily the handicapped doors were wide enough for them to get Kim out. She was in pain and she was embarrassed. Joe asked the nanny to stay until he came back and he went to the hospital. When she was admitted, Kim weighed almost 800 pounds! They diagnosed Kim with a burst appendix. They would have to operate. Joe was asked to sign the consent and he was told that her weight made anesthesia very dangerous. He signed it and told Kim he loved her. Joe felt guilt for giving in to Kim's demands for food all this time. He paced the floor for a while but then his back started to hurt so he sat and waited. He looked down and noticed that his round gut had stretched this shirt to the limit. He had been too stressed out and had been eating crap and indulging in beers after the kids and Kim were asleep at night. He had a huge weight on his shoulders and it contributed to his gut. He looked so much like his dad now. The only thing missing were moobs which somehow Joe handn't developed yet.
Kim made it through surgery fine. They wanted to keep her for a few days because she was high risk for complications. Joe went back and forth between the hospital and home. One day Kim told the nurse that she wanted to lose weight but didn't know how. The nurse made a call to the bariatric specialist at the hospital. When the kind doctor came to examine Kim, he told her honestly that if she wanted to be around for her family, she needed to lose the weight. He told her if she could diet and lose the first 100 pounds, he would risk surgery and give her a gastric bypass. She would also need counseling and eventually physical therapy to walk again. Kim agreed and thanked him. When she told Joe the news, he was happy that he might get his wife back.
It took Kim a year to lose that 100 pounds. She was very strict with her low calorie diet and had started exercising her arms in bed. Kim had gastric bypass surgery at 698 pounds. She started working with the physical therapist but her knee was so bad that she wasn't making much progress. She begged the doctor to do the replacement soon so she could start walking again. When Kim had lost another 100 pounds, the doctor agreed to do the knee replacement. After that surgery, physical therapy went to 3 visits per week. She was putting so much effor in to this. Joe was very proud of her. He on the other hand was having a lot of back problems and was having trouble keeping up with everything.
By the time the twins went to Kindertgarten, Kim was down to 350 pounds and walking. Joe had gained a little more due to his limitations from his back. Kim told Joe she wanted to stay this weight and he was very happy. Their sex life was back and Kim could play with their kids. She asked Joe if he thought about having another baby. He said he had thought about it and if Kim felt up to it, he would be in support. Kim stopped taking her birth control the next day. Since Max was the only kid at home, they let the nanny go. Kim and Max had great days together and Kim cooked most days. She invited Cindy and the girls over every week for dinner. Derek was in bad shape. He was probably going to have to move to a nursing home soon. Cindy weighed around 400 pounds now but had no health issues.
Joe's doctor told him it was time to have back surgery. His disc had degenerated too much to wait. Kim had not gotten pregnant yet so she was able to take care of Joe. She drove him to the hospital and she and Max waited in the lounge. Joe's surgery was successful. He would just have to take it easy for two to three weeks. This wasn't easy with 5 kids so Kim tried to wait on him hand and foot. He stayed in the recliner all day and Kim, Aaron and Tia brought him snacks and drinks.
When Joe went back to work, his shirts wouldn't button. He was frustrated because he had bought these not that long ago. Kim kissed him and told him he looked hot. She handed him a golf shirt and told him to make today a casual day. Joe put the golf shirt on and he was shocked. It looked like he had moobs forming. His belly was still a round ball that perched on top of his waistline but he hadn't noticed the moobs before. Kim told him she loved his body and kissed him goodbye. She had obviously kept him well fed while he recovered.
That fall, Max started kindergarten and Kim's period was late. She took a pregnancy test and it was positive. She couldn't wait to tell Joe. She greeted Joe at the door with a kiss and a smile. She told him about the pregnancy test. He was so happy. Kim handed him a beer and poured herself some water. They toasted to their growing family. When Kim went to the doctor, she found out that she was due in early June. She wondered if this baby would share a birthday with Aaron. Kim weighed 322 pounds at her first visit. A few months later, Kim and Joe went for the ultrasound. They were excited to know the sex of the baby. When the tech started, she immediately had a strange look on her face. She asked if they had done fertility treatments. Kim thought that was an odd question and responded that they had not. The tech picked up the phone and paged Kim's doctor. Kim and Joe were scared now. When the doctor got there, she told them that they were pregnant with triplets! Kim and Joe were in shock. They tried for one last baby and there would be three more? The doctor was worried because one of the three was much smaller than the other two. Also,Kim's gastric bypass might have caused scar tissue that would make a triplet pregnancy very hard. For now, they had 3 healthy babies. Two girls and one boy. The boy was the smallest. Kim and Joe immediately called their families from the car. Joe's parents had officially retired and offered to come and help. By Christmas time, Kim was huge thanks to the 3 babies. She was still moving well so she hoped not to gain too much weight this time. Joe's parents were set to come in March but they were to call if they needed them sooner. When Joe asked Kim what she wanted for Christmas she said she wanted to have stuffed belly, pregnant sex. Joe smiled. They hadn't done that since her surgery because she could get really sick from a stuffing. Joe figured they could try it and stop any time. That night, he mixed up some shake and wheeled it in. His beautiful pregnant wife was ready. She didn't drink all of it like she used to but she was horny from drinking so much and they had fantastic sex.