Weight Loss Story - Gastric Bypass

Bob - "I am healthier than I have been in years and my blood pressure is less than it was when I was in college and in athletics."

I can't begin to fully describe the changes in my life since I had my gastric bypass surgery in April, 2000. The obvious is a weight loss of over 245 lbs. and I am still losing!

It is really fun to see someone I haven't seen since before surgery and watch their face as they try to figure out just who the heck I am. When I finally tell them they just can't believe it! I continue to receive comments like: "you look terrific!", "I didn't recognize you", "WOW!", and "my gawd Bob, look at you!" They do so much to feed my ego that had been totally starved for years and years and years.

It's tough being obese, and I had been over 300 lbs. since 1968. I cracked that barrier on March 12, 2001, a date I probably will remember forever. No longer do I look at a restaurant and wonder if I can fit into their chairs, if they have booths or if the chairs have arms. No longer do I see a waiter remove one chair from a table and return with a much sturdier model. No longer do I insist on doing the driving because I couldn't fit into another's car.

Now I can fit just about in any seat. I can go to the movies because I can fit into their seats. I can buy clothing off the rack and not have to order from one of the big and tall catalogs and pray their largest sizes would fit. I no longer look at the furniture in my friend's homes and head for the chair that is the strongest. I can sit on the sofa and not wonder if I have to slide off onto the floor just to get up...and getting up was tough, too. And shoes, they used to last me 6-months, tops, but now they seem to last much longer.

Those are some of the comfort changes in my life, and the list can go on and on and on. But those are just the visible changes. The invisible changes, the health changes, are the ones that really mean the most.

Prior to surgery, I was medicated for diabetes, hypertension, gout and chronic back strain. I took two glucophage and two glyburide every morning and every evening. I injected 50 units of insulin just before retiring just to get my blood sugar level below 130. I have had neither a pill nor injection since coming home from the hospital. I still check my blood sugar occasionally and it generally reads in the 85-90 range first thing in the morning. It took about 8 months until my physician took me off of my blood pressure medicine. What a Christmas present that was! I no longer take the Allopurinal for gout or the massive doses of ibuprophen (800 mg 3x/day) for my low back strain. I don't need them. I am healthier than I have been in years and my blood pressure is less than it was when I was in college and in athletics.

I have had a lot of support from some wonderful people but the greatest support has come from my medical team: my physician, my endocrinologist, and of course, Dr. Fox and his wonderful, caring staff. They have given me the encouragement to be diligent in my efforts. I think it has paid off!