I am thankful every day for the tool I received with my gastric bypass surgery. It is a very stressful time at work for me now and it would be so easy to turn to food to try and get through this time. Thankfully I cannot do the damage that I was able to do before the surgery. Even if I do turn to food to deal with the stress, I do not have the capacity to do as much damage as I would have in the past.

I'm also finding it difficult to maintain my motivation to exercise when there are so many demands on my time. This has been a problem for me in the past. Then once the routine is broken, it is that much harder to get back on track. I've found that having some structure and goals tied to my exercise help keep me motivated. I work out with a trainer 1-2 times per week, and the commitment of the appointment stops me from blowing off my exercise. The commitment of training for the marathon, knowing that I need to be ready to run the marathon on 11/2, motivates me to get out and train when I'd rather be working, sleeping or doing just about anything else.

Rodney and I took off 3/10, the day of my follow-up appointment with Dr. Pomp. We have taken off each time I have my follow ups; it is a celebration of sorts for us. My appointment was uneventful as everything has been going well and there are no issues with my blood work. It is basically a time to be thankful for how well everything has gone to date with my surgery. I couldn't be happier with my decision to have gastric bypass surgery. It has made such a difference in my life from eliminating my diabetes to making it possible to climb a flight of stairs without being completely out of breath!

When I was in Washington taking about my experience with gastric bypass surgery it occurred to me that it was like a reset button for me. I never thought of that analogy before; but it really was like a "do over" for me. It gave me a fresh start at losing weight and doing it in a way I never had before. I had an opportunity to build a new lifestyle and a new set of habit while I healed from the surgery and had little capacity for eating. The quick weight loss gave me the encouragement to keep up the new habits I developed.

It is over 2 1/2 years since my surgery and I haven't yet gotten over what an amazing change it has made in my life. I think as long as I remember how painful it was to be 150 pounds heavier I will remain grateful for my surgery.

On Tuesday June 5th, when I was in Boulder, Dr. Pomp called to ask me if I wanted to go to Washington with him as a patient representative for Gastric Bypass surgery. I didn't even need to hear any more than that to say yes. What an honor it is to be asked to share my story. The event we were to attend was Advamed's Value of Technology Capital Hill Event. We were to meet with Congressional Representatives and talk about how minimally invasive gastric bypass helped me lose weight and get my diabetes under control without medication. Gastric Bypass resolves diabetes about 85% of the time. They wanted a patient who had diabetes prior to having the gastric bypass surgery to illustrate that the surgery resolves diabetes.

On Tuesday, June 19th I flew down to Washington. The flight, Delta shuttle, was uneventful, thankfully! I got to Washington and it was hot; it was like one of the worst hot muggy days we get during the summer. I got to the Renaissance Mayflower hotel, which was quite lovely and in a great area (lots of stores nearby). I checked in and went to my room to put everything away. I wanted to unpack my suits so they wouldn't get too wrinkled. After unpacking I took a walk to Starbucks and bought an ice coffee. I went back to the hotel and sat in the lobby and talked to a couple of friends. (What did we ever do before cell phones?)

I went back to my room and got ready for the evening. The group organized a dinner for all the patient/doctor teams at Vadalia. Although the restaurant was only a short walk from the hotel I decided to take a taxi there because it was so hot. I was one of the first to arrive. The dinner was in a private room off the main part of the restaurant. I meet with a woman from one of the companies that is a member of Advamed. She asked about me and I told her a little about my story including that I'd lost 150 pounds. She couldn't believe that I was that overweight and commented that I must be a size 4 now. The skirt I was wearing was a size 8 and I told her that and said I loved her for thinking that I wear a 4.

I wasn't at the restaurant for very long before Dr. Pomp arrived. It was wonderful to see a familiar face. Dinner was good. At dinner I met Jonathan Collard and Ellen Evans; they both work for Tyco Healthcare. I had spoken with Jonathan prior to the event to make some of the arrangements.

Wednesday was the big day; we had to be at the Hotel Willard at 7:30. I didn't sleep very well; probably because of nerves. We had a briefing by the Advamed group and breakfast. After the briefing we met with the group we were working with throughout the day. Dr. Pomp and I were going to be mostly with Susan & Susan. One Susan is from Tyco Healthcare and one is from Johnson & Johnson. I was asked to share my story with the group prior to us heading out to Capital Hill. Everyone seemed to think it was a great story. I guess if it weren't my story I would think so too.

Turns out we had 6 meetings scheduled for the day. Dr. Pomp and I were informed that the schedule was subject to change. Susan and Susan would be joining us for some of the meetings and for some we would be with CEOs from healthcare companies that are members of Advamed.

Our first scheduled visit was with Gary Ackerman in Rayburn. As we were entering his office, he was out his out way out. He did stop to take a minute to say hello to his constituent; that was pretty funny. Dr. Pomp, Susan, Susan and I met with one of his aides, Jared Frost. As this was our first meeting, it the most nerve wrecking one, we had to work out the kinks in our message. We found out it didn't pay to discuss insurance issues as these are regulated on the state level.

Our next visit was with Rep. Towns from NY; he was also in the Rayburn building so we didn't have far to travel. Susan and Susan didn't come into this meeting. Dr. Pomp and I were in this meeting with some of the CEOs. It was looking like the CEOs weren't going to let us get a chance to speak; but Dr. Pomp got a opportunity and took off with it. He was great! Then he gave me the floor. I told my story and gave Rep. Town my pictures. I had put together and 8.5 by 11 with my before and after pictures and pictures from 4 races that I've done.

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Last Wednesday I had an experience that I heard happens to others, but never imagined that it would happen to me. Since my gastric bypass surgery, I have never experienced hunger the way I did prior to the surgery. I eat pretty much on a schedule and make sure I eat my three meals and get in all my protein.

Last Wednesday I forgot to eat breakfast. It wasn't that I was busy and didn't get around to eating, it just never occurred to me to eat my breakfast. I realized I forgot all about it, when I went to eat my lunch and saw that my breakfast was still in the bag. I never would have imagined that such a thing would happen to me!

Today I had a strong reminder that my little tummy rules. Why would I think I can eat like I did pre-surgery? You would think after 27 months that I would know better.:) But no, I decide I should have a bagel for a mid-afternoon snack. One of my co-workers brought in bagels today, so when I hit my mid-afternoon slump my mind wandered over to bagel-land. I went to check to see if there were any bagels left, and to my delight (or so I thought) there were. So, I had my bagel. Shortly after I exercised the common sense not to finish the whole thing I get hit like a ton of bricks in the middle of my chest. It sucks, and I wonder why I don't learn from past mistakes. Thankfully, I don't do that very often.

The upside is that there is a forced control on my eating. It is good to know that it is there and working for me. Thankfully, I don't push the envelope often because it is a horrible feeling.

This topic has come up a couple of times in conversations recently and I think it is really important to keep in mind, especially when you are recovering from weight loss surgery. The period of time after your weight loss surgery is a great time to work on establishing new habits. You cannot eat very much and it is the perfect time to lay down new patterns with regards to your eating. This is a time when you have to focus on getting protein in first, so the little that you can eat should give you the most "bang for the buck".

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