kacs85
How I got here today...
Oct 14, 2011
I have always been overweight. Sometimes more then others. It wasn't until I moved into the obese category that I started to have problems....Then came the morbidly obese category and still I kept eatting. Finally I hurt all the time. My heartbeat was becoming more and more irregular and I was not yet even 40! I was actually lucky that I did not have more co-morbidities then that!
I decided on RNY because I wanted a permanent solution. One that I could not eat around or cheat on. I knew me! I would do that! I also had a lot of weight to lose as I weighted 335 lbs on the day of surgury. The lap band can work well for people who have alot to lose but the statistics show that you only lose 50% of your excess weight. I wanted it gone....I was willing to work for it but had to have a permanent change.
I researched doctors. I was lucky in that a cousin in-law had also had gastric bypass about a year prior. She too had done alot of research. I asked my other health care providers if they had any recommendations and I kept hearing the same names. Abkins and Bertha of Advanced Laproscopic in Florham Park, NJ.
I went with Dr. Abkin and have not regretted my choice for a minute. He is very profession, but straight forward. He will tell you if he thinks you are making the right choice of what proceedure you want to go with and he will explain why he feels that way. Ultimately the decision is yours. He also will not rush you in the office if you have questions. He will explain until he feels that you understand and do not have any other concerns or questions at that time.
His office staff have always been considerate and professional as well.
I had my gastric bypass in Feb. 2005. I was 335lbs when I left for the hospital that day. It went well, my recovery went well. I felt good. I lost weight rapidly. The dumping syndrome did happen if I ate anything that contained more then 17 gr of sugar and anything that was more then 20 gr of carbs (simple carbs). I avoided those things then and did not have issues.
I worked out as soon as I was cleared to. I joined Curves at first. The weight was reallycoming off.
During the winter of 2005/2006 I was asked if I wanted to go on a hike in the White Mountains of NH in June 2006. I laughed. I still pictured myself at 335, not the 200 lbs that I was at that time. I did keep thinking of it however and finally decided that I just might be able to do it. I started practice hikes and loved it. My new favorite form of exericse is hiking! That sped up the weight loss again. By the time we went on our 4 day hut-to- hut hike in the Presidentials, I was around 163! I had no problems with it. I loved it and was hooked. I have continued to hike a large trip every year since 2006 after that first one!
I got down to 151 eventually but bounced back to about 160. I maintained that for a few years but then the weight started going back up pretty quicky. I always felt hungry. I was eatting more and more often. During times of heavy hiking it really wasn't an issue because I would burn so many calories on one hike that I would not notice a weight gain.
Eventually it caught up with me. Jan 1, 2011 I was back to 225. I felt uncomfortable, I had to buy new clothes as I had gotten rid of all the larger sizes as I went down through them. I tried WW's. I really couldn't follow it too well. If I ate all the fruit and veggies I couldn't get in the protien that I needed. I loved those online tools though!
Anyway, I started food journals and that helped. I lost some weight but had been having stomach isssue. They thought I might have an ulcer and/or that my gallbladder that had been threatening me for years had finally decided that it was going to launch a full scale attack. While going through all the tests to determine ulcer, gall bladder, both? The distended stoma was found. That was why I was hungry so soon after eatting! Just hearing that it was not all head hunger helped tremendously! Also, the determination that my gall bladder needed to come out but the first available date for Dr Abkin (if I wanted him to do it and I did) and myself due to vacations was 2 weeks. I basically lived on plain grilled chicken, salad with ff dressing and ff greek yogurt. I started losing weight and took off about 20 lbs.
I had the band over bypass done on October 11, 2011. I started at 206 according to the office scale and 203 according to my scale. My ultimate goal is to get to 160 again. If I get there and maintain that for a bit I might consider going down into the low 150's again. We will have to see. Hopefully with my bypass and my band working in conjuction with my drive to get the weight back off, we are off to a good start...I sure hope so! GRAND CANYON this spring baby! Got to get in shape for that!
0 comments
I decided on RNY because I wanted a permanent solution. One that I could not eat around or cheat on. I knew me! I would do that! I also had a lot of weight to lose as I weighted 335 lbs on the day of surgury. The lap band can work well for people who have alot to lose but the statistics show that you only lose 50% of your excess weight. I wanted it gone....I was willing to work for it but had to have a permanent change.
I researched doctors. I was lucky in that a cousin in-law had also had gastric bypass about a year prior. She too had done alot of research. I asked my other health care providers if they had any recommendations and I kept hearing the same names. Abkins and Bertha of Advanced Laproscopic in Florham Park, NJ.
I went with Dr. Abkin and have not regretted my choice for a minute. He is very profession, but straight forward. He will tell you if he thinks you are making the right choice of what proceedure you want to go with and he will explain why he feels that way. Ultimately the decision is yours. He also will not rush you in the office if you have questions. He will explain until he feels that you understand and do not have any other concerns or questions at that time.
His office staff have always been considerate and professional as well.
I had my gastric bypass in Feb. 2005. I was 335lbs when I left for the hospital that day. It went well, my recovery went well. I felt good. I lost weight rapidly. The dumping syndrome did happen if I ate anything that contained more then 17 gr of sugar and anything that was more then 20 gr of carbs (simple carbs). I avoided those things then and did not have issues.
I worked out as soon as I was cleared to. I joined Curves at first. The weight was reallycoming off.
During the winter of 2005/2006 I was asked if I wanted to go on a hike in the White Mountains of NH in June 2006. I laughed. I still pictured myself at 335, not the 200 lbs that I was at that time. I did keep thinking of it however and finally decided that I just might be able to do it. I started practice hikes and loved it. My new favorite form of exericse is hiking! That sped up the weight loss again. By the time we went on our 4 day hut-to- hut hike in the Presidentials, I was around 163! I had no problems with it. I loved it and was hooked. I have continued to hike a large trip every year since 2006 after that first one!
I got down to 151 eventually but bounced back to about 160. I maintained that for a few years but then the weight started going back up pretty quicky. I always felt hungry. I was eatting more and more often. During times of heavy hiking it really wasn't an issue because I would burn so many calories on one hike that I would not notice a weight gain.
Eventually it caught up with me. Jan 1, 2011 I was back to 225. I felt uncomfortable, I had to buy new clothes as I had gotten rid of all the larger sizes as I went down through them. I tried WW's. I really couldn't follow it too well. If I ate all the fruit and veggies I couldn't get in the protien that I needed. I loved those online tools though!
Anyway, I started food journals and that helped. I lost some weight but had been having stomach isssue. They thought I might have an ulcer and/or that my gallbladder that had been threatening me for years had finally decided that it was going to launch a full scale attack. While going through all the tests to determine ulcer, gall bladder, both? The distended stoma was found. That was why I was hungry so soon after eatting! Just hearing that it was not all head hunger helped tremendously! Also, the determination that my gall bladder needed to come out but the first available date for Dr Abkin (if I wanted him to do it and I did) and myself due to vacations was 2 weeks. I basically lived on plain grilled chicken, salad with ff dressing and ff greek yogurt. I started losing weight and took off about 20 lbs.
I had the band over bypass done on October 11, 2011. I started at 206 according to the office scale and 203 according to my scale. My ultimate goal is to get to 160 again. If I get there and maintain that for a bit I might consider going down into the low 150's again. We will have to see. Hopefully with my bypass and my band working in conjuction with my drive to get the weight back off, we are off to a good start...I sure hope so! GRAND CANYON this spring baby! Got to get in shape for that!
