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Date: Fri, 01 Mar 2002 18:55:36 -0000
From: "conniedubya" <conniedubya@xxxx.com>
Subject: 364 days later (long)
364 days later . . . reflecting on my journey and what being banded
has meant to me.
I know this is going to be long, so I'll divide it into sections, and
you can skip to the section that interests you (assuming that one does, of course).
BACKGROUND
One year ago tomorrow I began a new approach to life, a new lease on
life really. I was 53 years old and weighed 331 pounds. My earliest
memories are of people commenting on my size. That was mostly because
I was as tall as—and eventually taller than—my sister, who is only 15
months older. (And who is officially retiring today, damn her. I'm
soooooooooo jealous.) But those comments got internalized in a negative way, especially since I am at least a 4th generation obese
person. Obesity probably goes further back in my family, but I have
personal knowledge that my great-grandfather, my grandmother, and my
mother were all obese. Unfortunately for my son, I have helped him
carry on this family "tradition." Because I didn't have the power to
stop myself, I didn't have the power to stop setting a bad example
for him. I learned to overeat at my mother's knee; he learned to
overeat at mine.
My banding journey actually began in the early spring of 2000 when I
first learned about the existence of the band and began my investigation of it. I was very excited about the concept because I
never would have consented to any of the invasive surgeries that required drastically rearranging one's innards and resulted in
malabsorption. I've posted many times about the details of why I have
this attitude. If you need the full-blown version, search by my e-mail name on the Yahoo site (currently conniedubya; previously
bridgeplayer—or was it bridge_player??). Here, at last, seemed to be a tool to help me.
I had tried so many things to lose weight. I took my first diet pills the summer between 8th and 9th grades. I'm sure I had dieted before
then. Other things I tried included a low-carb/high protein diet, Weight Watchers, Overeaters Anonymous, Optifast, FenPhen, Redux,
therapy, hypnosis, and 30-days of in-patient treatment at a 12-step-based program. Before learning about the band, I had given up. I had
resigned myself to being grossly overweight for the rest of my life.
I was tired of the deprivation. Food was my only joy in life, and I
wasn't willing to give it up.
After a few weeks of investigation I gave up my quest for the band.
The closest FDA-trial doctor was in Pittsburgh, at least a 7-hour drive away, and I decided that was too far. I checked again several
weeks later and learned there was a doctor in Indianapolis, 2 hours
or less from Dayton. Unfortunately, her hospital did not give
approval to banding surgery, and she dropped out. I had found Bandsters in late October, and it was now January of 2001 when I
learned a Detroit doctor was joining the trials. About this time, I
was also seriously considering Mexican options. I never met or talked
with the Detroit doctor personally, but the person with whom I was
conversing on the phone didn't impress me. I also drove there and took his psych evaluation. My thinking began to change, and I now
realized experience with the procedure was more important to me than
proximity. That's when I decided to be banded by Dr. Pedro Kuri in
Tijuana, Mexico.
MY BANDING
My surgery was March 2, 2001. The surgery went well. Dr. Kuri said I "made him work hard," but I think he says that when people have
abdominal fat (and who doesn't when they weigh 331??). I consider myself fortunate to have had a friend from home (who is a nurse) with
me and to have 3 fellow Bandsters checking up on me and providing
transportation. Shelley and Jen (also a nurse) were both in TJ for a
fill and took care of both my friend from home and me. Wayne also dropped by the hospital post-op to check on me. I was released from
the hospital the day after surgery. The following day, Dr. Kuri stopped by the hotel to check on me and gave me the green light to
return home. I had allowed an extra day to avoid rushing and stress,
so my friend and I traveled back to San Diego, spent the night there,
and caught a flight the next morning (3 days post-op). This was the
day my troubles began.
