9 Month Update - Negativism - etc., etc., etc., WARNING - LONG POST

[Guest guest]

Due to our lovely monopolized phone service and repeated no-shows for DSL

installation I have not had consistent access to my AOL account and no

Internet service @ home whatsoever since early June. It was for that reason

I asked Dr. R to change my email address for contacts to juliana@....

The reason I mention this is because although I haven't been involved in the

lists and haven't taken the time to read any resent postings I've had

numerous phone calls and email inquiries about my status and my opinion

regarding negative postings in regards to weight loss, the procedure, Dr. R,

et. al. Please understand that my response is only my opinion and drawn

from my experience and knowledge. Another's experience and perceptions of

course may be different.

I had surgery December 27, 1999. I am 38 years old and 5' 2 " . Although I

was a dancer as a child and adolescent and an endurance swimmer as a

teenager I had been inactive for nearly 20 years. My belly was huge, (54 " )

and rubbed on the steering wheel. I didn't feel like doing much more than

moving from bed to one computer at home or another at the office. I wasn't

able to keep my house clean, cook any meals or even take care of household

bookkeeping due to my lethargy and depression.

At 9 months post-op I've lost 120 pounds. I now weigh 152 pounds and have

gone from wearing a size 28W to a 14P. I wear my husband's 30 " X32 " jeans.

(That's what he gets for not letting me buy new ones. The 16 Petites were

falling off!)

From the very beginning I have strived to not worry too much, be kind to

myself, to not become obsessive. I read about and planned for a plateau at

2-3 weeks post-op, instead of taking an " It won't happen to me. " attitude.

I stayed on liquids for ten days and then soft foods for a couple of days

and since then just about anything I've wanted to eat in smaller portions.

I DO try to make better choices. I eat lots more fruit. I don't take up a

bunch of room with salad. I still try to eat lots of high quality protein.

I exercise 3X a week each for both cardio and strength training. I expect

to not lose any weight the week before and during my menstrual cycle and I'm

rarely disappointed. I also anticipate hang-ups at any weight that I

maintained for an extended period of time in my pre-op life.

My primary care physician, who interned at Mayo Clinic and is an internal

medicine specialist, is thrilled with my blood work, my weight loss, my

physical and mental health. I've had four bouts of constipation and no

other side effects. Although I suffered from GERD prior to surgery I've

never experienced even heartburn or acid stomach since surgery. I never

throw up and my blood levels, blood pressure (122/88) and cholesterol (116)

are all excellent.

To those who've asked me about someone who purportedly exercises an hour and

a half every day, eats no more than 700 calories per day and gains four

pounds in a week - all I can say is something my grandfather taught

me.... " That dog don't hunt. "

I am not a Dr. Rutledge " groupie " as I've heard reference before. I in fact

believe him to be quite human. He is though, in my opinion an exceptional

surgeon who has developed a procedure I perceived and am still convinced is

clearly the best weight loss surgical procedure available for those who meet

the criteria. Nearly 1000 people can't all be wrong. (Where are these 250

people who are not losing weight anyway? Please let me know, since I

emailed everyone prior to surgery and I've had a number of contacts since,

I'm really curious where these 250 non-losing, unhappy people are. Not one

emailed me prior to or since surgery.)

To those who've read this far, thanks for indulging me. Any responses,

tirades or cursings should be directed to me at juliana@.... Oh, and

by-the-way, did everyone here who took part in critiquing or helping Dr. R

with his June 17th paper/presentation add that to their resume'? I hadn't

even considered it but " Assisted in recent abstract and journal article

presented by a bariatric surgeon to the 17th Annual Conference of the

American Society of Bariatric Surgeons " looks pretty good now that I think

about it.

Best Regards!

na -Reynolds (Tulsa, Oklahoma)

MGB 12/27/1999 @ 272

152 @ 9 months post-op

" Life's a banquet and most poor bastards are starving to death. " - Auntie

Mame