I'm a 66 year old male. I used to be very sporty and rode my bicycle daily with friends in competition races on occasion. My wife died in 2011 and it was about then that I started eating. I went from 165lbs to 290lbs by the start of 2018. This was heavy as I am only 5' 4" tall. I had been trying all sorts of diets and methods, and exercise. I took al lot of weight off with Atkins but it all came back. My doctor was not a fan of bariatric surgery so I got things moving myself. I signed up with a hospital in Iowa and three weeks later they told me I was not a candidate because I was older than 65 years. In February'18, I found my way to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and their Digestive Disease Department. It took till March to get an appointment. At this first appointment I met with various health professionals, the Bariatric program Director, the surgeon, a Dietitian, among others who spent much time taking vitals and blood samples, and family history. Apparently my general health was good but the surgeon wanted my blood pressure down a little. Over the next three months I was on a healthy diet of green leafy vegetables and and other non carb, non fat foods Dietary wise it was the worst three months of my dieting life. However the surgeon expected me to lose about 20lbs. There were three meeting with the dietitian during those months and I was ably to produce a record fo food intake, of a sorts, and answer questions such as are you drinking the water company dry everyday, are you walking a hundred miles before breakfast each day, have you curtailed your visits to the drive-thru, and have you stopped drinking pepsi and beer. After the three months I was down to 275lbs and I thought that was pretty good. I then met with the surgeon and was told that I was fit to be a candidate for the program and that they would now submit all the paperwork to Medicare for approval. This process took another month or so, and then a month or six-weeks later I was scheduled for surgery. The whole process took over six-months. Ten days before the surgery I was put on a liquid diet of 1000 calories one day and 850 calories the next. This was a difficult diet to maintain for the time. However, by the time the surgery date came around I had lost the first 32lbs. The thy of the surgery was a little intimidating. I had had laparoscopic surgery a few years earlier for prostate cancer. That time I remember I had both my daughters with me in the ready room and at post-op. This time I was on my own as I had not told anyone of my surgery. My closest friend, my financial guy, was the only one who knew of my bariatric surgery. Everyone else thought I was going in for a hiatus hernia op. which the doc said he was going to fix on the way through. After the surgery I spent about 24 hours in a room in the surgical ward. Within three hours I was walking the hallway. I had blood tests, an urine samples taken. I have never seen an IV drip stand festooned with so many little plastic packages. By morning I had slept a few hours and got up went for a walk and stayed up either walking or sitting in a chair. The surgeon came in to visit twice and his assistant was in several times. In the mid afternoon, the whole surgical team arrived To check on everything before letting me go. The staff at the hospital were outstanding I could not fault a single person. I have been home for three weeks now and am preparing to return tomorrow to my part-time job at Lowes. I have been on pureed food for a week and ready to go to soft, Since the surgery I have lost 19 lbs. My weight today is 239.5lbs. Philip

