The following pages are a journal of my progress. If you'd like to learn more about the procedure I selected, click on the following link: Roux-en-Y.
"Spring Thaw"
1-year update
In April 2002, I asked my PCP (primary care physician) for a referral for weight loss surgery (WLS). Due to the recent popularity of WLS procedures, it would be another 11 months before my surgery.
My consultation with my bariatric surgeon, Dr. Ikramuddin, was on Halloween 2002; and then my surgery was scheduled for March 5, 2003. Once I met with the surgeon, things were finally set in motion. I had an endoscopy to check for damage due to acid reflux; an ultrasound to check for gallstones; a stress test to check my heart; and an MMPI for psychological evaluation. I came through all the tests with flying colors... yes, even the MMPI.
The next step was to have my pre-op physical and, finally, my pre-op meeting with Dr. Ikramuddin's nurse practitioner. At that final meeting, the nurse practioner (Donna) had some concern over my medical history -- my father had polyps in his colon when I was in high school, and I have suffered most of my life with frequent diarrhea. She consulted with Dr. Ikramuddin and they decided they wanted me to have an upper G.I. and a colonoscopy to determine if I had a diagnosable condition before proceeding with surgery.
Again, these tests came out negative and my surgery was rescheduled for March 31, 2003. The most interesting thing to come out of these additional tests was something the physician performing the upper G.I. said to me. She said, "Your stomach empties so fast, I can't imagine you ever feel full." Wow, what validation that this surgery is the right thing for me.
The Path That Brought Me Here
I've struggled with my weight all my life. However, it wasn't until the last 5 or 6 years that it really seemed to interfere with my health and my life. I've always been fairly active -- always proud that I could keep up with the "skinnies." My attempts at losing weight were always more about wanting to feel attractive and not about ill health. Finally, I decided a few years ago that how others viewed me was not important, and as long as I could "keep up," I didn't care what I looked like.
In August 2000, I went to Scotland with my friends Carol and Eric. At that time, I had already begun walking with a cane when I knew I'd be walking some distance -- I could no longer "keep up." My weight had begun to affect my lower joints -- feet, ankles, knees and, especially, hips. So, I took my trusty cane with me to Scotland. We had a wonderful time there, especially the four days we were in Edinburgh. However, I was in great pain most of the trip and was unable to join in some of the fun. I couldn't keep up with my friends, traipsing up and down the hills of Edinburgh, I really felt left out. We had traveled all that way and here I was sitting in the hotel room. It made me angry with myself that I had let my weight get this out of control. Something had to be done.
When we returned to the States, however, I pretty much went back to my old habits. I wanted to exercise, I wanted to be more active, but the joint pain was just too much... and dieting was incredibly hard. It was April of 2001 when I had another experience that had me soul searching for an answer to this weight thing. I woke up one morning with a fluttery feeling in my chest. For the next 3 or 4 days I found it difficult to breathe and broke out into a sweat quite easily. For some reason, I wasn't that concerned that it might be my heart... there was no pain. But I finally decided it was a good idea to see the doctor. She gave me an EKG and then informed me that she was calling an ambulance to take me to the hospital. She said I had an atrial fibrillation (a-fib) and that I could pass out if I tried to drive to the hospital on my own. I was in the hospital for three days and had to be cardioverted -- they put me under and shocked my heart with those paddles like you see on TV.
The doctors at the hospital told me that I didn't seem to have any diagnosable trouble that would cause the a-fib. One doctor told me, "It is a common thing in 'older' men." OLDER? I didn't feel older, except that my body was beginning to act older. When I asked if my weight could have been a contributing factor, they actually told me no. Follow-up of my hospital stay included a stress test with a cardiologist (which came out negative) and a sleep study at Hennepin County Medical Center's Sleep Lab -- one of the foremost sleep study clinics in the country. My physicians in the hospital theorized that my a-fib might have been brought about by sleep apnea. And sure enough, they were probably right. I do have mild sleep apnea and now sleep with a machine called a C-PAP that forces air into my lungs, and did not have another episode with a-fib until after my surgery two years later.
Then one night while channel surfing, I caught Carnie Wilson being interviewed about her weight loss surgery.
