Now a 'Missy' Extra Large! :)

[Guest guest]

Hi, everyone! I finally went shopping today because my clothes were

literally falling off of me... I couldn't believe that I'm a 'missy'

extra large! I started out in the plus sizes section and then

moved over to the 'regular folks' section and tried on some

extra-large pants... they FIT! Good Lord!

Of course, this was occasion to get ourselves over to Outback

Steakhouse (so, I still have 8 lbs to go until I've lost 100 lbs but

this was a momentous occasion - being able to shop in the 'regular

section' and get some pants!)... I shared a ribeye with my husband

and the kids had a child sirloin and chicken fingers.. The whole

family even shared one of their huge pieces of cheesecake with

raspberry and chocoate syrup... It was seventh heaven along with a cup

of decaf coffee! :)

I am so blessed to have had this surgery.. and not really experience

any negative side effects. It truly is a miracle. Once I get down

100 lbs, I'm in for the home stretch --- I want to get down to

anywhere between 160-170 (I'm 5' 9 1/2 " )... I'm down to 215 again, so

maybe this plateau is a short one!

I tell you, I had my surgery when I was 35 and my bmi was 45. I

didn't have any co-morbidities other than joint/back pain and a slight

hiatial hernia (that I only found out about with the pre-op

endoscopy). My blood pressure was fine; cholesterol was ok (I even

had an abundance of the 'good stuff'). I didn't have diabetes or

breathing problems. I was always a pretty good walker. However, I

saw my mother at 60 struggling with her weight and facing serious

obesity-related health problems: High cholesterol, high blood

pressure, arthritis/joint pains, shortness of breath, extreme

exhaustion and she recently developed diabetes. I realized that was

the path I was on and I was much better off trying to have the surgery

NOW when I was in better health and younger. I haven't regretted that

decision for a MOMENT, although I did seriously question and

second-guess myself before I committed. The point I always came

back to was this: I had been able to lose weight before (even around

100 lbs at one point) but I had NEVER been able to keep it off long

term. My weight ALWAYS came back with a vengence. Like any chronic

condition, it just got WORSE AND WORSE with each swing upward.

I'm so grateful my new PCP said 'I think you are a great candidate for

surgery' when I was at my heaviest of 225. I was concerned about my

weight after the birth of my second child but my old PCP said I had to

do it 'the old fashioned way' when I inquired about Xenical. Can you

believe it????? When I asked him for a reference to a bariatric

specialist (not even a surgeon per se), he drew a big blank on his

nerdy face and said 'you should see my nutritionist'. I lost some

weight before my initial consult and weighed in at 215. I did try to

focus more on protein, cut carbs and sugar and ended up at 207 the

week before my surgery about two months later!

I'm SO GLAD I switched and my new PCP is so MO-friendly and views this

as a chronic disease. I kind of downplayed the suggestion and he even

had to check the charts himself because he thought I may 'just make'

the required weight.... Then, he told me my BMI was 46 and I

definately qualified! I think because I'm so tall I 'carried the

weight' so as to not seem as heavy as I truly was. I was shocked. I

knew I was fat; I knew I needed to lose weight -- but the term

MORBIDLY OBESE scared the hell out of me. There was no way I could

ignore this problem any more or put it on the 'back burner' thinking I

had all the time in the world to just 'lose the weight' or 'get into

shape'. I felt that I came so close to becoming even sicker and

beling older and with more co-morbidites, at much higher risk for

complications and problems if I had waited to do the surgery. Just my

humble opinion!

all the best,

lap ds with gallbladder removal

january 25, 2001

Dr. GAgner/Mt. Sinai, NYC

eight months post-op and still feelin'