I'm a 66 year old male. I used to be very sporty and rode my bicycle daily with friends in competition races on occasion. My wife died in 2011 and it was about then that I started eating. I went from 165lbs to 290lbs by the start of 2018. This was heavy as I am only 5' 4" tall. I had been trying all sorts of diets and methods, and exercise. I took al lot of weight off with Atkins but it all came back. My doctor was not a fan of bariatric surgery so I got things moving myself. I signed up with a hospital in Iowa and three weeks later they told me I was not a candidate because I was older than 65 years. In February'18, I found my way to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and their Digestive Disease Department. It took till March to get an appointment. At this first appointment I met with various health professionals, the Bariatric program Director, the surgeon, a Dietitian, among others who spent much time taking vitals and blood samples, and family history. Apparently my general health was good but the surgeon wanted my blood pressure down a little. Over the next three months I was on a healthy diet of green leafy vegetables and and other non carb, non fat foods Dietary wise it was the worst three months of my dieting life. However the surgeon expected me to lose about 20lbs. There were three meeting with the dietitian during those months and I was ably to produce a record fo food intake, of a sorts, and answer questions such as are you drinking the Water company dry everyday, are you walking a hundred miles before Breakfast each day, have you curtailed your visits to the drive-thru, and have you stopped drinking pepsi and beer. After the three months I was down to 275lbs and I thought that was pretty good. I then met with the surgeon and was told that I was fit to be a candidate for the program and that they would now submit all the paperwork to Medicare for approval. This process took another month or so, and then a month or six-weeks later I was scheduled for surgery. The whole process took over six-months. Ten days before the surgery I was put on a liquid diet of 1000 calories one day and 850 calories the next. This was a difficult diet to maintain for the time. However, by the time the surgery date came around I had lost the first 32lbs. The thy of the surgery was a little intimidating. I had had laparoscopic surgery a few years earlier for prostate cancer. That time I remember I had both my daughters with me in the ready room and at post-op. This time I was on my own as I had not told anyone of my surgery. My closest friend, my financial guy, was the only one who knew of my bariatric surgery. Everyone else thought I was going in for a hiatus hernia op. which the doc said he was going to fix on the way through. After the surgery I spent about 24 hours in a room in the surgical ward. Within three hours I was walking the hallway. I had blood tests, an urine samples taken. I have never seen an IV drip stand festooned with so many little plastic packages. By morning I had slept a few hours and got up went for a walk and stayed up either walking or sitting in a chair. The surgeon came in to visit twice and his assistant was in several times. In the mid afternoon, the whole surgical team arrived To check on everything before letting me go. The staff at the hospital were outstanding I could not fault a single person. I have been home for three weeks now and am preparing to return tomorrow to my part-time job at Lowes. I have been on pureed food for a week and ready to go to soft, Since the surgery I have lost 19 lbs. My weight today is 239.5lbs. Philip

Congrats on all your success!

Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Thanks Phillip. I am new here. I have 1 nutrition class left to take then OR date.. I sorta cant wait. I too am on Medicare. Your post was helpful to me. So Thanks for sharing and you keep on keeping on

5 hours ago, Philip E. said:

I'm a 66 year old male. I used to be very sporty and rode my bicycle daily with friends in competition races on occasion. My wife died in 2011 and it was about then that I started eating. I went from 165lbs to 290lbs by the start of 2018. This was heavy as I am only 5' 4" tall. I had been trying all sorts of diets and methods, and exercise. I took al lot of weight off with Atkins but it all came back. My doctor was not a fan of bariatric surgery so I got things moving myself. I signed up with a hospital in Iowa and three weeks later they told me I was not a candidate because I was older than 65 years. In February'18, I found my way to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and their Digestive Disease Department. It took till March to get an appointment. At this first appointment I met with various health professionals, the Bariatric program Director, the surgeon, a Dietitian, among others who spent much time taking vitals and blood samples, and family history. Apparently my general health was good but the surgeon wanted my blood pressure down a little. Over the next three months I was on a healthy diet of green leafy vegetables and and other non carb, non fat foods Dietary wise it was the worst three months of my dieting life. However the surgeon expected me to lose about 20lbs. There were three meeting with the dietitian during those months and I was ably to produce a record fo food intake, of a sorts, and answer questions such as are you drinking the Water company dry everyday, are you walking a hundred miles before Breakfast each day, have you curtailed your visits to the drive-thru, and have you stopped drinking pepsi and beer. After the three months I was down to 275lbs and I thought that was pretty good. I then met with the surgeon and was told that I was fit to be a candidate for the program and that they would now submit all the paperwork to Medicare for approval. This process took another month or so, and then a month or six-weeks later I was scheduled for surgery. The whole process took over six-months. Ten days before the surgery I was put on a liquid diet of 1000 calories one day and 850 calories the next. This was a difficult diet to maintain for the time. However, by the time the surgery date came around I had lost the first 32lbs. The thy of the surgery was a little intimidating. I had had laparoscopic surgery a few years earlier for prostate cancer. That time I remember I had both my daughters with me in the ready room and at post-op. This time I was on my own as I had not told anyone of my surgery. My closest friend, my financial guy, was the only one who knew of my bariatric surgery. Everyone else thought I was going in for a hiatus hernia op. which the doc said he was going to fix on the way through. After the surgery I spent about 24 hours in a room in the surgical ward. Within three hours I was walking the hallway. I had blood tests, an urine samples taken. I have never seen an IV drip stand festooned with so many little plastic packages. By morning I had slept a few hours and got up went for a walk and stayed up either walking or sitting in a chair. The surgeon came in to visit twice and his assistant was in several times. In the mid afternoon, the whole surgical team arrived To check on everything before letting me go. The staff at the hospital were outstanding I could not fault a single person. I have been home for three weeks now and am preparing to return tomorrow to my part-time job at Lowes. I have been on pureed food for a week and ready to go to soft, Since the surgery I have lost 19 lbs. My weight today is 239.5lbs. Philip

