Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

Introduction - from Arkansan...



Recommended Posts

Hello,

My name is Jim Boston, I am 43 years old, married 26 years to Marsha my wonderful wife. We have (3) children, Daughter - Amber 27, Son Andrew 23, Son Jimmy 22.

May of 2009 My sons changed my life forever, They both enlisted in The United States Marine Corp. and went to boot camp in San Diego on Sept. 21, 2009.

I being a greatly Patriotic Individual anyways felt amazingly proud and severly lost without them as we were very close. While they were in boot camp I made a pact that if they were strong enough to volunteer to suport and defend the whole country, I could atleast be disceplined enough to take care of myself and be around for them as long as possible. So, i started going to Dr visits and found out I had Diabetes, High blood pressure, High colesterol, and low testostrone, all the while weighing in at 474lbs and i was only 40 years old. I was disgusted with myself but soon things started to change.

I got the diabetes under control and started taking all my meds and my energy level seemed to start coming back. My wifes and my sex life kicked into high gear and our relationship improved. I started to move in the right direction, on a routine Dr. appointment i asked my doctor if she could research for me a bariatric surgeon. I was thinking of self paying for surgery as i knew my company insurance did not pay... She said she would and got me the Number of Dr. Travis Goodnight www.goodnightsugical.com.

I called the next day and went to a seminar the next week. I filled out all paper work knowing that my insurance did not cover the surgery, I had all the money ready to self pay to my surprise! My company changed our insurance at the first of this year and now pay for 80% or the lesser of your out of pocket. Bingo bango i had surgery on june 31, 2011 I have now lost 20 lbs since surgery... Amazing turn of events in 2 short years....

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

That is wonderful news Jim. And Welcome to the board. I bet your sons are very proud of you. I know how it is when your children are gone, you really do miss them. Although my daughter is not in the service her husband is in the Navy and they are not stationed anywhere close. So she has been gone from home for over 4 years.

Good LUck on your journey.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

JIM, welcome to this great family. First, please thank your sons for the wonderful job they are doing protecting our freedoms and our country. Second, thank you and your wife for raising patriotic men as your sons to go serve our country in this manner. Third, thank you for your inspiring words and sharing your story. So often men won't take care of themselves due to some "macho" thing from the 70's or something. I know you will have lots of great advice for us pre-opers still waiting on our surgery dates. Spread your wisdom when you can. Thanks again. :usa: :usa2:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

One of my Sons the elder and His wife are stationed in Oceanside, California On Camp Pendleton.

The other is Stationed on Okinawa, Japan at Camp Futenma. He came home in Febuary Got married, left his new wife at our house and went back. So, we have had our new daughter in law living with us for the last almost 6 months. We love her but we were just getting used to not having any kids at home. Gotta love those kids....

Thank you all for the warm welcome...!

That is wonderful news Jim. And Welcome to the board. I bet your sons are very proud of you. I know how it is when your children are gone, you really do miss them. Although my daughter is not in the service her husband is in the Navy and they are not stationed anywhere close. So she has been gone from home for over 4 years.

Good LUck on your journey.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Welcome Jim!! I am a fellow Razorback lover (Whoo Pig Sooie!!) as I am an Arkansan as well! Good luck to you in your journey!!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Welcome to the world of winner's beating the weight issues. myself i had my VSG 3-2-11 and have lost 91 lbs so far. i live just down the road in Alma, and used Dr. Roller in northwest AR for my surgery. if you have any questions don't be afraid to ask. someone here has probably experienced the same issue. good luck and keep up the good work.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Japan, that is where my son in law wants to go next, but my daughter doesn't....LOL Right now they are in Jacksonville Florida on the Naval Base. We did get to visit them in June, just went to Fla. for our vacation....LOL

Must be strange having a new "kid" in the house, especially one that isn't your own. Maybe she can join her husband soon in Japan.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Japan, that is where my son in law wants to go next, but my daughter doesn't....LOL Right now they are in Jacksonville Florida on the Naval Base. We did get to visit them in June, just went to Fla. for our vacation....LOL

Must be strange having a new "kid" in the house, especially one that isn't your own. Maybe she can join her husband soon in Japan.

Jim loved it at first, now he just wants to be state side....I wonder why? He got married in February hasn't seen his wife in 6-1/2 months???----;):(:D

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So glad to have you here! Please thank your son for their bravery and sacrifice on behalf of our country. My husband is a retired Navy Chief and I do miss the "family" of the military at times. I know you're bustin' buttons with pride and I don't blame you one bit! Congrats on your surgery and the new steps in your new life!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Welcome Jim!! I had surgery with Dr. Goodnight on 3/28/11 and cannot say enough positive things about him!! Have you gone to any of the support group meetings? I live in Central AR, so I haven't been able to make it to one yet. How have things gone for you since surgery?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Welcome Jim!! I had surgery with Dr. Goodnight on 3/28/11 and cannot say enough positive things about him!! Have you gone to any of the support group meetings? I live in Central AR, so I haven't been able to make it to one yet. How have things gone for you since surgery?

Lanette,

I am doing really great, I just broke through 350 last week as of today I am 345.6 lbs and I love my sleeve... It keeps me honest in my Quest to lose weight the vey thing i could not do for myself!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
      I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play,  and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm. 
      I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order. 
      My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore. 
       
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • ChunkCat

      Thank you everyone for your well wishes! I totally forgot I wrote an update here... I'm one week post op today. I gained 15 lbs in water weight overnight because they had to give me tons of fluids to bring my BP up after surgery! I stayed one night in the hospital. Everything has been fine except I seem to have picked up a bug while I was there and I've been running a low grade fever, coughing, and a sore throat. So I've been hydrating well and sleeping a ton. So far the Covid tests are negative.
      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×