LosingForLife - Weight Loss Surgery Experience

Old Habits Die Hard

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 13:08:00 -0700

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.

Three year follow up with Dr. Pomp

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:39:00 -0700

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!

Reset Button

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 00:11:00 -0700

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.

Trip to Washington to Talk About how Gastric Bypass Surgery Helps to Resolve Diabetes

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 20:42:00 -0700

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. [More]

Forgetting to eat???

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 21:49:00 -0700

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!

The Pouch (aka my little tummy) Rules

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 17:13:00 -0700

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.

Habits

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 09:49:00 -0700

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". [More]

12/25/04 - Just catching up on the events to date - Part 9

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 18:18:00 -0700

12/10/04 - Day After My Surgery I spent the early part of the day waiting for the times Rodney could come and visit me. I was counting the minutes until he got there! I had to go for my swallow test in the morning. That was an unpleasant experience. The liquid I had to swallow for the test was foul, but at the same time it was nice to get to swallow something. After the test I was able to start on an all liquid diet. I had Gatorade and found that too strong so I diluted it with water. [More]

12/25/04 - Just catching up on the events to date - Part 8

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 18:17:00 -0700

12/9/04 - My Gastric Bypass Surgery Date The big day finally arrived. I had to be at the hospital at 6:00am, my parents came to pick us up at 4:30am. Of course there was no traffic so we ended up being at the hospital at 5:30am. We had to wait a few minutes before we could go upstairs. When we got upstairs, we wanted a few minutes and then they brought Rodney and my parents back to one of the waiting rooms and I changed into my hospital gown and slippers. It was pretty funny when I went back to the waiting room with my parents and Rodney and I realized I forgot to take off my panties! After a little while I was brought back to get ready for the surgery. The iv was put in and I met with another anesthesiologist. He was going to be there during the surgery and did not think I would have to be entubated awake. That was a big relief. After that I went back to the waiting room and I was told that my surgery would be at 7:30am. There must have been some "relaxation juice" in that iv, because I really didn't have much anxiety while I was waiting. A couple of doctors came and said they needed to ask me a couple of questions, so I went off with them. They finished and said, ok let's go. I asked "To surgery?". They said yes, but I told them I need to say good-bye to everyone first. So, off to the waiting room we went and I said good-bye to everyone. I did pretty well until I was done and getting ready to leave and saw tears in my Mother's eyes. That was almost my undoing. I walked back to the OR with one of the doctors. Did I mention how massive the hospital is? When we got there Dr. Pomp was waiting outside? He looked chipper and alert which gave me a good feeling. I went into the OR before him so they could get me ready. It was absolutely freezing in that room! Luckily for me after I got on the table they put a warm blanket on me. It was business right away in there and the anesthesiologists began their work. A mask was put over my nose and mouth, I was told to breath and the next thing I was waking up in the recovery room. I was absolutely miserable when I work up in the recovery room ? I was nauseous and freezing! They put some warm blankets on me and some medication in my iv and soon I started to feel better. I felt so bad when I first came out that when the patient advocate asked me if I wanted my family to visit I told her no. I ended up staying in the recovery room until around 4:00pm the next day (a total of about 28 hours). It was frustrating because my family couldn't stay with me due to limited visiting hours and there was no tv or anything to distract your attention. There was a tremendous upside ? the nurses were wonderful and very attentive. I was able to get up and walk anytime. In fact I got up a couple of times during the night to walk, after all the recovery room was not conducive to getting any sleep. I was told that I would not be able to have anything to eat/drink until I had the swallow test the next day.