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NEW HOPE SURGICAL Gastric Bypass Surgical Weight Loss
I have been overweight most of my adult life, and was morbidly obese for over ten years. Starting in high school and continuing over the years. I tried countless diet and exercise programs including Nutri-system, Jenny Craig, Slim Fast, Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating, Weight Watchers, Dr. Atkins, and more fad diets than I can name here, and even a physician supervised protein diet. I was always able to lose some weight, but within a year, would gain back what I lost plus more. By my 35th birthday, I was at my all time high of 303 pounds at only 5' 2", with a BMI over 55, putting me in the "super morbidly obese" category. Life was miserable. I had developed severe co-morbidities as a result of my weight, including severe sleep apnea, GERD, urinary incontinence and near crippling pain in my feet and knees. I couldn't walk half a block without needing to stop because of foot pain and heavy breathing. I was unable to climb more than a couple of stairs. I knew the humiliation of being unable to do things normal sized people don't think twice about, like fitting in chairs with arms, airplane seats or on amusement park rides, sitting in restaurant booths and fitting through turnstiles. I was desperately searching the internet looking for yet another diet program to try and I came across information regarding bariatric surgery, particularly the roux-en-y gastric bypass procedure. I started doing extensive research to determine the risks of the procedure and the post-op requirements for the surgery to be successful in the long term. After learning everything I could about the options available to me, I decided to pursue having the RNY gastric bypass surgery. In January 2002 I had my first consultation with Dr. Marvin Tiesenga of New Hope Surgical Weight Loss, and I had my laparoscopic RNY surgery on April 2, 2002.
I am now 9 months post-op and I have lost approximately 60 percent of my excess body weight, or about 110 pounds. My rate of loss has slowed significantly, but by sticking with healthy foods and incresing my exercise, I expect to continue losing at a slower rate for many more months and have high hopes of eventually reaching my goal weight. It was amazing how quickly my medical problems were alleviated, and all of my co-morbidities are gone or greatly reduced - no more sleep apnea, GERD or incontinence, and I can now walk for miles, can climb stairs without difficulty and do the things most normal people do. As an early post-op, like many others, I fought with spells of nausea and other issues related to learning the limits of my new, smaller stomach. As a result of the bypass, I physically can't eat many of my old "favorites" as I now have a low tolerance for fats and dump when I eat too much sugar. These limitations have helped me develop healthier eating patterns and broken me from former habits of eating fast food and other unhealthy options, and I believe these changes will stick with me even as I get further out from my surgery and continue to be able to eat more and tolerate other food items better. I truly believe that having this surgery has saved my life and I am committed to following through with my post-op regiment to be as successful as I can be.
This surgery is a wonderful tool to help the morbidly obese person lose weight, but it is not the magic cure for obesity. Pre-ops must research the lifestyle changes that will be necessary to make having the surgery a long-term success and fully accept those changes as necessary. The surgery may change our stomachs, but it does nothing to our minds. Joining support groups made up of other post-op patients is an excellent way to keep yourself on track, discuss issues related to food, exercise and the dreaded plateau, but mostly, to meet with other people who truly understand where you have come from, what you are going through and all the emotional issues that arise as you go from being morbidly obese toward a smaller and healthier person. Pre-Surgical Story This was my life before Gastric-Bypass surgery. I was 293 pounds and miserable. I could not walk up a flight of stairs without huffing and puffing. I could not fit in airplane or movie theater seats. I barely fit the seat belt around myself in the car. I sweat day and night on hot summer days. I dreaded weighing myself on my scale. I had no energy to go to the gym. I t took me almost an hour to get out of bed in the morning. Because of this, I was late for work a lot. I would get 10-12 hours of sleep on the weekend and still wake up exhausted. I would fall asleep several times on the couch watching television. I could not keep up with anyone when walking. I was very lonely and depressed. I tried every diet possible but nothing seemed to work. I kept gaining more weight every year. Finally, I told myself enough is enough. I had to do something before I could die of a possible heart attack or stroke. I was petrified of dying. My mother died of cancer at age 64 and my father died of a massive heart attack at age 57. I told myself this is my last chance to survive. I refused to reach 300 pounds. Post Surgical Story My Gastric Bypass surgery was July 29, 2003. This is the day that changed my life forever. My niece and best friend had the same surgery seven weeks before me and she is my biggest influence. She has lost over 120 pounds already. She is doing great and very happy. I have to admit, I was very nervous the night before surgery. I was afraid of never waking up from the surgery. I knew I had to do this or I would regret it for the rest of my life. The surgery only lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes. The pain was minimal, I couldn’t believe it. I had my surgery on a Tuesday and I was out of the hospital on Thursday. Dr. Fred Tiesenga said I was doing great and could go home. I stayed with my sister and her family a few days. I was weak but doing okay. I was off work for seven weeks. The first month, I was very weak and dehydrated. I think I caught a bad cold. I was coughing and sneezing a lot. After one month, I went to my primary doctor for my first B12 shot, and that really boosted my energy level. I have been feeling great ever since. I have more energy now than ever. I go to the gym three times a week. I can fit in all seats now. I need less sleep than before. I have a boyfriend now. I am much more confident and have higher self-esteem. I now look forward to weighing myself on the scale. So far, I am down 96 pounds and 4 sizes. I have 67 more pounds to go! Thank you Dr. Fred for changing my life! I will never forget New Hope Surgical Weight Loss Center and everything you have done for me. Additional Comments and Recommendations My recommendation is to have the Gastric-Bypass surgery. It was the best decision I ever made in my life. I also suggest going to the support group meeting every month. It is now a part of my new life.
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