Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.
IT WAS A SHOCK BUT I WAS VERY EXCITED. IM 33 YEARS OLD AND THE DOCTOR SAID, "YOU ARE PREGNANT", MY SON IS 17 YRS OLD AND NOW IM GOING TO START ALL OVER AGAIN, BUT IM VERY HAPPY, BECAUSE BEFORE THIS I COULD NOT GET PREGNANT. IM 125LBS WHEN I FIND OUT THE GOOD NEWS, I HAD A VERY EASY PREGNACY, NEVER ANY MORNING SICKNESS. I DELIVERED A HEALTHY BABY GIRL ON APRIL 19,1992. THE BAD THING IS I BALLOONED TO 200 PLUS POUNDS. SINCE THEN I HAVE BEEN BATTLING WITH MY WEIGHT. IVE TRIED DIET PILLS ILLEGALLY AND PRESCRIPTION PILLS LEGALY, WEIGHT WATCHERS SEVERAL TIMES, SLIM FAST, ATKINS DIET SEVERAL TIMES, THE SOUP DIET, RICHARD SIMMONS CARD DIET, LEAN CUISINE, HEALTHY CHOICE,SEVERAL DIETS, EXERCISE TAPES, THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS DOWN THE DRAIN. I JOINED A GYM, STARTED WALKING AND WOULD LOSE SOME THEN GAIN IT ALL BACK. YEARS AND YEARS OF STRUGGLING WITH THE YO YO DIETS, GETTING PRETTY DEPRESSED AND ASHAMED OF THE WAY I LOOKED AND FELT. SOMETIMES IT WOULD BE SO BAD THAT I WOULD GIVE UP & STOP EATING HEALTHY. I STOPPED DRINKING ALCOHOL & SMOKING BUT COULDNT QUIT EATING. I MET A GIRL WHO WAS WORKING FOR MY MOTHER IN LAW, SHE WAS EASY TO TALK TO, WE BECAME FAST FRIENDS. LATER THE SUBJECT CAME UP AND SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE WAS ONCE OVER 300 LBS., I THOUGHT SHE WAS CRAZY, SHE WENT ON TO TELL ME THAT SHE HAD GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY, SHE WENT ON TO SAY THAT HER BOYFRIEND HAD SURGERY ALSO, THEY HAD MET IN THEIR DOCTORS OFFICE AND SOON STARTED DATING. SHE TOLD ME HOW MUCH MONEY SHE HAD TO PAY AND I THOUGHT, I COULD NEVER AFFORD THAT. I WAS VERY ENVIOUS AT HOW INCREDIBLE SHE LOOKED. I WANTED TO LOOK THAT GOOD, I WANTED TO BE THIN AGAIN....THAT WAS 7 YEARS AGO...
FOUR YEARS AGO I CALLED SURGILITE, I SAW AN ADVERTISEMENT ON TV, I PROBABLY SAW THE SAME ONE ABOUT 30 TIMES BEFORE I HAD ENOUGH COURAGE TO CALL. THEY WERE NICE ON THE PHONE, I TALKED TO TONI ZABICA, SHE SAID SHE TOO WEIGHED OVER 300 LBS., WE SET UP AN APPOINTMENT TO GO TO THIER SEMINAR, THERE MUST HAVE BEEN OVER 75 PEOPLE THERE. THEY EXPLAINED THE PROCEDURE AND IT DIDNT LOOK LIKE FUN, IT WAS THE RNY OPEN PROCEDURE. I WENT THROUGH ALL OF THE TESTS AND THE NEXT THING TO DO WAS TO SUBMIT IT TO INSURANCE. I WAS NOT FEELING GOOD ABOUT THE WHOLE THING, I TALKED TO A FEW OF THE PEOPLE THAT WENT THROUGH IT AND FIRST OF ALL I WOULD HAVE TO FLY TO LOS ANGELES. I OVER HEARD SOME GIRLS TALKING ABOUT HOW SHABBY THE HOSPITAL WAS, AND ONE CALLED IT A RAT HOLE. IT