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

Pretty Much Recovered...

Sorry, I have taken so long to make a post here. It turns out that it has taken me about a week to really get back to normal.

Status report: I am feeling much better and all of the little (at least they seem little now...) issues I first had seem to have resolved themselves. I can see a clear path ahead of me.

A couple of days ago I started exercising on my new exercise bike and it was great. Am taking it gradually so as not to hurt anything after not exercising for a week or so. This morning got up at 6am and rode while watching morning news. Worked pretty well, and I got my exercise over with early.

Last night I went to a meeting of the Board of Directors at LexMedia and this morning I went back to my morning coffee group at Peets. So, I'm back.

What's next? Well until January 29th when I have my 3 week checkup, more of the same: keeping hydrated, drinking high protein drinks, blended cottage cheese (it's the lumps that make cottage cheese palatable :-), plain, fat free yogurt -- I actually like plain fat free yogurt -- it has a tartness that is different. I tried decaf coffee this morning and the results were not good... But after talking with the nutritionist this afternoon at BIDMC, I discovered that my tolerance to this will return.

Thursday night is my first (and only opportunity for several months) to go to a post-op support group, which I will do. Not sure whether this is going to be good or not, but I'll give it a try. I have several other options for group support, including OA.

Finally, I know that I am feeling better because I am starting to do the things I really like to do -- including surfing the web and finding all of the wonderful things you find there. Today, I found two really interesting things:

1. MUTO - An Ambiguous Animation, an animated drawing on a wall which blew my mind because it was a series of still photos put back to back to form a 6 minute evolving picture. It isn't just a time lapse movie, but rather a movie essentially painted frame by frame as graffiti on urban walls. Amazing:
   
   
2. The details about how graphic artist Scott Hansen created a poster for Obama, from initial conception to final proofing at the printers. Very interesting -- or at least to me. I have always wanted to expand my abilities in graphics arts and plan to do some with this while in Florida. This website shows how a real graphic artist goes about this business.

In any case, trusting that things go OK, I'll probably not make many entries until the end of the month. End of post, so don't ...