My experience with weight, weight loss and bariatric bypass surgery….

Being overweight has been a lifelong struggle that I managed to keep under control by not eating, dieting, or using over the counter or even controlled medications for weight loss. As a child I was a normal weight as far as I know. I went through early puberty. I was somewhat chubby and was wearing a bra by age 10. I never felt like I fit in, and was self-conscious about my appearance. I was bullied on occasion and felt sad and isolated. Children can be very cruel to overweight children. By age of 14 I had had enough, and went on a starvation diet with my best friend. As a result of my weight loss my life turned around. I was popular and had many friends. I went out with boys and had a very exciting and fun high school experience. My weight stayed off for many years, until I gave birth to my daughter at age 25, but I joined Weight Watchers and lost the “baby weight”. I had to continuously keep watch of the scale, as I tended to easily gain 5 – 10 lbs., but it was manageable. I followed Weight Watchers on and off over the years, but the diet kept changing and became somewhat more complicated.

I also, later, became a member of Over Eater’s Anonymous, in California, where I lived. It was a supportive place to help with overeating issues. However, I recall that at one point I lost weight with the help of a sponsor, and I had a very interesting reaction from some of the women. All of a sudden I was treated differently, as some sort of a” threat”, not as an equal. On one occasion, I remember, I was talking to a male in the group after a meeting, and a woman came up and got between us and began talking to him, giving me her back. I was dumbfounded!! I didn’t know what to do. I walked away. I realized I didn’t have very good skills to deal with competitive, pushy or aggressive people. It was different as a heavy person. You aren’t a competition to anyone. You aren’t an object of jealousy. You’re just there, a non-descript person, a friend to everyone, or to be helped. I had to become aware of who I was as a thin attractive person and how to deal with interpersonal relationships differently… to hold my own…so to speak. I think I learned that and began to assert myself, and enjoy myself. The weight stayed under control for several years.

Also, I stopped smoking in 1989, and because I was afraid of gaining weight, which often happens to people who stop smoking, I joined Weight Watchers again. It helped me through the process, along with OA. That year I met my son’s father, married and became pregnant the following year at 40. I was healthy, not smoking, and at an ideal weight. I was confident and physically active, bicycling and going to a gym regularly. Unfortunately, I had complications with the pregnancy which required extensive bed rest. I developed gestational diabetes and had swollen ankles. Getting around was very difficult. I was considered a high risk pregnancy, and watched closely. My beautiful son was born September 11, 1990, 3 weeks early. I was so happy, but I was a mess. I had gone from 135 lbs. to 220 lbs. during my pregnancy. I went down to 180, however, after I gave birth.
Over the years, after my son was born, I tried Weight Watchers, OA, LA Weight loss, Nutrisystems, Liquid diets, diet pills, starving and bingeing, Atkins diet, and any diet that was around and popular. I also joined a gym. I would lose 20 and level off, then regain the weight. I became disgusted with myself, but kept at it over the years. I was told that my metabolism had leveled off in the wrong place after my pregnancy and only vigorous exercise would help. I worked out at the gym, but I’ve never been a “jock,” so vigorous exercise wasn’t quite in my reach. I did aerobics and swimming and worked on some machines for toning. It helped somewhat. My weight remained at 180 lbs. Then through problems in my marriage, and resulting divorce I seemed to gain weight again. I moved back to New York in July, 1998, at 200 lbs. I dieted again, finding my “friends” at weight watchers. I went back down to 180 lbs. Then I found LA Weight Loss. I had some success with LA Weight Loss but they went out of business. I went back to OA feeling depressed and hopeless about my weight. I made some very nice friends and gained some confidence.

I later met an old friend who was preparing for weight loss surgery. I was worried about the surgery and felt it was a too drastic measure. I continued to diet on and off. However, my weight began to climb. I began eating out a lot and ordering lunches at school. I eventually weighed 262 lbs. by 2010. I also began to have weight related health problems. At 5’1″ that kind of weight was too much to carry. I was borderline diabetic, suffered from swollen feet and ankles, became tired easily, could not walk a flight of stairs, had a difficult time walking more than half of a block, and needed to buy clothes in plus size. Thank goodness the manufacturers began carrying stylish clothing for large size women. However, there is a down side to that, in that you can be deceived into thinking that being large is ok because you look attractive. Anyway, my PCP doctor was becoming alarmed because my blood pressure was getting higher and he was seeing complications beginning to arise due to the weight. I also had sleep apnea, adult onset asthma, and I felt like the weight and size of my stomach was pressing on my internal organs.

I decided to look into weight loss surgery. I went to a doctor that was recommended by my insurance, but I was not happy with the hospital services, and the bariatric clinic. Then after doing some research on-line, I decided to make an appointment with Dr. Gorecki at the New York Methodist Hospital in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I was thrilled. My insurance was able to approve the bariatric procedure. It was a life changing decision. As it turned out, a co-worker was also a patient of Dr. Gorecki, and had wonderful experience and many good things to say about the process. I had to go for several medical tests and evaluations, including a psychological assessment, heart and lung testing, sleep study, and few other related tests. I found out that my heart was enlarged and my aorta was “twisted” due to the extra weight I was holding. It was very frightening to see those results on paper. I knew I had to go through with the surgery.

