Suzanne-photog4fun

Here's my personal history about my weight loss journey:
Hello, My name is Suzanne and I am 49 yrs. old. I have struggled with my weight since childhood, and have ranged between 230-275 lbs. most of my adult life at 5'6" tall. I have had, over the many years, brief successes with weight loss, but I always gained the weight back and eventually more. I come from a long family history of obesity.
When I developed Diabetes at 44 yrs. old, my delusion that I would be the one who didn't develop obesity related health complications disappeared. Being in the medical profession, myself, I KNEW THAT THERE WERE CONSEQUENCES TO POOR LIFESTYLE BEHAVIORS (obesity, poor diet, & lack of regular exercise). I had just not quite developed the most serious ones YET. Well, they finally arrived and I felt hopelessness & despair. No matter how hard I attempted to eat healthier, I just couldn't stick with it. Lifestyle changes, for me, are the hardest to achieve long term. I was failing miserably with them, and the future (now at 273 lbs. in Oct. 2001) looked grim.
After my sister & uncle (only a few years older than myself) almost died in July, 2001, of obesity related complications such as diabetes, heart, lung, kidney disease, etc., I seriously started researching gastric bypass surgery. I was ecstatic to read about its long term success rate of keeping off 2/3 of excess weight. I felt hope that maybe, just maybe, that I, too, could be successful at this. It seemed like such a drastic measure, and I feared some that I'd fail at this also. After jumping through all of the insurance hoops over a 4 month period, I had my surgery January 29, 2002. MY NEW LIFE BEGAN THAT DAY!!!
Over 2 yrs. later, I'm down to 155 lbs. (about 10-15 lbs. from an ideal weight). I dropped 80 lbs. the first 5-6 months postop, and another 25 lbs. over the next 6 months. I had hoped that my weight loss wouldn't stabilize until I reached my goal weight but it did. Since my surgery was on my stomach, not my brain, I still have intermittent food issues and cravings, though nothing like before my surgery ! Most days I eat healthy overall. I stay away from my previous binge foods (sweets & fast food) fairly well but it is difficult at times. Being consistant with exercise continues to be a challenging life style habit. Thank God that I don't have to do the food or exercise perfectly to be successful after gastric bypass surgery. I do the best that I can each day, praising my efforts, and being gentle with myself most of the time when I make poor choices. Gastric bypass surgery is a "TOOL", not a "fix it all solution". It sure was the right decision for me after a lifetime of struggling with my morbid obesity.
I FEEL ALIVE TODAY !!! IT HAS NOT BEEN AN EASY ROAD SO FAR, BUT IT HAS BEEN WORTH EVERY BIT OF DISCOMFORT & FRUSTRATION ALONG THE WAY !! I FEEL RELEASED FROM BEING IMPRISONED BY FAT. I AM RE-BORN ! I'M LIKE A COCOON HATCHING INTO A BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLY.
Here are some of my miracles since my surgery:
Diabetes.... Gone
Urine leakage with sneeze or cough....Gone
Chronic fatigue.....Gone
Irritable bowel syndrome...Gone
Chronic back, knee, foot pain...Gone
Always hot & sweaty.... Gone
Chronic indigestion (acid reflux disease).... Gone
Difficulty reaching to do personal hygiene...Gone
Chronic nasal stuffiness... Gone
Shortness of breath with walking....Gone
Chronic depression... 80% improved
Self Esteem...80%improved
Feeling unattractive & unfeminine...80% improved
Feelings of humiliation & embarrassment regarding my morbid
obesity,especially in my professional life.....GONE !!!!
I AM SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE RECEIVED THIS GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY. It isn't a "cure all" for my eating & life issues, but it sure has helped me tremendously in achieving a healthier, happier ME! ONE DAY AT A TIME, with God's help, the support of the Gastric bypass community, and my family & friends, I am recovering from the devastating condition of morbid obesity. I have come out of my cocoon & blossomed into a lovely lady. Thank you, God, and the miracles of modern science. Suzanne

__________________
Suzanne-
Lap RNY 1-29-02 ...Pre-op 273+ lbs.
Currently 185 lbs. -- January 2009

marisa

Suzanne,

What a wonderful story...full of hope! I congradulate you on your success. Keep up the great work! You give me HOPE!

