Introduction

[Note: The entries in this diary appear last in first out, after this Introduction.]

This is my diary of my experiences with weight loss surgery. I use this general term, because there are two (actually more) types of weight loss operations: gastric bypass or lap-band. But, I am getting ahead of myself. Click to see more...

[Note: in the rest of this blog, you will see the "Click to see more..." message at the end of each posting. Many times,there is actually nothing more. So, at the end of those posts, I have proceeded the "more" link with "End of post, so don't ...".]

Friday, September 26, 2008 I had my first set of appointments in the preliminary examinations for Weight Loss Surgery. Here are the facts:

• Weight: 343lbs (350lbs with clothes on, but I will use 343 as it seems to be my body weight set point)
  
• Height: 5' 11"
• Body Mass Index: 47.8 (non-overweight BMI: 18.5-24.9)

(go to BMI Calculator to figure out yours)

The standard qualifications for WLS patients are a BMI > 40 and an age between 18 and 65. I qualify.

I had an electrocardiogram which was judged OK, but there was one little dip where there should have been a rise and so, since I am 61 I am scheduled for a stress test to make sure everything is OK.

The subject of the appointments I will have, ending with a meeting with my chosen surgeon, are:

• Two seminars on Weight Loss Surgery
  
• Blood work
• Introductory meeting with Bariatric nurse
• Introductory with director of WLS program at BIDMC
• Ultrasound to determine if I have gallstones
• Stress test
• Nutritionist
• Psychologist
  
• Exercise physiologist
  
• Surgeon

i.e., extensive.

On my application to the Bariatric Surgery Program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, my answer to the final question of "Tell us about yourself..." was:

My primary reason for wanting to get control of my eating and consequently my weight is because I am fearful of all of the adverse health conditions that have accumulated in my body due to being significantly overweight in the last 15 years. Yes, there are many activities that I no longer can do because of my excessive weight. Things like walking, hiking, enjoying the adventurous aspects of traveling. Then there is the self-loathing that results from my lack of discipline to "just eat less" and my appearance.

I'm pretty smart and that has worked against me. Although I was very successful in loosing weight in Overeaters Anonymous, after a while I started to fail because I started to ignore the advice that "Thinking is not on of the tools of OA". And indeed it has taken me several years to fill out this form, because after I investigated everything there was to know about weight loss surgery, I thought "Why go through that? I can always exercise the discipline that you will need after the surgery and loose weight without going through the surgery." The only problem is that I never got around to exercising the discipline, and so the weight stay on. I have finally realized that all of this intellectualization has resulted in me weighing 350 pounds and on the verge of diabetes, the third or fourth medical condition due to my obesity. My biggest fear is how to deal with the stress I currently relieve by medicating myself with overeating. Then, of course, there are the unknowns about what it will feel like after the surgery, and the well publicized surgery complications.

Having said all of this, I want you to know I am both enthusiastic as well was watchful about what I am going to do. Please wish me luck.

Harry

P.S. Why did I choose the name "Reboot" for this blog? Well, in computers when the machine starts to perform badly because of the accrual of lots of junk, mismanaged memory, rogue processes, etc., the best thing is to reboot the machine and start from scratch. I find this a metaphor for what I am about to do regarding my eating: lots of bad habits, reasons for eating, out of control behaviors. The best thing is to start again with learning how to eat and WLS surgery is the only 100% foolproof way to do this. -- HF

Message to my friends

Yesterday and today, I sent out the following letter to my closest friends. Initially, when I started this, and not too sure about what I was doing, I kept most of this information to myself. Now that I have been through all of the screening and read a lot more about this operation, I am ready to go public with my closest friends.

Folks,

After having struggled with being overweight for many years, I have finally decided to do something about this. I have decided to undergo weight loss surgery -- the so-call "lap-band" operation. I have not come to this decision without considerable thought and research. As a result, I am very comfortable with my decision as well as the changes this will mean to my life and the lives of the people around me (you included).

Being comfortable with this decision doesn't mean that I am not anxious -- the grownup word for scared. Scared or anxious, I am still convinced that this is what I need to do to have a chance at living a better life.

I have already told some of you about this when we were able to have private conversations. You already know about this. Unfortunately because I have not been able to talk with others of you alone, I haven't been able to tell you this face to face.

Since September, I have been undergoing evaluation and tests at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston for "bariatric" surgery -- the formal name for a set of surgical procedures intended to help morbidly obese (nice term, eh?) patients loose weight.

My evaluation has gone well and I have passed all of the tests -- it is really somewhat surprising to me that there haven't been more irreversible side effects of my being so overweight, but there apparently haven't. Don't get me wrong, I'm not in love with the sleep apnea, onset diabetes, knee pain, foot pain, low energy, etc, but these are at least mostly reversible with weight loss.

I have decided to have a gastric band installed laproscopicly -- or the so called "lap-band" operation.

I have been keeping a diary, recording my experiences with weight loss surgery. If you desire, you can find out more about this operation and my thoughts about all of this at:

http://www.forsdick.com/reboot/

I will keep this diary updated as I go through this process. In addition, I am happy to answer any questions you may have about this process.

At this point, I am not keeping this a secret so you are free to mention this to others. Sometimes I wonder if I am too open -- but that is who I am. I like to share what I am doing -- to talk about and discuss what is going on in my life. I think people understand this about me.

I will be in the hospital one night and then will come home. I am expecting the first couple of months to be a challenge -- and that is OK. Important to this entire process is exercising every day. To improve my chances of doing this in the Winter months, Marsha and I have decided to go to Florida for February and March so that I can be in a warm climate to build up my exercise habit. Ben and Will likened this to a Florida "rehab" session much like injured Red Sox players do before coming back to Boston to play. When you are a Red Sox fan, everything looks like a baseball...

Please keep me and my caregivers in your thoughts on January 5th when I will have this operation -- as well as for the rest of my life, as I am making a lifelong commitment to change.

Thanks,

Harry

End of post, so don't ...