WAS RECOMMENDED NOT TO GO OUTSIDE, IT WAS IN A BAD AREA IN EAST L.A. AFTER HEARING ALL THE HORROR STORIES, I SAID NO WAY, THIS IS NOT FOR ME, SO I CANCELLED EVERYTHING..SO HERE I WAS BACK ON THE YO YO DIET SYSTEM FOR YET ANOTHER TIME..I FINALLY BEGGED MY PCP TO HELP ME. HE WAS NOT TOO WILLING TO ACCEPT MY DECISION FOR BARIATRIC SURGERY, I TOLD HIM THAT IF HE DID NOT HELP ME ON THIS JOURNEY THEN I WOULD FIND ANOTHER DOCTOR WHO WOULD. HE TOLD ME THAT HE WOULD BE WILLING BUT ONLY AFTER I GO THROUGH SOME TESTING TO SEE IF HE COULD HELP ME IN OTHER WAYS, EVERY MONTH I WAS ON A NEW MEDICATION TO SEE IF THIS WOULD HELP ME LOSE WEIGHT, THIS WENT ON FOR NEARLY A YEAR. I TOLD HIM THAT I THOUGHT IT WAS TIME TO CONSIDER THE SURGERY, AT FIRST HE TOLD ME ABOUT A PATIENT OF HIS THAT JUST DIED FROM KIDNEY AND LIVER FAILURE. HE EXPLAINED ALL THE RISKS INVOLVED AND ASKED IF I UNDERSTOOD, AND I TOLD HIM THAT I COULD DIE HAVING THIS SURGERY AND I COULD DIE FROM A HEART ATTACK SOON IF I DID NOT HAVE THE SURGERY, I WANTED TO TAKE THAT RISK. I WAS SO SICK WITH HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, SLEEP APNEA, MY KNEES COULDNT HOLD ME UP WITHOUT MAJOR PAIN, I HAD TO TAKE MEDICATIONS FOR THE PAIN. MY LEGS WERE SO SWOLLEN, MY FEET HURT ALL OF THE TIME. I COULD NOT WALK WITHOUT HALF PASSING OUT, I COULDNT BREATH, MY ATHSMA WOULD HAVE ME WHEEZING. I FELT HORRIBLE. WITHOUT THIS SURGERY I WAS GOING TO DIE. AND I DID NOT WANT TO DIE. HE LEFT THE ROOM AND CAME BACK WITH A TELEPHONE NUMBER AND TOLD ME TO TALK TO THIS PERSON AND IF I STILL WANTED TO PROCEED WITH THIS THEN HE WOULD STAND BESIDE MY DECISION. THAT WAS OVER 2 YEARS AGO. I STARTED THE TESTS REQUIRED BY INSURANCE, THEN COME TO FIND OUT THE DOCTOR MY PCP RECOMMENDED WAS NOT EXCEPTING PATIENTS FROM MY INSURANCE AT THIS TIME...GREAT!! SO BACK TO SQUARE ONE, SO I DID SOME FOOTWORK ON MY OWN, AND CALLED MY INSURANCE COMPANY AND THEY RESEARCHED MY SITUATION FOR ME, AND GAVE ME SOME DOCTORS THAT COULD PERFORM THE SURGERY THAT WERE ON THE LIST OF PROVIDERS. SO I DID SOME RESEARCH ON EACH DOCTOR ON THE LIST AND CHOSE DR.KEITH BOONE IN FRESNO, A LITTLE FAR AWAY BUT NOT AT ALL LIKE L.A. CALLED MY PCP AND TOLD HIM THAT I FOUND A DOCTOR AND HE WAS GLAD TO SEND THE REFERAL AND I CALLED DR. BOONES OFFICE AND SET UP AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE SEMINAR, THAT WAS MARCH 2003, THE SEMINAR WAS 2 MONTHS AWAY. IN THE MEANTIME I FOUND A GREAT SUPPORT GROUP IN OAKDALE, CALIFORNIA. THERE WERE MEN AND WOMEN, SOME HAD DIFFERENT TYPES OF SURGERIES, SOME WERE THERE FOR THE FIRST