Gastric Bypass Adventures

Section 1 - The Choice

Well as many of my friends and family know, I have had gastric bypass surgery in December of 2008. I enjoyed my last full Thanksgiving dinner, celebrated my 30th birthday and 5 days later I underwent surgery!

Before Surgery at my birthday party

My husband and I decided this was my best option for good health. I had this surgery for many reasons.... Earlier that year my father had undergone surgery to have a toe removed. He has been fighting Type 2 diabetes for about the last 13 years. My grandfather and great grandfather also have/had Type 2 diabetes. I was 30 years old, smoked heavily, weighed 300 pounds, had arthritis, sleep apnea, limited mobility, no energy and very little luck losing all this weight on my own.

Now I had tried to lose my weight. I have been chunky or just down right fat since I was 5 years old. When I was 10 years old my Momma put me through the Weight Watchers program....we had a lot of success...but when we quit I gained all my weight back. I struggled with my weight, tried all kinds of diets...sometimes I just didn't care, sometimes I was so depressed that I just ate and ate and ate! If you didn't catch it in my previous paragraph...I also smoked. I started smoking as a teenager, quit and picked it up again when I started college. I had about as much success quitting smoking as I did losing weight.

I married my Tool Man in 2002 at the time I weighed about 220 pounds and was a size 20W. By the time I got pregnant with my daughter in 2003 I weighed 270 pounds...I gain an extra 30 pounds during my pregnancy and I never lost it. I carried that weight around for 5 years folks.....at the height of my weight I wore a size 28W and really should have been wearing a 30W.

During that five years I tried to quit smoking numerous times. I tried joining Weight Watchers again....my Momma had a lot of success...me not so much! I began to have problems with my knees and shoulders hurting all the time. I was having problems with sleeping and discovered I had sleep apnea. And the list just goes on and on.

When my Daddy had his surgery to have is toe removed (due mainly to his diabetes and nuropathy)....I got scared! I saw myself 10 years down the road...still fat, struggling with my own diabetes, totally miserable and dependant on my husband instead of being his partner in this life. I dreamed of having another child...but my husband wouldn't even consider it...I was just too unhealthy.

A friend of mine had recently undergone gastric bypass surgery. She had wonderful results and was a great inspiration for me!  Tool Man and I discussed this many times. We talked to my parents...whom were just as worried about my health as I was...and they were okay with the surgery but worried all the same.

So I made the call....here in North Texas the most widely recognized Bariatric Surgeon is Dr. Kenneth Warnock. Anyone that has ever gone to Dr. Warnock knows that he is a wonderful, caring, Christian man and one very excellent surgeon. Everyone that I have ever talked to that has come in contact with this man has given him rave reviews!

I met Dr. Warnock with my husband on October 9, 2008. And I understood exactly what everyone was talking about. As I sat in tears telling this man why I would like to have weight loss surgery, he just nods his head, hands me a tissue and starts telling me what we need to do to make this all happen. The first thing I have to do is STOP SMOKING! FOR EVER! Never again am I to pick up a cigarette! IF I agree to this and several other dietary changes immediately, then we will check with the insurance company and see about my surgery! I left after receiving a heartfelt hug and encouragement that everything would work out for the best.

Guess what I did the very next day????

As this story is long and involved....I am going to break it up into segments. So of you will find this interesting and inspiring...others won't care.... I felt that I needed to share my story, that it might help someone else out there struggling to lose their weight!

God Bless, Mama D