Dennis W.
One Year Anniversary!!
Oct 08, 2007
Well, it's been about a year since I had my surgery (RNY - 9/25/06). It's been a while since I've checked in here so I thought I'd take some time since this forum was so helpful to me when I was getting ready.
The thing that made me really start thinking that I needed to do something that would help me conquer my weight problem is when I saw this picture that was taken of me at my daughter's baptism--
What's normally such a happy occassion where you take pictures that become keepsakes became a sad reminder of how much I had let myself go. My daughter was happy with me, I just knew I wasn't and I knew I had to change.
A few months after that I saw someone that I had known since I was a child. He had always been heavy, but suddenly he looked like he was loosing weight. I asked him about it and he told me that he had Gastric Bypass surgery. My wife and I were both interested and so we looked into it and decided that was what we needed. We were tired of trying to do it the traditional way and be unsure whether or not we'd be successful. We decided that our kids were old enough that they needed us to be an active part of their lives. My younger daughter even told people that I was having the surgery so I could go skating with her!
Here is my picture that I took before surgery. I weighed 438 lbs!
The year since then has been a very active and fun one. It's been fun to watch the scale go down and to feel like I could get out and be active more. I've gone to the gym and even have been running a little-- although I prefer running on the treadmill to running outdoors.
I played church softball for the first time in my life and had fun doing it. I've been skating with my daughter quite a bit. I've gone on hikes and have ridden my bike a lot.
Probably the most monumental accomplishment in the year since my surgery is that I climbed Mt. Adams. The second tallest peak in Washington State on 9/1/07. Here is a picture of me at the trailhead--
The summit of Mt Adams is a little over 12,000 feet. I only made it to what is called the "false summit" which is a little over 11,000 feet. I couldn't go any farther because my boots weren't properly broken in and I had really bad blisters. Here I am on my highest point--
This is definitely something that I had never even imagined that I would do before I had the surgery, and yet when I was climbing the mountain, i had this overwhelming sense that something had fundamentally changed in my attitude of life. I used to be wishy-washy about wanting to do things, but always finding excuses not to and then just forgetting about it and going on with my life. But now I have a different outlook that i'm not going to let opportunities pass me by. If there's something I feel like doing, or I say I will do, I now feel like I have the ability to get out and make it happen.
I can trace this attitude transformation to the fact that a year ago I went from lightly considering having gastric bypass surgery, to actually having it! What a transformation!
Now I plan on doing a similar major event every year on the anniversary of my surgery. It'll be a way for me to always have a goal... something to train for. Next year it will be to get all the way to the top of Mt Adams. Then who knows? Maybe Mt Ranier!
For now, I'm just happy to know that I'm going to be there for my two daughters. Not just "there" but involved and active with them and not be the one holding them back from doing things just because I don't have the energy to get them there.
For anyone considering whether or not to have the surgery, let me just tell you, you won't regret it. Sure it'll be hard and sure people might think you've cheated... but who cares? You'll have launched yourself into a new phase of a happier and healthier life!
Oh, and I almost forgot! I know weigh 252 lbs. I've lost about 186 lbs. I'm 6' 3" tall.
The thing that made me really start thinking that I needed to do something that would help me conquer my weight problem is when I saw this picture that was taken of me at my daughter's baptism--
What's normally such a happy occassion where you take pictures that become keepsakes became a sad reminder of how much I had let myself go. My daughter was happy with me, I just knew I wasn't and I knew I had to change.
A few months after that I saw someone that I had known since I was a child. He had always been heavy, but suddenly he looked like he was loosing weight. I asked him about it and he told me that he had Gastric Bypass surgery. My wife and I were both interested and so we looked into it and decided that was what we needed. We were tired of trying to do it the traditional way and be unsure whether or not we'd be successful. We decided that our kids were old enough that they needed us to be an active part of their lives. My younger daughter even told people that I was having the surgery so I could go skating with her!
Here is my picture that I took before surgery. I weighed 438 lbs!
The year since then has been a very active and fun one. It's been fun to watch the scale go down and to feel like I could get out and be active more. I've gone to the gym and even have been running a little-- although I prefer running on the treadmill to running outdoors.
I played church softball for the first time in my life and had fun doing it. I've been skating with my daughter quite a bit. I've gone on hikes and have ridden my bike a lot.
Probably the most monumental accomplishment in the year since my surgery is that I climbed Mt. Adams. The second tallest peak in Washington State on 9/1/07. Here is a picture of me at the trailhead--
The summit of Mt Adams is a little over 12,000 feet. I only made it to what is called the "false summit" which is a little over 11,000 feet. I couldn't go any farther because my boots weren't properly broken in and I had really bad blisters. Here I am on my highest point--
This is definitely something that I had never even imagined that I would do before I had the surgery, and yet when I was climbing the mountain, i had this overwhelming sense that something had fundamentally changed in my attitude of life. I used to be wishy-washy about wanting to do things, but always finding excuses not to and then just forgetting about it and going on with my life. But now I have a different outlook that i'm not going to let opportunities pass me by. If there's something I feel like doing, or I say I will do, I now feel like I have the ability to get out and make it happen.
