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Surgeon TestimonialMichael A. Todd, M.D., F.A.C.S.Dr. Todd is a straight shooter who tells it like it is. He doesn't sugar coat anything, and is very open talking about both the pros and cons of the surgery. Dr. Todd has a way of describing a complicated surgery like the RnY in layman's terms without belittling his patients or making you feel stupid. Although I have not personally asked him, he appears to be a man of faith by his mannerism and the way he carries himself. My first impression of him was that he is confident, but not arrogant concerning his profession. His only shortcoming would be that he always seems to be in a hurry. He needs to slow down and take some time to stop and smell the roses IMHO. Latest Surgery Support Comments
 Comment by Gina L. on 12/3/07 2:01 pm
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Lots of prayers
headed your way for
a safe surgery and
speedy recovery.
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My friend, my
rock....you are
always in my
thoughts and
prayers, even more
so today. Lots of
love...your friend
JennWA
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Here we go... Countdown to a new and healthier me!
Still Alive... on December 10, 2007 10:38 am
Well, I survived the hernia operation but with a few complications. First off they found a 2nd one while they had me open that they didn't even know was there. They were able to repair that one as well. I opted for a spinal block vs. general Anesthesia as it is supposed to be less invasive. Big mistake... My badder didn't wake up with the rest of my body and I had to have a catheter put in (ouch!) and remain over night. God I hate hospitals.
After a week of rest and narcotic pain meds I am back at work today. I still have to be checked for infection. The surgical site is swollen and bruised but doesn't look infected. But I'm not taking any chances. I'm trying to get in to see the doc today. They really need to get some kind of communication between the care providers and the people who make the appointments. My surgeon said "Just come in and see me next Monday so we can check you for infection." The people who answer the phone are like "What? A same day appointment? Are you nuts? He can see you Friday." I insisted that I had to be seen today. They're going to call me back later. I hope...
Anyway this is my first day off the pain meds and all I've had is Tylenol. I'm hurting, but not to the point where I can't stand it.
Thanks to all my OH friends who signed my surgery support page. And a special thank you to Jenn for rallying the troops to support my cause.
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Under the kinfe again... on November 29, 2007 11:44 am
I was scheduled for my hernia operation on Monday immediately after meeting with the surgeon. I'll be going under the knife again on Dec 3rd. I really like this doc; he took the time to explain everything to me, including that I am at a higher risk for infection due to the extra skin around my abdomen. He also told me he may have to sever a nerve if he thinks it will give me problems later, but I shouldn't experience any loss of sensation "down there." Dear God I hope not...
We also discussed me having a panniculectomy. He said I was an excellent candidate for the surgery and that he'd be willing to perform the procedure with a few conditions; I must be at goal weight (my goal not surgeon's goal) and I have to have stabilized my weight for at least six months. This guy is not a PS, but is a board certified general surgeon. He has performed the procedure 20 times and claims all of his patients have been happy with the results. I'm going to do a little detective work and see if I can't smoke out one of his patients. Not that I don't trust the guy, but I'd like to hear the word straight from the horses mouth, if you know what I mean. So I'm at least a year away from having a panni, but the good news is that it won't cost me a cent if this guys does it.
I very much ill at ease with being cut on again. I don't know why. I wasn't this nervous with my RnY and this is an outpatient procedure. I wish I didn't have to go through with the hernia repair, but I am in too much pain to keep going without it. I also have had to give up weight lifting for the time being.
Please keep me in prayer...
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Appointment with surgeon on November 16, 2007 6:20 pm
I have an appointment on Monday the 26th for a pre-op consult at the hospital on Elmendorf AFB. Many of my friends have recommended that I look into having a tummy tuck done at the same time since they'll be stitching up muscle anyway. When I told the med tech that I had lost more than 160 lbs and have a lot of excess skin around my abdomen, she changed the Dr that I am going to see. She told me that this Dr is the only one in the hospital that performs "that kind of procedure." I assume he is a PS. We'll have to see what he says...
Charlie continues to get worse. He can barely stand up without falling over now. He has trouble going potty. I fear that I am only prolonging the inevitable. I am so torn up that I can't think straight. I took the day off work because I worked on Veteran's day and I'm having trouble concentrating anyway. Anytime I have a few moments to myself, I start to cry. I haven't slept but three hours in the last two nights. I'm asking for prayers for God to guide me in the tough decisions that lie ahead.
But I want to end this post on a happy note. I made an appointment today to have an arm band tattoo done. It is set for Saturday Dec 1st, but I am on the artist's list of people to call if there is a cancellation. I was going to wait until I was at goal to do this, but I figure I have earned the right to treat myself to something just for me. I am getting a Celtic knot design for the arm band with my Scottish family crest in the middle. The artist said it is going to be really cool! I'll post pics after I have it done.
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It's official on November 14, 2007 5:58 pm
I have a hernia on my right side. I need surgery. Great... I really don't want to go under the knife again.
Charlie continues to get stronger and gain weight, but he has trouble standing up and walking. I really don't know what kind of quality of life he will have.
This is not how I wanted to kick off the holiday season...
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People Suck... on November 12, 2007 8:47 pm
So me and the wife decide to go to my surgeon's gala. It was a cowboy black tie ball. I'm glad I went; I got two free beer mugs, had some good food and got to see my before and after video the doc had shot of me. I also got to dance with my beautiful wife. But other than the Dr's staff, only two people bothered to come by and say hello. A guy I used to sit next to at SGM's walked by me twice and didn't say boo-peep. Other folks I had known from the doc's message board were completely aloof. Screw 'em. I have enough problems of my own to have to worry about anyone else's.
