This was the night before surgery
My name is Benson. I am 43 years old and on March 2 of this year I had Gastric Bypass Surgery. The techie description is Roux en-Y (RNY). At some point I am sure one of us will get into the technical specs on each surgery but for now I am going to focus on what brought me to that day and how it saved my tail.
I can say that like almost every “morbidly obese” guy I had struggled with weight most of my childhood. I spent 4 years in the Army fighting to stay under the pinch test weight standard, making it through some weeks but most of the time I was on Top’s remedial P.T. list. On the day I was discharged (May 89) I was sure of one thing. I was going to gain a little weight.
Eleven months and 100 lbs later I was 24 and on my way down the tubes. Of course as time went by my health and sheer mass both continued to crash until I arrived at the point of no possible return. I was 5’9” 328 lbs. diabetic, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, severe arthritic with gout and a nasty heart arrhythmia and broken feet.
Yes folks I was so damn heavy that I broke my feet just walking…. More than once. That as they say, is another story.
I had become everything I hated and realized that I was no longer living. I was slowly killing myself. Once you reach that point there is one thing that is always true. You can not just exercise and diet to loose the weight. I lost the same 30 lbs a hundred times at least and every time I would go for a “walk” I would be hammered for at least a week and in need of a medic. The sad thing was that I had spent my entire life as the “tough guy”. All my friends and family were seriously concerned.
This is about 2 1/2 months later
That is when I started looking at WLS as a solution. I went back and forth on it for a long time. The entire thing seemed completely extreme. I went on vacation to visit the mouse and after 7 days of power walking down there I returned so injured that I couldn’t even work.
That process repeated every 18 months as my wife is a complete Disney Freak. Finally I had enough. I had my primary care doc send me in to a seminar and the rest (after a year and a half insurance battle) is history.
I am currently at 240 lbs with no major health issues to speak of. Even the knees are much better now and I have a life again. I continue on my journey day by day. I don’t have all the answers but I am working it out as I go.
I am a Christian guy with a wife, kids, house and blessed for the most part with all the good stuff in life. I am a bit old fashioned. I live in Colorado where I again can enjoy hunting and fishing these majestic mountains and marvel at the glory and wonder in my kids faces when they see a 14,000 foot view of an Elk herd or hear a mountain lion scream in the middle of the night.
Life is worth living. Live it. If WLS lets you do it then God Speed.
