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Personal Testimonial:
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 Denise Evans began the Bariatric Services program at
Medical Center Hospital. I talked with Denise, 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. |
