Positive Saturday Stories

Lynne R.
on 11/21/09 8:25 am - Houston, TX

Copied from the "other" thread:

About 9 years ago, I was in so much pain from arthritis in my knees that I could hardly walk. I was also diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, with a glucose level of over 600 when I was diagnosed.

With diet and medication, I was able to get my glucose down to around 155, but I still could hardly walk. I was living on Vioxx. I thought I was going to die when they took it off the market. I knew I had to do something.

I don't even remember how I heard about weight loss surgery. I started researching it and decided the RNY was the way I wanted to go. I found a surgeon with a good reputation and went to my PCP for help with the necessary tests. Unfortunately, he did not believe in WLS and pretty much sabotaged my attempts, right down to deliberately writing insurance letters incorrectly. Fortunately, I found another PCP who was more than willing to help me prepare for the surgery. It took TWO YEARS before BCBS finally approved me. Two weeks before my scheduled surgery, this highly recommended WLS surgeon flipped out and screamed at me in his office over a small complaint I had about his office staff. I decided I did NOT want this man cutting on me (he has since stopped doing surgery).

This was a stroke of great fortune, as it led me to the wonderful Garth Davis. Believe it or not, I found him by looking at the list of approved surgeons in my insurance book. I went to his seminar, and immediately knew I had found my surgeon. Because I was already approved, and had all my tests done, I was able to have my surgery right away, on Feb. 21, 2005, the day before my 54th birthday. (Dana and I are surgery sisters.)

My highest weight was 327. The day of surgery, I was at 297.

As many of you know, two years later I was able to have plastic surgery with the fabulous Dr. John LoMonaco, and got to be on Big Medicine. After a tummy tuck and hernia repair, two months later I had a buttocks lift. A couple of months after that, I was down to 152, which was my lowest weight. Since then, I've gained back (mumblemumble) lbs., but I'm good. My diabetes is gone, my blood pressure is good, and my arthritis is manageable.

I don't have any cross addictions. I am, and always will be, a carb addict. Unfortunately, I discovered that I don't dump.

This surgery, and the wonderful Garth and Dr.L, have given me my life back. I've never regretted it for a minute.

Lynne

JodieBlonde
on 11/21/09 2:42 pm - Mesquite, TX

VSG on 07/09/08

I copied my story to my profile. If anyone is interested, they can view it there.

MariPW
on 11/21/09 8:58 pm, edited 11/21/09 9:08 pm - Fredericksburg, TX

RNY on 07/15/08

20 months ago, I was 252 lbs, wearing a 22/24 pants and at least that size in tops. I had high Cholesterol, high blood pressure, had Obstructive Sleep Apnea, knee joint pain, urinary incontinence and on top of that, pretty severe depression. I was taking a handful of meds every day, using a CPAP machine to sleep, and I was generally pretty miserable. My PCP had sent me to a Cardiologist, for my Cardiac issues, who told me that I was on the path to Coronary Artery Disease, like my parent’s before me. At this point (March of 2008), the Cardiologist recommended that I look into WLS—LapBand more specifically. Who? Me?? So I came from the Doctor’s appointment and started looking into surgery. YIKES! All the information I was finding sounded pretty scary, but the results I was seeing were amazing.

Long story short, I found that my insurance would cover the surgery with a BMI over 40, with co-morbidities (which I had in abundance) and if I used a Surgeon in Dallas, Houston or Tyler (Tyler??). I also discovered OH and started lurking on the TMB. The information from this site was invaluable! I first checked into a physician at Memorial Hermann in Htown, but couldn’t even get anyone from that office to return a phone call. I had never seen, or even heard of Big Medicine, at that point, but I found out about the show from OH. Watched it a few times and decided that these guys were the ones for me! I placed my first call to the Davis Group. I found immediate help—I was getting excited! With the help from them, would I one day be a “normal" sized person? The next couple of weeks were a whirlwind of activity. Phone calls, doctor’s appointments, tests, meetings and a trip to Houston to attend one of the “cattle call" seminars…not necessarily in that order. My sister and I drove over to Houston for my first appointment with one of the Docs from the Davis group. I met with Dr. Robert (Big D) Davis who explained everything about the surgery, pros and cons, and recommended Proximal RNY over the LapBand. I had some big decisions to make. The decision was made and WOW! I was approved with the first submission to the insurance company and surgery was scheduled for July 15^th in Houston at Methodist.

Since Surgery, I have lost 109lbs! I am truly amazed at what I have accomplished. It was no walk in the park, let me tell you. Six months postop, almost to the day, I lost my job in San Marcos. I was down 70 lbs at that time and had the first “monkey-wrench" thrown into the works. I found another job, but it took me to Huntsville, Alabama. YIKES!! I was being taken 1000 miles away from my Texas peeps, my family and everything I knew, to a town where I knew NO ONE and had no support system! But life goes on, so I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and trudged on, ever forward!!! Since then, I have lost another 39lbs and am wearing a size 8 in pants and a Medium top. I feel better than I have in years and look better too! It hasn’t been easy, it hasn’t been a lot of fun, but it has been SOOOO worth it.

I have a wonderful group of friends on the TMB—folks who know what I’m experiencing and living with! I have a great family support system and am building a new life in Alabama. IMHO, life is pretty grand!