|
I was born prematurely,
weighing only about 3 1/2 pounds, but genetics took a
toll quickly and I was wearing "husky" sized clothes
before my teens. Both of my grandmothers were very large
women and my maternal grandfather was a large-framed
man, so it seems that I was predestined to have weight
problems.
Not until my mid-thirties did a doctor, Dr. Perlman,
discover a number of endocrine system problems that were
probably major factors in my weight problems, but by
then my poor eating habits and minimal level of physical
activity had me trapped in a downward spiral. I was
already taking drugs to control blood pressure,
cholesterol, and triglycerides. Then to make matters
worse, some of the new medications caused even more
weight gain. I was also having frequent gout attacks and
joint swelling that made walking very difficult at
times.
Spring 2004, Dr. Perlman cautioned that I was on the
verge of becoming a Type II Diabetic and gave me three
months to attempt dietary and exercise corrections to
avoid medication - this was the final motivation in my
decision to have surgery.
I read about RNY gastric bypass in Men's Health magazine
about two years prior to it becoming available here. I
was immediately interested in the notion and did a fair
amount of research about it in the interim. There seemed
to be a window of opportunity opening up right before me
when Dr. Davenport and Medical Center Hospital began the Bariatric
Services program at Medical Center Hospital. I talked
with my nurse, consulted my doctors, and finally met with
some of the people who had been through the procedure
and, after about 10 weeks, my insurance approval came
through and I got myself on the surgery schedule.
My surgery started around 7:30 a.m. (Tuesday, July 27th)
and lasted about four hours - a bit longer than average
because my liver was enlarged. The staff had told us
during the educational workshop that we'd be up walking
after the surgery and, sure enough, I was on my feet
even before all of the anesthesia haze had worn off.
Another two hours later and I was walking!
The "leak test" performed the following morning was a
bit problematic because the contrast wasn't emptying out
of my newly-formed stomach "pouch." Even after repeated
attempts my stomach was still holding the contrast and
there was a chance that I'd have to go back into surgery
to correct the problem. The problem seemed to stem from
swelling where the re-routed portion of tract attached
to the new pouch. After a stressful 24 hours, however,
everything eased up, my stomach was emptying out and
everything was working properly.
My blood sugar levels also spiked very high after
surgery and I was given insulin several times before it
finally leveled out. I was released from the hospital on
Friday, July 30th having spent a day longer than
expected and definitely feeling ready to be home.
Once home, I walked often, but tired rapidly and took
frequent naps for the first three weeks. I returned to
work after four weeks of recovery. The first week back
at work was exhausting - seems like I had become a
little too accustomed to those midday catnaps!
I've lost 88 lbs. in the six months since surgery. My
BMI is down to 38 (from 52) and I've been off of the
medications for high blood pressure, cholesterol, and
triglycerides since the day of surgery. I'm now wearing
size 2X shirts, where before I had worn 5X, and I'm down
5 pants sizes. Even my feet have shrunk! I'm able to
walk much further now with very little joint pain.
My wife, family, and friends have been incredibly
supportive and I was blessed with a very easy recovery.
The results continue to amaze! This surgery was, without
a doubt, the right choice for me.
|