I began attending the support groups at New York Methodist Hospital for bariatric or morbidly obese patients, and those who were planning to do the weight loss surgery. Both the team and the support group patients were very helpful and supportive. I spoke with people who had had the surgery, the doctors and nutritionists, to name a few. As a result, I decided to get the gastric bypass surgery rather than the lap band. My mother accompanied me to this particular meeting when that was discussed. I wanted to have another person who cared about me there for support so I could discuss the information. I think that it’s important to have a trusting caring person to support you through this process. We felt that the lap band required too much on-going adjustments and it didn’t have the same results, with the expected amount of weight loss that the bypass surgery usually resulted in. They were both rather significant surgeries, and as long as I was going through such a procedure, I might as well go through the one that didn’t involve possible problems such as slippage, infection, continued adjustment of fluid in the band, and also a foreign object in the body. So when I decided on the gastric bypass, which was not until very close to my surgery date, I felt more comfortable with my decision. Originally, the band seemed like a less invasive procedure, but I decided that the gastric bypass surgery would allow me for more freedom and possibly the best long term results. I trusted Dr. Gorecki and his staff, and felt that the results would be very positive under his expertise. I was asked to lose about 10 lbs. before the surgery because my liver was also enlarged and fatty. I did and went into the surgery nervous but well prepared and ready.
The surgical procedure was a major event for me, but thanks to Dr. Gorecki, I had no complications and have recuperated promptly and fully. I began losing weight immediately. I followed the dietician’s recommendations and have had continued weight loss, and feel better than I have felt in many years. I have lost over 120 lbs. since my surgery August 9th, 2011. All the health problems that I had before have gone: no more sleep apnea, swollen feet, poor circulation, asthma, high blood pressure, reflux disease, diabetes, enlarged heart or liver, and other problems I had before. I now can run up the stairs, walk a distance, have a boyfriend, dance the night away, wear a size 4-6 rather that 20 – 22!! My shoe size went from a 9 1/2 to an 8 1/2, and my ring size from 9 to 6. I feel youthful and have regained a joy for living, and my 21 year old son is so proud of me.
I also want to mention, I had had two surgical procedures over the 2 years before the bypass surgery for the removal of uterine fibroids, which had caused pain and post-menopausal bleeding over the last few years. Apparently, the oncological gynecologist said she had seen this problem in a lot of overweight women, because the fat tissue produces estrogen. She told me that an overabundance of estrogen can even lead to uterine and breast cancer in women. She wrote a letter on my behalf to the insurance company in support of the weight loss surgery. Of note after the gastric bypass surgery, I haven’t had a recurrence of the tumors or any vaginal bleeding since .

Some people may be deterred from deciding to go through with bariatric by-pass surgery for fear of the surgical procedure. They may believe that the surgery may result in serious side effects, pain or even death. There are those out there who have misconceptions about the surgery and its results. I was one of those individuals who was skeptical and fearful of the idea of bypass surgery. I had heard of negative stories, and a cousin had known someone who had died of complications a year after their surgery. It is very important to research the doctors and hospital and go with a trusted doctor, and a supportive trained team. That is what I found with Dr. Gorecki and his team, at Methodist Hospital. They are well informed, supportive and experts at what they do. In addition, the pre-op support groups were an important factor which led me to my decision to have the surgery.
The recovery process resulted in much less pain than I had expected. I was on pain medicine which I controlled for a much shorter time than expected. To my surprise, I was expected to walk to my hospital bed from my gurney immediately after surgery. Dr. Gorecki encourages his patients to walk immediately after surgery to aid in the healing process. I walked daily through the hallways. I was amazed with the results. I began losing weight immediately following surgery. My diet in the hospital consisted of clear liquids in addition to intravenous fluids. I was able to go home in few days after careful watch by Dr. Gorecki. I was sent home with a food plan and detailed discharge directions to follow. It is important to follow the food plan in order to heal properly and to get the nutrition after surgery. I followed a liquid diet, then later ate baby food and pureed foods. I bought a “magic blender,” in order to make my own protein shakes and puree my own foods.

At first it was pretty traumatic to have your foods and meals changed so drastically. However, the resulting weight loss is so dramatic that it becomes a source of instant gratification and encouragement. It was not easy at first, since you feel like the pleasure of eating may be gone, but that feeling subsides as you see the change in yourself. Eventually you forget all the cravings and foods you thought you couldn’t live without. No longer are they controlling your will power or cravings. They just seem to disappear. It’s remarkable, but true. Healthy foods in tiny portions satisfies the hunger and is a source of pleasure, where once large portions loomed, only tiny amounts of food now satisfies my appetite.

I still worry about my weight. Sometimes I think that the problem may come back, so I am careful about the foods I choose. I mostly eat healthy fruits and vegetable and complex carbs like potatoes and brown rice. I recently discovered quinoa, a grain high in protein. I eat small portions and eat more like a vegetarian now.
At first it was somewhat traumatic to have the foods that I was used to taken away while I was healing, but I got used to it. Mostly, I don’t desire those foods anymore. I feel like I had brain surgery, because my thinking about food has changed. I eat on a small plate with a small fork. I am satisfied with a little food and that’s ok. I don’t feel deprived. It feels natural to be eating this way. I enjoy sporadically drinking protein shakes made with strawberries, blueberries and bananas, which take care of my sweet tooth. I can eat an occasional sweet or “unhealthy” food as long as I don’t overindulge. The difference is that just a tiny amount satisfies me now. I don’t have to think about food. My body in sense “rejects” the food that isn’t good for me. I want to say thank you to Dr. Gorecki and his staff for taking care of me and seeing me through this process. I will be ever grateful to them for giving me my life back.

I am really very grateful and very happy to have this opportunity to tell Dr. Gorecki , “Thank You!”
Sincerely,

Susan Meyer