I can trace this attitude transformation to the fact that a year ago I went from lightly considering having gastric bypass surgery, to actually having it! What a transformation!
Now I plan on doing a similar major event every year on the anniversary of my surgery. It'll be a way for me to always have a goal... something to train for. Next year it will be to get all the way to the top of Mt Adams. Then who knows? Maybe Mt Ranier!
For now, I'm just happy to know that I'm going to be there for my two daughters. Not just "there" but involved and active with them and not be the one holding them back from doing things just because I don't have the energy to get them there.
For anyone considering whether or not to have the surgery, let me just tell you, you won't regret it. Sure it'll be hard and sure people might think you've cheated... but who cares? You'll have launched yourself into a new phase of a happier and healthier life!
Oh, and I almost forgot! I know weigh 252 lbs. I've lost about 186 lbs. I'm 6' 3" tall.
3 Weeks post op. Am I eating too much?
Oct 16, 2006
Ok, not that I'm worried that I'm eating too much, because I'm definitely having a hard time getting all of my protein in, but I guess what I mean to ask is if I'm eating the right stuff.
I'm 3 weeks out of surgery and feeling almost normal. I can't chug water. I'm having about 1 or 2 protein shakes per day. But I can also eat chicken salad and chili. I've had oatmeal and got absolutely stuffed on it, but ate the whole thing. I'm eating a bowl of chili from Wendy's right now and it's taking me about 20 minutes to get it in, but i'm wondering why i'm not getting stuffed on it? is it that my stomach is emptying out as I eat more? Is this bad to do?
I usually chew everything up really fine when I eat. I really haven't dumped on anything yet, but I'm not eating sweets or anything that I would normally dump on. and I am still loosing weight.
I guess I just thought that i'd be getting full on tiny things and I wouldn't be able to eat as many solids at this point as I'm eating.
Thoughts?
Pants!
Oct 09, 2006
After loosing 65 lbs, my wife has been telling me that my pant look ridiculous, so we went to JCPenney and bought two pairs and one shirt. The shirt is a 3xlt, where I used to wear a 4 or 5. The pants are Levis 50w 32l. The pants I had were 56 waist. Don't get me wrong though, the pants are a little snug, but it's nice to have them to push in my dunlap (that's what I call my sagging belly below my belt) and it's nice to know that i'll shrink into these better instead of growning out of them!
Is this normal?
Oct 06, 2006
Ok, so i'm about a week and a half out from surgery (Lap RNY - 9/25/06) and I'm back at work. the only problem is that I'm finding that my back is hurting quite a bit when I sit upright for too long. I've heard discussed on this forum that once you loose a lot of weight (I've lost about 62 pounds pre/post op) that your bones will begin to adjust and can be uncomfortable. I'm also feeling a bit of occassional pain on my sternum (that's your breastbone in the middle of your chest, right?) which I think might be making me arch my back more which may add to my back pain.
I'm also a bit emotional and kind of wiped out often. I've heard that's normal too, but it's kinda funky when you experience it for yourself. I'm getting worn out with work. My day job isn't bad, but I've also been doing freelance work for a while and i have a demanding client that keeps having me do stuff after hours. I think I just need a nap.
Also, my brain is kind of foggy. I do realize, though, that I did just have major surgery and I'm not even two weeks out of it, so I know it'll take time.
thanks.
Finally, a loser
Sep 30, 2006
Well, I had my surgery last Monday (Lap RNY) and everything went well. I was released the next day and have been taking it easy at home. I've been having pain, but mostly I'd describe it as the pain you feel when you eat so much it hurts, but only all the time. the medication helps but it makes me a bit loopy.
The shakes are going down slowly, and i'm getting all my water in. it's nice not to be hungry at all. I have wanted some other tastes though and last night I tried three cheesit crackers and chewed them until they were liquid and swallowed and didn't have any problems. I was pretty nervouse about doing that though and will take it easy on stuff like that.
Before surgery i had lost 46 pounds on the optifast diet, and since surgery i've lost an additional 5 pounds making my total weight lost, 51 pounds! I'm pretty excited about that, but it's strange that a big number like 51 pounds is still just a fraction of the 391 pounds I have yet to loose.
I do feel much better and people are starting to say that they can see it on me. I'm wearing some clothes I haven't worn for a couple of years.
Here's to my new future!
Dennis