TIME LIKE MYSELF, AND SOME WERE WAITING FOR APPROVAL FROM THEIR INSURANCE.I REALLY LEARNED ALOT, I ATTENDED THIS GROUP ONCE A MONTH FOR OVER A YEAR..WHEN I FINALLY WENT TO THE SEMINAR, I LIKED WHAT I HEARD AND SAW, SO I MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR A PERSONAL SESSION WITH DR. BOONE. MY APPOINTMENT WAS ON SEPTEMBER 2003, I WAS MISRABLE HAVING TO WAIT ANOTHER 4 MONTHS UNTIL I SAW THE DOCTOR. IT WAS A TOUGH TIME FOR ME, I THOUGHT WHAT IF THIS WAS IT, I WOULD NOT GET EXEPTED AND ALL THIS WAS FOR NOTHING, I HAD ALOT OF SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, IT EVEN HAD AN EFFECT ON MY JOB PERFORMANCE, MY MANAGER SAT ME DOWN AND SAID THAT HE DID NOT WANT TO REPLACE ME BUT IF HE HAD TO HE WOULD. I STARTED TO CRY, IT WAS SUCH A HORRIBLE FEELING, I HAD TO GET MYSELF TOGETHER. FINALLY THE DAY CAME TO MEET DR. BOONE FACE TO FACE, HE WAS VERY NICE AND TRUTHFUL, HE DID NOT SUGAR COAT ANYTHING, HE SAID MY CHANCES WERE ALMOST 100% OF GETTING APPROVED, BUT SINCE I WAS A HIGH RISK GENETICALLY, HE WANTED ME TO HAVE A STRESS TEST WITH A HEART DR., AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS LIKE SEE A SHRINK AND A NUTRITIONIST. SO I GOT ON IT, I GOT THE BALL ROLLING A LITTLE FASTER, I FOUND A HEART DR. & BOOKED AN APPT., FOUND A SHRINK AND FOUND THAT INSURANCE WOULD NOT COVER IT, THAT WAS OKAY HE WAS ONLY $150.00, AND FOUNK A NUTRITIONIST FOR $15.00 LUCKLY ALL THREE REQUIREMENTS WERE COMPLETED BY OCTOBER 2003 AND SUBMITTED EVERYTHING TO MY PCP, HE THEN FAXED OVER ALL PAPERWORK AROUND THANKSGIVING 2003. ON DECEMBER 31ST 2003 I RECIEVED A CALL FROM DR. BOONES OFFICE, MY SURGERY WAS SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 28TH 2004. THE LETTER OF CONFIRMATION FROM INSURANCE CAME IN THE MAIL THE SAME DAY. I WAS OUT OF MY MIND WITH PURE EXCITEMENT. I FELT AS IF THIS BIG SHEILD WAS LIFTED OFF ME, I COULD BREATH FREELY AGAIN. I COULD NOT STOP SMILING ALOT, AND TOLD AS MANY PEOPLE AS I COULD POSSIBLY TELL.
What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?
THE WORST THING WAS THE HUMILIATION, THE HORRIBLE LOOKS FROM PEOPLE, THE REJECTION FROM SOME PEOPLE WAS VERY PAINFUL.
If you have had weight loss surgery already, what things do you most enjoy doing now that you weren't able to do before?
TIE MY OWN SHOES, WITH OUT PASSING OUT.
WALKING ABOUT WITHOUT HUFFING AND PUFFING, NOT HAVING TO SIT DOWN OR STOP BECAUSE YOU ARE SO OUT OF BREATH.
FITTING IN MY CAR BETTER.
GOING TO A RESTURANT A NOT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT FITTING IN THE BOOTH.
JeannieGoodmon
