My Bariatric Story: Jack Cooper

Hi my name is Jack (John) Cooper. I am a real patient of Dr. Gorecki and I would like to share my experience with you.

Let me start with why I chose to have bariatric surgery. In June 2011, at age 47, I weighed 296 pounds. My body felt achy all the time, I was incredibly hungry always and I often felt sick. In addition I suffered from kidney stones which were becoming more and more recurrent. I went to my original general practitioner who ran some tests and informed me that I was suffering from pre-diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and pre-arthritis. He also informed my that I was being weak willed and “if I just focused and lost weight” things would be better.

I had heard this lecture from my doctor time after time. The fact is, I have Always been able to lose weight. The problem occurred in keeping off the weight I had lost and not gaining extra weight each time I lost. I found myself growing larger and larger and my self esteem was hitting an all time low…. to the point where I was put on anti-depressants for a number of years. By the time I hit age 47, I was really feeling at my lowest point…. I guess you can say I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.

It was actually my kidney doctor, Dr. Lawrence Stam, who suggested that I meet with Dr. Gorecki to see if weight loss surgery would help me with my medical issues. On my first meeting with Dr. Gorecki he gave me a thorough examination and presented me with a lot of information to go through. He also invited me to attend a workshop for pre-surgical individuals.

I have to admit I left the meeting with Dr. Gorecki feeling great, informed and a little bit scared (after all, this is surgery we are talking about). I took the information home and went through it slowly and took several weeks to think about embarking on this journey; as well I tried my hardest to gather up all my “will power” and “white knuckle” my way into losing weight. The results were not great.

It was then that I decided to begin the process of preparing for bariatric surgery.

The very first thing I did was to find a general practitioner who is familiar with the process and the requirements. I personally chose Dr. Mohammed Bashey. He is a doctor at the Faculty Practice in Methodist Hospital.

The second thing I did was to attend my first of many support groups offered at Methodist Hospital. For those of you who do not know, the meetings occur twice a month at 5:30 last Thursday of the month for pre surgical individuals and the first Wednesday of the month for post surgical individuals. The pre surgical meeting is an informational session designed to present the different types of surgical options and to answer any questions that arise. The post surgical meeting has both people who have had the surgery and those who are pre surgical. The meeting is designed to address issues as they arise for those who have had the surgeries, as well as for those who are pre surgical to get an idea of what it is like “on the other side” of surgery.

The seminars are conducted by Dr. Diane Britton a licensed psychologist whose practice focuses on obesity and body image; and by Rachel Gellman, licensed dietician. The meetings are both light hearted and VERY informative. Both of the moderators are resources of vast knowledge and are extremely easily approachable and accessible. I personally recommend attending both meetings each month leading up to and after surgery. Attending these seminars not only provides a support group of individuals, but also provides you with dietary information and exercise information.

In the information session Dr. Gorecki presents information about each of the 3 different types of surgery. Choosing which surgery is appropriate for you is a very individual decision which you will make in consultation with Dr. Gorecki. For my own personal circumstances I chose to have Gastric Bypass Surgery.

The process of qualifying for the surgery generally takes 6 months. During this time you will be required to go through several tests to make sure that you are physically and mentally ready for this major life change.

A key component in the overall success of my surgery was that it was recommended early on that I find some type of exercise that I enjoy and begin doing it. I started the very first day I had my meeting with Dr. Gorecki. I started off by walking…. actually dedicating some time to walking as an exercise, not just what I did daily. Later I joined the YMCA and started using the elliptical machine and the treadmill. This had two very beneficial effects on me. First, I started losing some of the weight that I needed to show prior to surgery; and second it put my body in a mode of “recovery” because exercise makes your body go into healing mode faster after surgery.

I cannot say enough about how wonderful of an experience I had during my time at the hospital!! Every one of the staff were professional and extremely helpful. I was up and walking around the hospital floor immediately after leaving the recovery room. I stayed in the hospital for 2 days and went back home without any problem. I was back to work 7 days later.

I started losing weight immediately after surgery. In fact, I lost 12 pounds in the first week alone. I continue to lose weight at a steady pace, as you will see from the pictures below taken a little more than 4 months after surgery (about 15 pounds or more per month).

The diet after surgery is a 3 stage process. I want to stress before I describe these that AT NO TIME did I feel hungry!

WATER, WATER, WATER, WATER,…. and I will say it again WATER… make it your best friend keep it with you at all times and sip it often. (you can use things like Mio, or Crystal Lite to add flavors), personally I found that a few squirts of lemon juice was perfect for me. Don’t drink anything 1/2 hour before or after a meal.

The Second Most Important thing is eat your Protein First

The first week to 10 days is a diet of liquids and high protein. For me this included protein shakes ( I liked muscle milk light, and premier protein brands), high protein creamed soups ( I liked Pacific brand boxed creamed soups, they have a lot of varieties), water, sugar free popsicles, and sugar free jello pudding made with skim milk.

The second stage is Pureed foods. This is also for a week to 10 days. At the bariatric group meetings they offer many suggestions of what types of foods are good during this phase. For this phase I chose to cook stewed types of foods and run them through a food processor until they became a puree. It has also been suggested that you can eat baby foods during this stage. For me, I preferred to make and season foods to the way I like it.

The next stage, also about 10 days, is soft foods…. this includes any kinds of foods that can easily be cut with a fork and chewed easily. Some examples are eggs, tofu, canned vegetables, Low fat Greek Yogurt, cottage cheese, “Laughing Cow” brand cheeses, shrimp, certain types of fish like tuna fish whipped to a fine consistency.

Once you are done with that stage you should be on to a regular healthy diet.

At each point, Dr. Gorecki will discuss with you and let you know if you should proceed on to the next stage.

Some things to remember:

Eat Protein first
Go and buy some small (saucer sized) plates…. we eat with our eyes first… having a small plate “tricks” the mind … and really… you cant eat more than will fit in a small plate anyway
Closely monitor your water intake…. it is very important to stay hydrated
Take your vitamins every day.
Do not eat any kinds of soft bread… they get gummy and do not digest well (aside from being “wasted” space in your stomach)

and here are the three DON’TS

Don’t eat sugar (it will make you sick)
Don’t drink alcohol (your body doesn’t process it the same way anymore)
Don’t smoke (you have just had an operation to save your life, why continue to kill yourself with cigarettes)

I could go on and on, but why don’t you stop by one of the seminars and ask. You will most likely bump into me there.

Below are my before pictures taken 02-15-12 the day before my surgery, and my current pictures taken 06-26-12, 4 months after surgery.

Before Pictures: 285lbs the day before surgery: pants size 48/50 shirt XXXL