Gastric Bypass - 2 Years Later

Dec 18, 2009

Two years, just over a hundred pounds lost and I've managed to keep it off successfully thus far. Why? I DO give myself the credit for making the life changes I needed to make in order to be successful - surgery is only a tool to get you where you have decided to be and not the solution to lifetme of poor nutritional choices and overeating. (I'm sad to say I know many people that have the surgery and either creep or leap right back up to their post-surgical weight. They rely on the surgery to excise their demons, which very rarely happens beyond the first few months.)

So....was it worth it?

I was just shy of my one year anniversary when I woke up one evening in tremendous pain. It felt like someone was repeatedly hitting me in the stomach, and my teeth wouldn't stop shattering. The most frightening part about it was that I kept trying to convince myself it would pass, and initially refused to get out of bed. After all, I'd had a lovely day - had no previous symptoms or problems - and didn't want to be seen as a hypochondriac any longer.

Eventually I realized the pain wasn't going away on it's own and woke Damian up to take me to the hospital.

I take back what I said earlier - the most frightening part of this incident was Damian's driving - we reached the hospital in approximately 3 minutes. Though it ws 3:00 in the morning and not many people were on the road, I doubt Michael Schumacher or Mario Andretti could have arrived any sooner.

I've already blogged this whole story, so I'll sum it up by saying that the bowel obstruction nearly killed me and I was taken immediately into surgery where everything went beautifully and smoothly. I was back at work a few weeks later with no further medical repercussions, but the psychological damage was done. Anyone who has been in that situation understands that it completely changes your focus - eliminates the rose colored glasses of denial you were wearing and forces you to look hard at where you are in life and where you need to be. It highlights the fragility of life and the relatively short time we have on this earth.

Since the surgery, I continue to have trouble getting the proper amount of calcium and have to be closely monitored. I take about 9-10 vitamins a day as advised by my doctor and have my levels checked and vitamins altered about every six months. I still don't tolerate carbs very well - so my diet consists of no pasta, rice, or bread (which I believe is the key to my success as a former carb-o-holic) I will still throw up if I eat too quickly, or too much - but I've learned to be more cognizant of what I eat and this rarely happens.

So...again.....was it worth it? Absolutely.

I shop for clothes in a regular store now. Sure, I have saggy skin and stretch marks that will never go away. But so what? I can climb several sets of stairs without huffing and puffing and feeling as though my heart will give out. I go hiking. I go running. I have no limitations. I don't get stared at and judged by people as I did when I was morbidly obese. I went skydiving! I've been able to experience what life is like for "normal" people - something I never understood before. I was so busy rationalizing why people should accept me in my fatness that I never realized how much I was missing.

Don't get me wrong - some people enjoy a life of obesity and I am in no way judging their choices. But for me, this was a brilliant move and has been a major major blessing for me. I don't take my life for granted any longer. I'm so much more grateful for my friends and my family and the wonderful opportunities that life has given me. And I work very hard not to waste the time I have left - because I DO understand that each day could be my last.

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