Ruthanne
10 Year Reflections ~
Oct 22, 2014
So ....
I've been away from Obesity Help for lots of years. Been too busy living life and dealing with life's handouts. I've survived devastating losses of family members and friends, and survived without turning to food. The RNY surgery is very faded memory and is no longer a tool in my tool chest. The only way the surgery affects me now is in the bad after affects, including constant care to avoid malnutrition, and stressful creative medication treatments when needed, that won't cause GI bleeds.
And that's why I'm here, reporting back. I have no regrets about having the surgery. Dr. Krook gave me my life back and I took it and ran. Figuratively, of course. These 55 year old knees carried me as a SMO person for too many years to handle running now, but in my heart and mind I run. All the time, everywhere. I hike, I paddle, I ride, I bike, I move, I move, I move. I do anything to make sure that the person I lost, stays lost. But as much as I move, as careful as I am, I can never leave the surgery completely behind because of the permanent changes to my digestive system. It's a bummer, but beats the alternative.
I'm not perfect. I have slipped and regained weight a couple of times. But not more than 25 - 35 pounds. I've kept off over 150#s. I let life take over this summer and did gain nearly 30 pounds, but have already taken off almost 10 pounds by eliminating sugar, starch and most carbs. The weight comes off more slowly as I age, but it didn't pack on very quickly, either. My point is, being healthy now is a daily decision that I make, the surgery does nothing.
I hope that all of the newbies considering this journey, and those who have taken the journey more recently, work very hard to use the tool while it is effective, not only to lose the weight, but also to make the lifestyle changes that they will need for the rest of their lives. The surgery will not always be a tool. It becomes a chronic condition that needs to be dealt with in order to survive.