Scott P.
In January 2001 I weighed 440 pounds and was admitted to Stanford University hospital with chest pains. After three days of tests the head cardiologist had a very short review. I had started to show signs of heart problems and if I did not lose 100 pounds or more within a year, the next incident could be fatal.
Driving home to Santa Cruz CA, I heard a radio ad for medical weight loss at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, CA. I was moving there for work. I started the process. I attended the intoduciton session where 50 of the fattest people in the area attended. It was in many ways dehumanizing. We were weighed, our insurance cards were photo copied and we had to complete a form that took over an hour. Then the surgeon appeared with a couple people who had weight loss sugery and were now of average weight. It would be a dream for me to be of average weight. I started the process. What I didnt know was that the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass was a new proceedure at the hospital.
I started the process in March. The psych exams, medical exams and waiting for insurance approval. Oct 8, 2001 was my surgery date. This was all new to everyone. I was the first male to have the surgery at Sharp Memorial. No one really knew what to do. Things have changed. Today, it is so common, that the process is clearly defined and no one has to endure what I did.
There was no diet restrictions before the surgery other than to drink protien shakes and propel water for two weeks so my body could get use to it. The night before the surgery i dined at an English restaurant in San Diego and enjoyed scotch eggs and the greasy sausage. I have not had these since. I would be so sick if I did.
The surgery started as laparoscopic but had to be completed with the traditional opening. I was on the table for 7 hours. When I awoke in recovery the nurse told e to stand up. I was told before the surgery that this was going to happen. I needed to stand up to prevent clots. I could not feel my legs. I told her. She insisted. She was also new to this. She pushed me and I fell off of the table and landed on the floor. The cold floor is where I laid for three hours as they needed to call a third party company to bring a special lift to get me off the floor. The next eight days were in the hospital and then I had to go to a special rehab facility for two months as I gained my abiltity to walk again. This was not how it was suppose to go. But as I finish the story, I must point out, that I would do it all over again, in the exact same order. The surgery changed my life.
At the end of one year I lost 216 pounds. The most I lost was 227. I biked daily, i walked daily, I was alive. My body looked great in clothes. My clothes went from 5X to size large shirts. From 56 waist to 36 waist pants.
No more high blood pressure. No More type 2 diabetes (my sugar numbers were always over 250 for over a decade).
I maintained 224 pounds for three years. In 2005 I jumped to 238 and in 2006 I jumped to 254. I had four skin removal surgeries from December 2006 to September 2007. I weighed 244 in September 2007.
During this time I did not "break" my new stomach. Since 2001 I have not had a drink of alcohol, I have not had a soda or carbonated beverage, I have not consumed liquid until at least 45 minutes has passed after I eat, I do not chew gum, I do not drink out of a straw and I do not consume raw coconut. These were the rules to live by back in 2001. I am sure they have been updated, but these rules became my new habits.
From 2007 to August 2013 I gained 5-7 pounds per year. I exercised randomly, ate everything and in 2010 my blood pressure was back up as was my blood sugar numbers. I weighed 294 pounds. I was now on metformin for my blood sugar.
I decided this was only heading one direction, and it was not the direction I wanted. I contacted a diabetic nurse for a hour session and in August 2013 started following the 2000 calorie ADA diet. My blood sugar numbers averaged 185 with the metformin. I started walking daily. On Sept 9th I saw a sugeon for my herniated stomach. To do the surgery I need to lose another 20 pounds. I was so affraid that I could not do this. I met with a non-sugerical weightloss doctor at the U of Minnesota hospital. She said weightloss was simple math. Eat 1200-1400 calories a day and walk twice a day. Sounded simple. I had my doublts. It was suprisingly easy. Because I had a month of eating the 2000 calorie ADA menu, cutting to 1200 calories was easy. I walked an hour each morning and 30 minutes after dinner. In six weeks the 20 pounds were off. On November 4, I had the surgery. I weighed 259.
The one element I was instructed to do after bariactric surgery in 2001 was to attend a bariactric support group monthly. I stopped attending in 2007 and that is when the weight started to jump up. I so appreciate the people who come to the bariactric support group meetings, from those exploring the surgery to the many who have had weight loss surgery in one form or another. Without them, there would be no group. I need a group.
My goal is 224. I hope by May 2014 I return to my weight of ten years ago. My blood sugars are once again normal averaging 95.
Today (3/12/2014) I am at 240 pounds. It is becoming more difficult to lose weight for some reason. To be fair, since my stomach hernia repair surgery in November of 2013, I have not used the Livestrong app I purchased to log my daily calories. I have returned to this. I have also dedicated mysellf during the cold winter to walk twice a day on the treadmill. I dont have anything better to do as it is too cold to be outdoors. The walking did not stop after my surgery in 2013 and the effect of firming my body has been awesome. I donated all my 2X and size waist 40-42 clothes and before last weeks support group purchased size 36 jeans and a size large button up shirt. Looks and feels great!
Update 3/14/14 - Had annual physical. I am down 53 pounds from last year. My blood sugar levels are normal (5.3/96) and I no longer take medicine for type II diabetes. My bad cholesterol was 130 last year and currently at 100 and dropping. My blood pressure has returned to 122/83 and I am going off my medicine. As of today I only take a multivitamin. Whoot!
6/15/2014 Update: I have been attending at least two bariactric support groups per month and the effect has been great. My weight is now 235. I have the goal of 224 in mind. Not sure if my set point will let me get there, but I am up for the challenge. At the last group I asked the nurse running the support group how many weight loss surgeries they do in a year. She said around 250. The group had only 15 people attending. I wonder where they all go? My 12 years and 8 month experience suggests that with out a support group I was destine to return to my old ways and gain the weight back.
8/15/2014 - Busy fun summer. Very active. Camping, long daily walks, biking and more. Eating lots of fun food and not too concerned about what I eat. It very freeing. This mornings weigh in is 237 with blood sugar is 96. Attending support group at least once a month keeps me grounded.
4/25/15 - It has been a stressful winter as I separated from a seven year relationship and moved into a new house with a new partner. I have not been to group in five months and have gained 15 pounds since my lowest last summer. It is my hope to get back to walking each day and eating better. But the stress of life has me a bit depressed and not motivated. Life is the repeating of cycles. I hope to get back feeling better about myself soon.
5/25/2016 I relocated to Miami Florida and my time on the beaches have been amazting. I love my body and feeling free to hang on any of the beaches. I attended a couple weight loss support groups and was horrified at the lack of support for pre-op and post-op weight loss patients. There is a billboard on Interstate 95 advertising weight loss surgery for $4900. This is horrifing. As a fifteen year post-op weight loss surgery patient, I know the key to success is proper guidence and support after weight loss surgery. I have launched my own website with my story, photos, videos and audio episodes answering the important questions. I also offer telephone conversations for people who are considering weight loss surgery, are post-op or are gaining significant weight back and need one-on-one support. Thank you for spreading the word about WEIGHTSURGERYFACTS.com