Marisa

Peckkale

Hi Suzanne,

Thank you for taking the time to address issues and concerns regarding GBS.

Now here comes the stupid question my doctor instructed me to ask?

If you had it to do all over again, would you still choose surgery or would you go another path?

Christina

As always your post was both inspirational and informative. Thank you for sharing your heartfeldt feelings with us. You are such an amazing wonderful person.. and the reason I felt comfortable going into the surgery process.. your posts gave me a great feeling of knowing what to expect. So thank you again.. for allowing me to know what to expect in my future again.

__________________
Christina
Open RNY 03/31/2004
274/128/137 (131 Per Dr. C)
BMI: 47 / 22

"There's nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility is being superior to your former self." - Ernest Miller Hemingway

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." - Henry Ford

Suzanne-photog4fun

You asked if I'd have WLS again?
My gastric bypass surgery was the absolute best thing that I have ever done for myself in my entire life. I am currently 49 yrs. old! It has drastically improved the quality of my life. Absolutely NO REGRETS!

monicai

hello all: i am scheduled for surgery 6/20/05-scared to death comes to mind! It is the same date as my daughter's birthday-one of the happiest days of my life-surely the good Lord will see that I survive to see my daughter bloom and grow and have a famliy of her own. Starting all the pre-op meetings-feel much need for emotional support. Blessings to all!

Dara

Monicai:

It is perfectly normal to be scared to death. You're going through a major surgical procedure. However, if you've done your homework and know that this is the best thing for you...you should relax and just let it happen. Be confident in your decision. As you said, the good Lord will take care of you.

We are here for you. We know exactly what you're going through. We've been there. Try to be calm and do as much preparation as you can. Clean your house, pay your bills, get all your ducks in a row.

One of my favorite sayings...let go and let God.

__________________

Dara
Open RNY 4/27/04 Dr. Callery
10-15 lbs. above goal weight and okay with it

LizardQueen

Thank yo ufor sharing so much! I was feeling a little discouraged again today (I gotta get out of this funk) and that really helped. Congratulations on getting your life back! I'm sure you always were a lovely lady, but I bet you REALLY lovely now!!!

monicai

suzanne - your story touched my heart-i have worked in the medical field most of my life - i could write a book about health. In fact i now teach health at the middle school level. I go to my first pre-op mtg tomorrow night. i need to have a sign to know i am doing the right thing. Knowledge is power! Hope to keep in touch with you. Monica

Suzanne-photog4fun

I re-read my post from 3+ yrs. ago and here's my update. I regained 35-37 lbs. of the 120 lbs that I lost and have maintained that weight for over 2 yrs.. My overeating of sweets and lack of consistant exercise is responsible for the excess weight. I just have a very difficult time controlling my sugar intake. I never overeat on "regular food", just sweets.
My pre-op co-morbidities still are mostly gone except my blood sugar does rise above normal if I eat sweets along with an occasional food related irritable bowel episode. The intense struggles with depression that I had at 1 1/2-3 yrs. post-op are significantly improved. I have a greater sense of acceptance that yes, I regained some weight and that it doesn't make me a "bad" person or a "failure". I'm "AVERAGE" in the statistics of weight regain after gastric bypass surgery. I do the best that I can each day and that's "good enough". I'm a far cry from the morbid obesity that I experienced for 25 yrs. of my adult life. Life is so much better now.

__________________
Suzanne-
Lap RNY 1-29-02 ...Pre-op 273+ lbs.
Currently 185 lbs. -- January 2009