LeeWhite

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I became like a lot of others here on OH and failed to update my profile for years. Well, here's a short update. I've maintained at 240 pounds for almost two years now. I work out regularly at Bally's and eat a more or less sugar-free, wheat-free, dairy-free diet. My lovely wife, Sherri, has lost 150 pounds, too, although she didn't have gastric bypass.

My surgery date was 1/23/07. I would heartily encourage others to have the surgery. It is a starting point for better health and an understanding of what that means.

I jumped on the scales when I went to a doctor's appointment with my wife last week. I'm down to 332. I'm feeling great. Most of my worries now have to do with my wife's multiple sclerosis. Dealing with the American health care system just sucks. I'm so glad I had my surgery in Mexico. It was worth 10 grand just to avoid the sort of hassles my wife and I are going through to get treatment for her MS. If we don't get some action soon, we'll be headed to Mexico again.

I just got the lab results from a blood draw my doctor ordered last week. A1c and glucose are well within normal limits. So long pre-diabetes! Cholesterol was normal, but triglycerides were a little high. I'm sure those will come down, too, however.

I know I complain about physicians, but my primary doc is simply the best in all of San Francisco. Her name is Stephanie Scott. She is part of Pacific Family Practice with offices next to St. Mary's Hospital on the east end of Golden Gate Park. Stephanie never made me feel "less than" because of my weight. She is kind of quiet. Some people might take her as being aloof or uncaring, but that's not the case. She cares deeply for her patients and proves it by her actions. Stephanie is also my wife, Sherri's, doc and has gone above and beyond in making quick referrals to specialists for her multiple sclerosis. For you ladies, my wife tells me Stephanie made her feel at ease during her pelvic exam and caused very little discomfort.

If you live in the Bay Area and want Stephanie's info, just hit me up. If you want to have the surgery done locally, Stephanie will undoubtedly work with you to do that. She will also be supportive if you decide to have the surgery with Dr. Aguirre like I did.

I weighed for the first time in two months last Friday and was down to 363. That's pretty good, steady weight loss. I'll take it.

Although the experience was not a profitable one, I didn't lose too much money playing video poker. I left a lot of food on my plate in addition to the money I left behind in the casinos. That's probably the biggest lesson I've learned since having the surgery: It's OK -- even preferable -- to walk away from the table without cleaning my plate. When eating in restaurants as one is wont to do in Vegas, it's absolutely necessary to leave food behind or pawn it off on those with only one stomach. Before the surgery, I would inhale all of my food and whatever my wife didn't want. Now, I marvel at how huge restaurant food portions are and at how much other people eat.

I can eat virtually anything I want, but I rarely eat bread or dessert. Bread plugs me up and stuff like chocolate and sugar give me the runs. I stick with protein and vegetables. I have to remind myself to eat slowly especially the first few bites. I have also eliminated coffee and soda per Dr. Aguirre's instructions. I quit drinking alcohol almost 20 years ago, so I'm grateful that booze is no longer a temptation. I don't imagine that yard-long margaritas would sit well on my new stomach!

We did a lot of walking in Vegas, as well. My mother-in-law was there and, boy, can she shop! We took her to a lot of the touristy stuff and went to about 15 different casinos because it was her first trip. I'm sure glad I had some of the weight off. The walking got easier as the week went by. I need to do more walking now that I'm home. I'm going to wait until the end of next month to join a gym. By then, I can do both cardio and weights.

I have a pair of pants that I haven't been able to wear for about five years. I tried them on around the last time I posted and couldn't even button them. They fit perfectly today, however. I wish my left ankle would get better. I had the opportunity to do some walking in San Francisco today. I can cover a lot of ground fast for a fat boy, but the ankle hurts and slows me down somewhat. I'm sure it will get better as more weight comes off. My blood pressure was 112/74 a couple of days ago. I'm still taking lisinopril and maxide once a day, but even so, the pressure is much lower than it was before the surgery. I fully expect to be off the BP medicine later this year. I took a random blood sugar reading yesterday afternoon. It was 108 -- awesome for me. Headed to Vegas on Saturday. I'll be exposed to a massive array of foods, but I'm confident that I can control portions and the types of foods I eat thanks to the surgery. I'll let y'all know how it went when I get back.

I weighed 393 yesterday when I got on the fat boy scales at the hospital where my wife works. Based on the experiences of others on this site, I estimate my pre-op weight at about 430. I probably need to go to my primary physician in a couple of months for a physical and to get a prescription renewed, so we'll see if I'm below the magic 350 pounds (the highest most scales go).