I had an ultra sound scan last week. The technician was pretty sure he detected a hernia. I'm calling my PCP tomorrow to ask if the results are back yet. This could mean going under the knife again. I'm not looking forward to that...
I went back to the gym tonight after not going for a month due to work and other commitments. Boy did I feel it! I am a complete wimp. I could only finish three sets where I usually do four or five. I also had to back off on the weight on a few of the exercises. I hope I have not totally lost what I worked so hard to achieve in the last year. I'm going to try really hard to go every day this week.
If there is any good news it would be that Charlie is reacting well to his medication. He's a lot stronger and is eating and drinking on his own. But he still has a hard lean to the left and has difficulty moving around. Only time will tell...
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My Story
I was always pretty thin as a kid; not skinny by any means, but not heavy either. I enlisted in the U.S, Coast Guard at age 17. I was trained as a C-130 navigator and a helicopter flight mechanic. Life was good; I was a life-saver and a heart breaker. I got married when I was 19. Teenage marriages rarely work out, and mine was no exception. I started gaining weight when I was about 21-22. I really don't know why; there wasn't much of a lifestyle change other than I wasn't chasing women around anymore. BTW I was chasing them because they were running! Anyway, it started to affect my Coast Guard career. I was having difficulty meeting my height and weight limitations. My uniforms became too tight and I had to buy new ones. In 1991, right before Operation Desert Storm, I went on Nutri System to see if I could lose some weight. It worked. I got back down under 200 lbs (well under my maximum allowed weight) and was running 2-3 miles five times a week. Then my divorce happened. I got thin and in the best shape of my life and my wife decided to start cheating on me. We had been married for more than nine years and had two beautiful kids. The stress of going through the divorce made me not want to eat. I lost another 20 pounds and got down to 180. I had to quit Nutri System as I could no longer afford it. Every spare penny went to my attorney. I had to take a part time job selling vacuum cleaners door to door just to make ends meet. Not my finest hour. Anyway, I got custody of my children and was transferred to Puerto Rico. It was a great assignment, but being a single dad in the military I never got out much, including to the gym. The weight started to creep back on. After getting put on the “Fat Boy Program”, now for the third time in my career, I tried getting back into the exercise regime. I worked out every day; hard. I ran at night when the kids were asleep. The pounds came off and I got stationed in Cape May, NJ. I met my current bride and love of my life in an online chat room in 1994. She was in California and I was in New Jersey. When the kids went to visit their mother for the summer, I flew out to CA to finally meet my online love in person. We hit it off so well, that she flew back to NJ with me and applied for several jobs at local newspapers. She is a journalist, and a damn good one too if I do say so myself. We were married in October of 1995. A year later we had a beautiful son. Then the weight started coming back again. I got in trouble this time, and was placed on report for missing one of my mandatory monthly weigh-ins. The Coast Guard sent me to a Navy Hospital in Norfolk to a program designed for compulsive overeaters. It was in the same place they sent alcoholics for treatment. It was great; a Navy corpsman came out during in processing and said “All the drunks line up over there, all you fatsos line up over here.” Despite the rough indoctrination, the course was pretty good. They focused on keeping food and exercise logs. The weight started to come off again. They also made us go to “Overeaters Anonymous” meetings. That was supposed to be my support network. When I returned home, the local chapter of OA consisted entirely of women. They never made me feel welcome in their group, so I stopped going to meetings. Without a support network, my plan failed, and I started gaining weight again. Now I was winding down my career, and got stationed in the beautiful state I now call home; Alaska. I got put on the Fat Boy Program one last time, but now it was 1999 and I had 20 years of service complete, so I opted to retire from active duty. We stayed in Alaska and I got a great job working as a Network Administrator. My job required me to travel frequently, and I had to stay in hotels and eat in restaurants. The weight gain was now out of control. Without the Coast Guard constantly after me about my weight, I gained 80 lbs my first year after retirement. I really didn’t care. My wife and kids still loved me, I had a job that didn’t require a lot of physical activity, and I could still do all the things I liked to do; hunting, fishing, hiking, etc. As my weight continued to climb, and I got a little older, things started to change. I could only walk 300 yards or so before my back started killing me. I could no longer stand in the river all day fishing; my feet hurt and my knees were weak. I could no longer hump up the side of a mountain with my rifle much less pack out a deer or moose. I developed high blood pressure, type II diabetes, and was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. I had every risk factor for a heart attack or stroke there was. It was beginning to look like I wasn’t going to live past 60. I weighed nearly 400 lbs now. I began to look into weight loss surgery. I made the decision to have the surgery in May of 2006. I had an RnY Gastric Bypass performed on June 5, 2006. Since that time I have lost more than 92 lbs (25 pre-op and 67 post-op). My blood pressure has returned to normal without meds. The diabetes is under control with diet and exercise; I never had to start taking insulin. The sleep apnea has all but disappeared; I’m going to have myself tested again in the winter to see if I really need the CPAP machine any more. Life is good. I am fishing again. I can walk for miles pain free. I can carry my rifle on my back up the side of a hill without getting out of breath. I feel better than I have in years. Thank you God and thank you Dr. Todd! 
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