Hi All,
I never really got excited about a Gastric Bypass. But since I have reached a plateau of 305lbs, I believe I must have this surgery or die trying. I had learned I was put on a waiting list for surgery at the VA Birmingham Medical Center. The kicker was, I was number 49 out of 750, but the surgery at UAB was only performed 7 times a year as instructional procedure.
I weighed a nice 200lbs at retirement in 1987, by 1999 I was averaging 250lbs. By the time I had my 5 bypass surgery in December 1999, I was well over 275lbs. I never really recovered from the bypass, short story is that I broke 2 of the 5 pins that held my breastplate together; I had fluid in one of my lungs. I had to return to Eisenhower Medical Center and be re-entered for infection. By July 2000, my wounds were still not healed. I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes in 2002 and my health problems just kept adding up. At the present, I take over 23 different types of medications for my health problems.
My surgeon will be the Chief of Surgery for UAB School of Medicine. I requested a session to examine me and move me up the waiting list. Fortunately, my 100% service-connection disabilities did just that. It looks good for surgery in the next couple weeks.
I am concerned about the drastic change, if I will be mentally capable of adjusting.
I just started reading the forums here and hope a lot of my questions and fears will be answered here.
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