Obesity surgery

4 Responses to “Newbie Introduction”

1. terrie180 Says:
   May 20th, 2007 at 10:57 am

   Diane, I live in Florida and had rny bypass 3 years ago. I’m so much healtier
   now, just amazing. Yes I think we all use our weight as an excuse but it really
   isn’t an excuse it’s the truth. I can now climb mountains, swim, run all the
   things I avoided before. I still have mental issues about "being fat" but feel
   so well that they do not bother me as much as before. I was over 300 lbs and
   lost over 100 lbs and am very happy in my size 14s even though girls with a
   smaller frame are in 5’s.

2. Ellen Carl Says:
   May 20th, 2007 at 4:44 pm

   Dear Diane: The hardest part is over. You have made the decision to take
   control of your life.
   I danced with the decision to have Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) for three years.
   After reaching the highest weight of my life, I made the decision. At 43 years
   of age and 6′2" tall, my weight had soared to 395 pounds. I was afraid of dying
   on the table or having terrible complications and dying an agonizing death. I
   then came to my senses and became more afraid of some other guy raising my four
   year old son. My first choice of surgeons denied my insurance (Aetna HMO).
   Depressed and rejected I had all but given up on having the surgery. With five
   co-morbidities (Diabetes II, Sleep Apnea, GERD, Hypertension and Cardio
   myopathy) I was living on borrowed time. My wife persisted and found the most
   wonderful and compassionate surgeon in Dr Raul Rosenthal of the Cleveland Clinic
   in Weston, FL (West Ft Lauderdale)

   I began the process with Aetna and quickly got a denial. I appealed the denial
   
   and was approved on June 16, 2005 to have the surgery performed before the
   renewal of my companies insurance policy with Aetna which would no longer cover
   the surgery after July 1, 2005. With about two weeks to complete the
   pre-operative regimen, I felt the cards were stacked against me. With some
   divine intervention and some legalistic arm twisting from the staff at Cleveland
   Clinic, I was granted a two week extension. My surgery (Laproscopic RNY) was
   scheduled and performed on July 5, 2005. Sitting here tonite I am 1110 pounds
   lighter.

   This journey has not been without its challenges. One week post op I developed
   a blood clot in my right elbow. Back into the hospital for five days to break
   up the clot. Two weeks post op, I travelled to Atlanta by car to attend a
   convention. On the morning of day three of the convention I began passing blood
   in my stool. My wife and son took me to Emory University hospital where I
   crashed. My blood pressure dropped to 60/35. The ER doctor saved my life.
   Realizing that my blood was too thin from the anti-coagulants they were giving
   me for the blood clot in my arm, I was bleeding internally. Three days in the
   ICU and eight units of blood and plasma later, I was moved to a regular floor
   for a couple more days. I went home the next day flying alone to Ft Lauderdale.

   Please don’t get me wrong. I have no regrets about having this life saving
   procedure. I would do it again in a moment. The challenges thatI faced are
   possible with everyone, but not likely. My quality of life has improved
   dramatically. My career has improved and I havemore energy now that I can ever
   remember having. Best of all is that my Diabetes was gone three days after my
   surgery. My GERD is gone and so is my sleep apnea. I still have hypertension,
   but it is managed. I’m sure my enlarged heart has shrunk along with the rest of
   me. I think that I have gained another 40 years of life, which I fully plan to
   live to the fullest.

   Good luck with your journey, keep us informed.

   Brian in S Florida

   My name is Diane and I live in Vancouver, WA (I work in Portland,
   OR). I am 49 years young. I am 5′10 and close to 400 pounds. I have
   high BP, back pain, joint pain, headaches and aniexity. I am married,
   have two dogs, 1 grown son living in CA. I work full time, and my
   husband is a wedding minister. On the weekends, we marry people.
   Our lives are very busy and full, but for as long as I can remember,
   my weight has always caused me grief.

   When I was 11 my father would make fun of me because I was fat, but
   then fill a huge plate with food for dinner and not allow me to leave
   the dinner table until I had eaten it all. In my teenage years, I
   would eat candy to console myself for the lonliness I felt. After
   graduation from high school I tried the HGC shots and 500 calories a
   day (do not use any hand lotion…. lol) and lost, but as soon as I
   began eating regular, the weight came came and more. I’ve tried,
   Weight Wathcers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, South Palm Beach, Cabbage
   Soup…. I have scoffed at weight loss surgery, mainly because I
   have been scared of the complications… but I also now am realizing
   that I am really afraid to lose the weight! What will happen if I
   can’t hide behind my weight as the reason for rejections or not being
   able to complete a task… Could I climb that mountain or walk a
   trail to find a stream????

   So please, if any of you are from my area, please say hello… and if
   your not, I’d love chatting with you as well. I have Premera Blue
   Cross, PPO… anyone know anything about what they will say? I am
   attending a meeting next Wednesday night at a hospital near where I
   live to find out more about how to get started on my voyage.

   Best of luck to each of you! Have a great day!

   Diane

   Visit your group "obesitysurgerysupportgroup" on the web.