Hi Philip,

Congratulations on your surgery and 19 pounds down!

I'm excited for all the positive things coming your way. I bet you can't wait for your next food progression. take care of yourself. I hope you bounce back from surgery quickly.

Jenn

And hiya guys. I'm Frustr8, I'm 72 and had RnY September 5th at OSU in Columbus Ohio. So many doctors refuse to operate on us, siily aren't they? You and I , Phillip are shining examples that it can be done, it shall be done, for we deserve it and can be successful too. Medicare, Medicaid and determination got me through. I hope my Bari-Bud. @csummeral sees about you guys, she is neat lady who is also making her way through to health. At any rate Welcome again!

Welcome @Philip E. to the site. Congrats on getting through the process and getting approved. An even bigger CONGRATS on your successful surgery and weight loss thus far. Good luck on your journey!!!!

How are you doing this week Phillip? Congratulations on all you have achieved this far.

I’m 63 and had a band fitted 11 years ago that didn’t really work because I had to deal with some cancer that happened at the same time ... then 6 years ago I managed to lose about 75lbs on the Atkins diet. It’s now all back on and I’m hopefully getting sleeved soon... I’m desperate and time is ticking away !

Not too late, never too late, you're fine, you're perky and you will make this a success! So will I but it has taken longer, this prolonged Stage 2 is emotionally taxing.!

You’re an inspiration Frustr8... ?

On 10/01/2018 at 02:18, Frustr8 said:

And hiya guys. I'm Frustr8, I'm 72 and had RnY September 5th at OSU in Columbus Ohio. So many doctors refuse to operate on us, siily aren't they? You and I , Phillip are shining examples that it can be done, it shall be done, for we deserve it and can be successful too. Medicare, Medicaid and determination got me through. I hope my Bari-Bud. @csummeral sees about you guys, she is neat lady who is also making her way through to health. At any rate Welcome again!

I’m here doing pretty well not bad for 60 something right. Glad to see you Frustr8 ive been keeping track of you and hope you get relief soon hugs

Hw 257
SW 229
Post surgery day 236
CW 215. So I’m at 5 weeks and down 42 pounds sip sip sip walk walk walk. Also remember for those of us so fresh post op 1 oz liquid should take 5-10 min. Go slowly.......

On 10/7/2018 at 1:22 PM, Frustr8 said:

How are you doing this week Phillip? Congratulations on all you have achieved this far.

Thanks very much. So far so good. I started back at work (part-time at Lowe's) and I bought nutrient patches at the shop. I trust that they work. I'm down to 234lbs and have sort of hit a brick wall. I guess now the weight sheds a lot more slowly. I'm eating about 800 calories a day and don't want to eat less. I sometimes wonder if 800 is enough.

Hey I think you are doing real good with everything so far. My local Lowe's is a great to find b things and I am sure yours also with you there.Stay Strong we will make it through until the end.