The Journey so far

Aug 01, 2017

Why I Decided To Have WLS

I have been chubby my whole life.  My grandmother said that when I was 3 I told her I wouldn't wear dresses because  "I have fat legs".  I was raised by a mother who was obsessed with her own weight and was put on diets as a child.  My nickname in elementary school was "hippo".  Looking back at pictures of me at the time I was probably only 5-10 lbs overweight.  Kids are cruel.  

I continued to be chubby and had brief periods of normal weight in high school and university usually after a period of extreme calorie restriction and exercise bulimia.  In high school a friend turned me in to the school nurse for anorexia (I went to boarding school).  That was the end of my extreme dieting in my teens.  My all time low was 142lbs.  Regardless I managed to put on and lose about 40-50 lbs a year throughout my 20's.  I have always considered myself a professional dieter. You name it, I've done it.  Eventually I stopped losing and by my late 20's I was flirting with an obese BMI.   

My 30's were a period of real weight gain for me.  I was advancing professionally and in incredibly high stress jobs.  I worked for an abusive boss who told me that I was too fat and it made me look unprofessional.  I wanted to ask him if he owned a mirror, but held my tongue. 

In 2005 I heard about this new procedure.  It seemed like it was made for me.  A band that restricts consumption, but can be losened and tightened as needed.  It seemed way less extreme than bypass and I traveled to Seattle to have the Lapband surgery.  My high weight at this point was 230lbs. 

At first the Lapband seemed to deliver everything it promised.  I rapidly lost weight, within months I had dropped into the 180's.  My abusive boss gave me an "exceeds" performance rating because I "listened to his feedback". Can you believe the narcissism of some people?  A job opportunity led me to move accross the country and i continued to lose, dropping briefly into the mid to high 160's and then settling in the low 170's as a maintenance weight.  I felt happy and comfortable at this weight, I was in my late 30's at this point.  I met my husband and we decided to start a family.  We were excited to find out we were pregnant and I got a de-fill of my band. 3 months later we lost the baby. I coped by eating.  I started my second pregnancy 4 months later at 190lbs.    By the end of my pregnancy with my son I was back to my original 230lbs.  I returned for fills and the band never worked properly again, i began a cycle of fills and de fills, vomiting, terrible reflux and a completely unpredictable band.  This went on for years and my weight yoyo'd between 215 and 235 for years until I woke up one morning (april 2016)starving.  Though I only had a partial fill in my band I knew it was gone.  My band was no longer working.  I had a decision to make, fix it or go without or something else.  I came back to OH and started surfing around only to discover almost everyone had the same experience! I knew right then there was no point trying to work with this dud, I decided I was going to revise to a "real" bariatric surgery and now there was the sleeve which was new that I could investigate as an option.  I was already up to 260 at this point.   

I started researching surgeons in Canada and the US who were doing revisions and I settled on Dr. Christou in Montreal.  He suggested RNY as his first choice for me and I trusted him.

Before & After RNY revision

Total Weight Loss: 120 pounds
Surgical Procedure: Band to Bypass Revision
Surgery Date: 10/04/16
Surgeon’s Name: Dr Nicholas Christou

My Surgery and Post-Op Life

My first hurdle to surgery was the availability of the surgeon and location.  The clinic had had a fire and were backlogged on surgeries.  Dr. Christou was semi-retired so I knew I would have to wait months.  I first spoke to him in May I think and my surgery happened in October.  

I had a two week liquid diet and my weight the morning of the surgery was 244.  My mom flew up from the US to be with me at the clinic.  Having been through the band I knew what to expect.  Dr. Christou explained that if the damage from the band was not too bad I would get the RNY I wanted.  If the scaring and adhesions were severe he would have to do a sleeve.  If he discovered erosion, he would remove and send me home to heal.  I was thrilled when he woke me in recovery and told me I got my RNY.  The surgery was smooth sailing. I felt nauseous and like crap for the first few hours post op but otherwise I felt fine.  

I knew from the band i needed to get up and walking so I was on my feet by the afternon and doing laps around the floor.  I had a sleepless first night because of a snoring roommate so that helped me be up and about most of the night.  I felt well enough to ask them to discharge me in the morning (they wouldn't).  I was discharged and my mom drove us the 6 hours back to Toronto the following day. 

I went apple picking and then cooked Thanksgiving dinner 5 days post op so it is safe to say I had a pretty good recovery.  

I was travelling for work by 6 weeks post op and had a family trip to universal before Christmas. I was already down to 209lbs at that point.

Milestones and Non-Scale Victories

I hit onederland on January 9, 2017. 

I was losing rapidly but my weight loss was definitely not linear.  It helped to see the patterns and I created this to help put into perspective the crazy emotional cycle of weight loss...

I had set a number of goals along the way.  My first official goal was 170lbs.  I figured I was happy at that weight with the band and it was realistic.   I hit that on April 7, 2017.  
I also got my first dexa scan in the month of April.  I was 169lbs and had a body fat of over 40% (obese).  I was looking forward to seeing my results for my next scheduled scan.

My second goal was 160.  I hit that goal on May 17.  

My final goal I decided to set as a range.  My current maintenance range is 140-150.  My current weight is now hovering between 143lbs and 144lbs I am almost 10 months post op.

My NSVs are numerous:  My next dexa scan at 149lbs put me in the healthy range for body fat! My blood draws came back normal by the time I was in the 100's, airplane seats look big now.  I have gone from a size 20 to a size 4.  I now own a (few) bikini's and have taken (and posted) a picture in them.  I have more energy and am more active. I feel great in clothes. 

I feel great about how I've lost (balanced macros) and I feel like I'm eating in a way I can maintain.  I feel like I am eating healthier than I ever have and I feel healthier than I ever have.   Looking forward to a  big 50th birthday party in February.  

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