   ———————————

3. val_500 Says:
   May 20th, 2007 at 8:36 pm

   Diane, I am Miki and live in New Mexico. I had my surgery on Dec 3 of
   2004. I came home and almost died. They sent me home with an infection that
   caused all my stitches to come loose. I had my surgery the old way with a 9 in
   incision about 10 inches deep because I weighed 352 lbs and am 5 ft 2 in. I
   had mine done in an Army hospital where the nurses resented having to take
   care of the retirees who had "elective" surgery. To them we were not deserving
   of their time and didn’t take care of the R n Y patients. The same thing
   happened to many of the people like me. There is now a lawsuit against the
   hospital because so many went home with staph infections and Hepatitus C.
   Needless to say I landed back in the hospital my second day home (I refused to
   be
   taken back to that military hospital) and ended up recooperating for 4 1/2
   months before I healed from the inside out. Had to have dressings changed and
   incision cleaned out every 4 hrs. Because of a fantastic husband who nursed
   me back to health I am now fine. Still have about 3 or 4 days a week I can
   
   get no food to stay on my stomach and am limited to what I can get down on a
   good day. I have lost 162 lbs in this time and weigh 195 and wear a size 16.
   I am having trouble getting out of the fat frame of mind but am doing well.
   My diabetes is almost non-existent, no longer take medicine for blood
   pressure, cholestral control, anxiety, sleeping, depression. I have never felt
   better in my life. Still have the bad knees and arthritus, but I can walk now.
   I can fit in a bathtub, sit in any chair I desire and have more energy than
   I have ever had in my life. If I had it to do over, I would go to a
   bariatric surgeon who knew what he was doing and cared about my health. But, I
   would do it over again. I debated this surgery for many years before I finally
   did something about it. I am 56 years young now and am so different looking
   most people I meet that I know don’t even recognize me. It is amazing.

   I recommend the surgery to many people who ask about it. But, I tell them
   the whole story and recommend a doctor who has done this surgery many times
   and will do the laproscopy.

   Good luck with your decision and ask questions of the doctor and this group
   and others you meet who have had the surgery. Research it well. God Bless.

   Miki in NM

   352 down to 195 in 9 months.

4. Jamey Lancaster Says:
   May 21st, 2007 at 1:40 am

   Over the last year, I’ve regained 15 lbs. I think I know what part of it is,
   and am currently detoxing from sugar. Went through the arrogant phase when
   I could eat anything. Can’t do that now. Fighting osteoporosis - something
   I had pre-surgery. Thank goodness I had a baseline DXA done presurgery, or I
   would have thought the surgery caused it - we’re at risk for it, because
   calcium is another thing extracted mostly in the duodenum.

   I would do it again in a heartbeat - I think most people I’ve talked to
   would, also. We were all moving toward an early death or disability without
   the surgery, and we wanted to be there for our children and grandchildren
   and mates.

   If there are any questions I can answer, please don’t hesitate to ask.
   Meanwhile, good luck in your venture, gather as much information as you can,
   and be well.
   

   Take care,

   Pam

   _____

   Diane, I am Miki and live in New Mexico. I had my surgery on Dec 3 of
   2004. I came home and almost died. They sent me home with an infection
   that
   caused all my stitches to come loose. I had my surgery the old way with a
   9 in
   incision about 10 inches deep because I weighed 352 lbs and am 5 ft 2 in.
   I
   had mine done in an Army hospital where the nurses resented having to take
   care of the retirees who had "elective" surgery. To them we were not
   deserving
   of their time and didn’t take care of the R n Y patients. The same thing
   happened to many of the people like me. There is now a lawsuit against the

   hospital because so many went home with staph infections and Hepatitus C.
   Needless to say I landed back in the hospital my second day home (I refused
   to be
   taken back to that military hospital) and ended up recooperating for 4 1/2
   months before I healed from the inside out. Had to have dressings changed
   and
   incision cleaned out every 4 hrs. Because of a fantastic husband who
   nursed
   me back to health I am now fine. Still have about 3 or 4 days a week I can

   get no food to stay on my stomach and am limited to what I can get down on
   a
   good day. I have lost 162 lbs in this time and weigh 195 and wear a size
   16.
   I am having trouble getting out of the fat frame of mind but am doing well.

   My diabetes is almost non-existent, no longer take medicine for blood
   pressure, cholestral control, anxiety, sleeping, depression. I have never
   felt
   better in my life. Still have the bad knees and arthritus, but I can walk
   now.
   I can fit in a bathtub, sit in any chair I desire and have more energy than

   I have ever had in my life. If I had it to do over, I would go to a
   bariatric surgeon who knew what he was doing and cared about my health.
   But, I
   would do it over again. I debated this surgery for many years before I
   finally
   did something about it. I am 56 years young now and am so different
   looking
   most people I meet that I know don’t even recognize me. It is amazing.

   I recommend the surgery to many people who ask about it. But, I tell them
   the whole story and recommend a doctor who has done this surgery many times

   and will do the laproscopy.

   Good luck with your decision and ask questions of the doctor and this group

   and others you meet who have had the surgery. Research it well. God
   Bless.

   Miki in NM

   352 down to 195 in 9 months.

   _____

   _____

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.