Hello! A Post To Introduce Myself...

Hello to all the amazing, fantastic people in this forum! My name's Mike and I just wanted to take a moment and introduce myself.

I had Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass surgery on February 7th, 2004. At my start weight I was over 400 pounds. After surgery, I got to my lowest (which was scary - I had lots of complications, developed struggles with food and got down to under 150 pounds, and at 5'11 with a large frame, I looked like a walking skeleton (I am posting photos in my photo gallery). Then, things finally got better, and I began to gain weight. I finally got to and maintained a very healthy 185 pounds and managed extremely well... until a couple of years ago.

Suddenly, my dumping syndrome (which never went away really) got even worse - I now have what the doctors call "surgically induced hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia", where if I eat too many carbs - even healthy ones like whole grains or even fresh strawberries, I get a severe blood sugar reaction. My pancreas pumps out too much insulin as a reaction, and forces my blood sugar too low and I black out. This has even happened once while driving back from a business lunch, where I made the HUGE mistake of eating a small roll on the side of my Chicken Caesar salad. Go figure - how DARE I do that! LOL hehehehe.... Ugh.

So, I began to eat around whatever I could - my dietary intake is a lot fattier than before, and I have even tried just pure Atkins-type eating. Yet now I struggle, very hard, to maintain my current weight which is 242 as of this morning. I feel miserable, I have no energy, and everything hurts - all as a result of carrying this extra weight after not having that issue for so many years.

Now - everything is not doom and gloom - if I had to do it all over again, I would! Surely, by now if I had not had the original surgery I would be long gone and 6-feet under. I am very thankful. I did have some follow up procedures from complications, and a few hospitalizations, but everything was managed great early on. Now, I just struggle every day with food choices, eating from emotions and stress (I work out of the house and have a very technologically challenging job as a Director of Information Technology for a large nationwide company, and I am ALWAYS working it seems) - and at times of very high stress I eat too much, or just not the right thing.... Or - (here's the kicker!) - already fully KNOWING how sick I will be, and that I might black out, I eat carbs that I know will just kill me (lol), and when I feel a blackout/dizzy spell coming on, I just run to the bed and lie down. This is so stupid. I am frustrated and I am disappointed in myself, that after all I have gone through, food still has such a huge control over me.

At any rate, I am so excited to start participating in this forum. From what I have been reading, everyone is so supportive and people here are truly terrific!

Currently, I am 57 (birthday is in May - a Taurus so very bull-headed LOL), I live with my partner in Little Rock Arkansas, I have three amazing dogs (two Chihuahuas and one Basset Hound), and I have two beautiful amazing 33-year old twin step daughters who I am blessed to have a terrific relationship with. I am an open book so ask any questions you like, and I look forward to participating in this group and also in hopefully getting some support, and an outlet for when I am struggling with turning to food. My goal? To get back down below 200 so that I feel better. Thanks so much everyone - I appreciate all of you - have a beautiful day!

Mike