15 yrs post op lap BP/DS

Hi all,

16 yrs ago I found this board, it was very new then. I was 200 libs overweight and miserable. I had 4 children under age 7, my youngest being less than a year. I was dying a slow death and unable to do much bu****ch my kids play. After many nights crying with frustration to all my friend in the pre op forum, and all the insane insurance hoops I had to jump through, I found my way to Dr. Dennis Smith in Alpharetta GA and the gift of WLS saved my life. I have had few problems over the years, but keeping my iron, adek in range is a constant balancing act. I now have osteoporosis that I manage and I have had to put about 30,000 in my mouth as the imbalance of natural D and Calcium ratio has been very difficult to control over the years. I still have a lot of issues with gas if I eat as I want, but it is controllable by diet. My highest weight was 357, my lowest was 145. I now stay between 150-160 but need plastics to get rid on all the skin. For about 10 years, I was just thankful to be able to walk without pain and feel like a normal person, I didn't care about what the aftermath looked like, I was just glad to be alive. At this point, I am looking into getting some plastics, so we'll see what happens next. All that being said, I would absolutely do it again all over again, in a heartbeat to buy me 15 years of reasonably good health and to be able to watch my children grow up. My youngest (1 yr old on my surgery date) graduates high school this year and is on to college. I was one of the first lap bp/ds Dr. Smith has been able to follow all these years, my regular test results and visits to him yearly had been used as case study material several times in the medial world to study the long term changes that might or might not happen 15 years after a surgery considered at the time, one of the most drastic WLS procedures. Hopefully my data contribution as to the long term success of this life saving surgery will be helpful to others who are just starting their journey. I just wanted to pop in and say hello to my fellow travelers. As scary as it may look today, it will all be worth it in the end. :)

Blessings to you all, Sara

Thanks for popping in and telling your story. It's always such an encouragement to see long term post ops. And I know it's a help to many - so reassuring especially to newbies I think. I'm really glad you're doing so well.

Just a thought: this board doesn't get much traffic. you might consider posting this on the Main Forum and/or the DS Forum as well. The more people that can see this, the better.

Congrats again on your success.