Before & After RNY with Joanne, losing 133 lbs!
March 27, 2018Why I Decided To Have WLS
I am 65 years old. I am a wife to my husband, Kevin, a mother of 4, grandmother to 13, and a great-grandma to 1. When I had gastric bypass, I weighed 266 pounds and today I am proud to say I weigh 133 pounds.
I am feeling great and loving life.
The majority of my life I was a size 14 to 16 for about 45 years. I was a waitress and real estate agent. My dad died. I developed neuropathy in my feet and I had to change my career. I quit smoking and began gaining 5 pounds here, 8 pounds there. I had tried every diet out there; I would lose the weight and then put it back on. I gained over 100 pounds and reached my highest weight of 273.
In 2015, my boss kept telling me that I needed to think about having the surgery. She saw me struggling to breathe, walk and being in pain. I told her that I was too old, being 62 at the time. My boss met Dr. Reginald Griffin and had gastric bypass herself. Around that time I found out I had a hernia and it was bothering me. I was scared to have surgery because I was so obese. I'd went to a different doctor and the first thing he told to me was "Do you realize how obese you are? It's going to make your long story short." My daughter is an RN and after discussing it with her we decided to make an appointment and go see Dr. Reginald Griffin.
Before & After RNY with Joanne
Surgery Type: RNY
Total Weight Lost: 133 pounds
Surgery Date: April 11, 2016
Surgeons Name: Reginald L. Griffin
My Surgery and Post-Op Life
Dr. Griffin talked to us about all three surgeries and we watched the videos he wanted us to see. I asked Dr. Griffin if I was too old and he told me that I was actually an excellent candidate. That was on December 15, 2015, I weighed 266 pounds that day. I had my surgery on April 11, 2016.
I went back to see Dr. Griffin on December 5, 2017, and I weighed 133 pounds. I was exactly half the woman I was when I met him.
I put a photo album together for Dr. Griffin and let him know how he saved my life (he did). I'm 65 today and I feel like I'm 20 at times. I work 40 hours a week in a hospital and I even wait tables on Friday nights for 5 hours. I love working and being around people, moving and going… I can do what I couldn’t do before. I'm so happy. I've got my life back. I was wearing clothes anywhere from 24 to 28 to 4X prior to my surgery and now I wear size 6 pants and small tops. Who knew?! I can't thank Dr. Griffin for saving my life.
Special Milestone
I had a wow moment on the Labor Day after my surgery. I was sitting on a picnic chair and all of a sudden I crossed my legs! I then realized what I'd done and freaked out. I took a picture of my legs because I could not believe it. It had been years since I was able to cross my legs! Though this may seem minor, after 20 plus years of not being able to do such things it was a milestone and an amazing moment.
All I can say is that the support groups helped immensely and changed my life. If my story and what's happened to me can save somebody else's life, I am happy to share and thank you to ObesityHelp for allowing me to do that, I'm honored.
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