BebeZed
Hello everyone! I've been lurking here at OH for years, wishing and hoping that someday I'd have the opportunity to have WLS. I've always been big... I clearly remember being 8 years old and hoping to get down to 100 lbs, and the horrid diet that the doctor had me on that year (what kid brings a salad for lunch to school?? How embarrassing!).
I have struggled with my weight all of my life, although I did have a brief taste of victory years ago when I went from 225 down to 129. I didn't maintain it though -- two successive pregnancies took their toll, and then things just sort of snowballed from there. When I hit 40 it was like someone turned on the "fat" button... on top of the extra weight I was carrying then (about 50 lbs), I put on even more. My husband died, I put on weight. I lost my job in the dotcom crash, I put on more weight. I dieted, it refused to go. I exercised to no avail.
Then in November 2007 I was diagnosed as insulin resistant. I have a bunch of family members who are diabetic (and having problems) so the prospect of becoming diabetic truly scared me! I cleaned up my act eating-wise and eliminated most of the junk, the sweets, the bad stuff... started getting a bit more exercise and cutting back on the amount I eat. I'm quite proud that I've managed to bring my fasting glucose back into line... but doggone it, absolutely NO weight loss.
The blood sugar scare spurred me to action. I had lap band surgery with Dr. Roberto Rumbaut on May 29, 2008. I lost 40 pounds and then stopped losing despite my best efforts. I felt ill. I gained weight.
Fast forward seven years... it's now 2015 and I could no longer get fills as my fill provider had closed. Not that it mattered - previous attempts were either too loose or too tight. I never found the sweet spot. Dense proteins always made me throw up no matter what and the port area hurt when touched. Enough is enough... time to research revisions.
I started with the sleeve... it's great for weight loss but not so great for keeping it off long-term. RNY was not an option - my sister in law had it and was sick from then on and there were just too many cons to the surgery. Then I discovered the DS - duodenal switch. I did a LOT of research and realized that this was something I could truly live with the rest of my life.
Long story short, I had my DS surgery October 3, 2015 with Dr. Antonio Esquerra. The surgery and hospital stay was uneventful. I'm still recovering at this point but I'm feeling much better than I did before surgery (albeit a bit sore still when I sleep on my side) and I'm losing weight. I'm thankful for this second chance and I'm definitely going to take advantage of it! :)
Fast forward 6 years to 2021... I'm below my goal weight and have been at a normal BMI for over 4 years. I have traveled the world and have done things I thought I could never do because of my weight. I can walk into a clothing store and find cute stuff that fits... I can walk all day... o can get up if seated on the ground... I fit into an airplane seat.
Mind you, the surgery didn't take care of my emotional issues -- therapy helped a lot with that -- and it didn't solve all my problems. I have to be diligent about eating enough protein and taking my vitamins. But I do look and feel so much better and I'm truly healthy! And due to the DS, I can eat as much as I want without counting calories... nothing is off limits now that I'm in maintenance BUT I do limit sweets, junk food etc but I crave those things far less now too.
Anyway, the DS has been literally a life saver. I wish I'd done it instead of that nasty band.
If you feel like saying hello, please do!
