I had my surgery in November of 2007. I waited a few months from the time that I met my surgeon and when I had the surgery done. I literally couldn't wait for surgery date because I knew that sooner I had it done, the sooner I would be on way to regaining my life. I was depressed and letting life pass me by. My job prospects were nil, dating prospects even worse and I was unhappy at the core. At that point, I couldn't even remember/imagine what a happy and healthy life was like.
I weighed in at 314 lbs on surgery day but had probably been as high 330-340 in the months/years prior. About a year prior to my surgery I was having issues with my heart and put on meds. Basically, my heart rate was accelerated and I had instances while trying to sleep that felt like my heart had stopped. It probably had. Surgery was done by Dr. Simpson in Phoenix and my understanding is that he is one of the best and most experienced. He is certainly one of (if not the best) the best in Arizona and most likely the nation. Surgery offered no surprises and I was off to recovery. I lost weight at an above average level for those first 3 months. I was doing very well and noticed a big difference. During this time, I was working out at a gym but not really pushing it. By that I mean I would ride the bike for 30-40 minutes and do the eliptical machine for 30 minutes. Enough to get a good sweat in but I wasn't pushing myself. I had experienced issues with my ankles in the years prior to the surgery. Arthritis in both ankles that took months to go away. This caused me to take the exercise very slow because I was afraid that if I pushed myself too hard, I'd be out of action for 3 months.
About 7-8 months after surgery, I had lost about 70+ pounds and decided it was time to take it to then next level. At this time I started running. I started out slowly by running for 1 mile on the treadmill. I then began to run outside, around the neighborhood of my home. I gradually added distance to my runs and would often run on the treadmill at the gym as well. After 3 months of running I had lost an additional 36 pounds and that's when I really started seeing my body change. I looked down one day and noticed that my legs (thighs) were noticeably thinner. They hadn't looked that thin in many years and it was startling. I remember staring at them in disbelief as I couldn't believe they were my legs!
I've definitely had challenges along the way. This isn't a perfect procedure. I had/have the usual productive burps and occasional vomiting. I still to this day eat too fast or too much and pay the price. The first time that I overate and had a serious slippage was scary. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I was awake all night and paced around the house because that seemed to make me feel a little better. Sometimes, I think about having the band completely loosened because i really hate the limitations it puts on me 4 1/2 years later. But, deep down I know how easy it is slip into bad habits and be back where I started.
Today, I have settled between about 175-185 depending on my eating habits of that months. While I haven't weighed myself in a couple weeks, I'm probably about 175 right now and would like to get down a little further to look good for summer. I have a great job that I love and my new confidence has helped me to get noticed by management. I am single but took the step to join Match.com in the last month and have a couple possibilities. I went on my first Match date last week and it went very well. I still run and try to go 4-5 times a week for 4-5 miles. I have gotten into running races during the year. I've done numerous 5k's and 10k's and love the competition/adrenaline boost. Basically, I'm happier than I've been since I was in my mid 20's (41 now). Life seems full of opportunity and I'm starting to take advantage of its possibilities once again.
To those of you beginning or in the middle of this journey, keep at it. I don't really have any magic words of advice, except it's worth it! Set short term and long term goals. Reward yourself along the way. I'm a big believer that you shouldn't completely cut out the things you love. If you thing is chocolate chip Cookies, treat yourself to one (yes one) on a day that you've hit a short term goal. Be careful of the those trigger foods though. For me it was those mini chocolate donuts that you can get at every convenience store. While it might be ok to have those on occasion, they were your trigger foods for a reason. You all have made an excellent choice with this surgery and you'll be shocked at what it will do for you. Good luck!
Ken
