This is a general question for everyone who's post-op.
- How much weight have you lost?
- How long did it take?
- Was the process what you expected it to be?
- Have any health problems improved since surgery?
- Are you happy you decided to go through this process to lose weight?
I'm going to start this off with my own story.
- Initially I lost 115 pounds. That was too much. So I concentrated on gaining some back, which was surprisingly difficult.
- I had surgery August 20, 2007. I reached my goal October 31, 2008.
- I didn't really have any expectations, but the difficulty of the post-op healing surprised me. But so did the food, and the way I ate after surgery. It was like starting all over with a new life and new needs, like a baby who just started solid food. It was far less difficult that any diet, and also less difficult than ordinary eating.
- I was pre-diabetic and at risk for stroke, the two major causes of death in my family. Now my blood sugar is normal and my blood pressure is always good. I decided to have the surgery after my dad died in 2006. In subsequent years, a younger brother died of complications from diabetes and hepatitis C, and an older sister died of congestive heart failure. Both of those diseases contributed to my father's death. And I was heading that way.
- Even after 13 years, I'm still thrilled with my health, my figure, my number on the scale and the defeat of the monsters that were coming to kill me.
In addition to all that, I've learned a lot about food and nutrition. I'm surprised I lived as long as I did, considering how badly I ate. And yet many Americans are in worse shape than I was, and they still have lives, although I don't know how good or bad they feel.
I think I mentioned that my neighbor and friend died suddenly in her apartment 12 days ago. Her boyfriend ran to my apartment to get me and I called 911, though it was obvious she was dead. It has been extremely traumatic for me since. The silence through the wall is killing me. I miss her voice and even her cigarette smoke that wound its way into my apartment when she stood outside, leaning on the railing. She was a large black woman with diabetes and CHF, and she drank and smoked all day. She was as sweet as pie. But I want to tell everyone, This is what happens. Gain weight, be sedentary, smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol and you'll die. Life is agony without her company. She was only 53, but she'd had a hard life that included drug addiction and homelessness. She was so happy here, but she just hated doctors and avoided making appointments to see them, even though she'd had a stent put in her heart at one point.
She lived life on her terms and she died. The few people she cared about, including me, are in a lot of pain. Her absence is even bigger than her presence. And she died because of her lifestyle, even refusing to take the mass quantities of meds she had on a table in her hallway. I'm a little bit angry about that. We are still emptying her apartment and talking to all her contacts, and cannot find her family. She'll be at the morgue for 90 days and if no relative comes forward, she'll be cremated and there will be no funeral.
I believe she'd be alive today if she'd cut back on booze, cigs and food. I'm certain she had no idea how much she was loved.
You all are doing the right thing, going for health via surgery, determined to live better and longer. Believe me, the people who love you are grateful for that. You have no idea how much you'd be missed if you died from lifestyle, young and loved.