I started feeling nauseous. It wasn't horrible at first; I just knew I didn't feel the greatest. But after a couple of days, I was
desperate and wondering what I had done to myself. Dr. Kuri and my
local physician connected via telephone (on Dr. K's nickel, I might
add), and decided on a treatment plan for the nausea, which was so
bad by this time that I was sucking ice cubes for hydration because
that reduced the number of times I had to move. I would have had my
band removed if that was what Dr. K had told me I needed to do. But
one anti-nausea shot, some Pepcid AC and/or Prilosec later, things began to settle down. I've since attributed the cause of the nausea
to withdrawal from a prescription medication I decided to stop taking
because I was afraid it wouldn't go through my stoma. (A "not smart" move; don't try this at home, boys and girls.)
I had my first fill in early May and my second one in late August.
After the first fill, I was still eating things like bread, pizza,
and pasta. Nothing much was off limits, but I was eating much smaller
quantities and losing weight. I needed time between fills 1 and 2 to
get my head wrapped around the concept of giving up more food. I
didn't get fill 2 until I felt I could handle it. Given my present
level of restriction, I doubt that I will have fill 3 in the near future. I can't fathom giving up more food. Doing so is not on my
radarscope. On most days, I have trouble getting in the right amounts
of protein and vegetables.
My weight loss has been slowed lately (21 pounds since the end of October). The answer for me is not with more fill and less food, but
with more protein, more water, and more exercise. If anything, I suspect my body is in preservation mode because of the lowered
caloric intake, and only exercise is going to jump-start my metabolism. I'm working on getting my mind wrapped around that
concept.
MY PROGRESS
I have said goodbye to 76 pounds. I have gone from size 30/32 pants to a comfortable 24. Top size is now 22/24, down from 4X or 5X.
Yesterday I bought a gorgeous black jacket with colorful appliqués
that was XL!! The shoulders fit, but I can button only the top 2 buttons; I look forward to being able to button the ones at the hips.
I just couldn't pass up a $78 jacket on sale for under $16.
Other milestones that you can all appreciate:
§ Food is no longer the focus of my life.
§ I can eat just about anything I want in small quantities (bread and some pastas are a problem, though).
§ A few months ago I caught myself crossing my legs at the knees without thinking about it.
§ My beautician (bless her) no longer has to swap out chairs before I come in because I didn't fit in the standard one.
§ My yoga practice has improved. My stomach used to get in the way and stop me from going into postures as far as I wanted to go.
§ My stamina has increased. I can clean (ugh, ugh, ugh) and do repair chores much more easily now and for a longer period of time
without requiring rest.
§ People actually make eye contact and acknowledge my existence in the hallways at work.
§ I'm very happy to be around the weight I was when I came home from in-patient treatment 12 years ago. Perspective is an amazing
thing. The weight that drove me to treatment then seems pretty darn
awesome today.
§ I took our cat to the vet this morning. I fit in the armed chairs and didn't have to sit on the table between the chairs.
And sadly, I am going to have to retire one of my favorite tops. It
is almost too big to wear any more. I relished being able to wear it
again. I had given it to my sister with the caveat that I wanted it
back if I could ever wear it again. Now, I soon have to say adieu to
it again.
THE FUTURE
Who knows? What will be, will be. I want to continue losing weight.
By those infamous charts, I could lose another hundred pounds and still be overweight. My lowest adult weight was 136 at age 23 (wore a
10 or 12). I doubt that I'll ever see that again, but anything lower
than my present weight is (to use a food analogy) icing on the cake.
Considering the hopeless point at which I started, I am quite pleased
to be my current weight (255) even though it is the weight at which
many people start their banding journey. I believe I will continue to
lose weight in my slow, progressive way. I'd still like for all of it
to miraculously drop off by the time I get up tomorrow morning, but
we all know that won't happen. I look forward to the rest of my journey.
I know I need more exercise. I know I need to chew better. I still
catch myself swallowing before things are chewed well enough.
But all in all, I LOVE MY BAND!
Connie W.
Dayton, OH
Banded 3/2/01 by Dr. Kuri
331/255/???
This
was presented with full support and approval of the author...
Thanks:
Connie...
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