Two Years and Still Thankful

While November 24 is the actual anniversary, it was two years ago Monday that I made the decision to have gastric bypass surgery.  Two years later, I’m down a total of 160 pounds.  I had lost a total of 170 by May but I had some minor surgery this summer that preventing me from working out so I actually put on a few pounds.  The weight has stablized and now I’m in maintenance mode.  Still, the gastric bypass surgery has been a positive development and one I’m thankful I chose.

As it turns out, what I thought was a minor complication — some post surgical bleeding in my staple line — was actually very serious.  I took five units of blood before the incisions stopped bleeding.  My nurse told my wife if I were older, I probably wouldn’t have made it.  I spent that Thanksgiving night watching The Godfather Part I & II and sipping tiny cups of water every 30 minutes.

From a health perspective, I no longer snore so I no longer have sleep apnea.  I no longer have high blood pressure.  I no longer have high cholesteral.  I excercuise more.  My diet has improved as I am eating more fruits and veggies and less processed food.  But I can eat a small slice of pizza again without getting sick and I can eat foods I couldn’t a year ago. 

I help referee soccer games now.  I can buy clothes in just about any men’s store.  At trade shows and events and business trips, I still run into old colleages and friends who haven’t seen me in a while. Their reactions never get old.

What I have learned is everyone who has this surgery has a different experience.  I can eat things others cannot.  Likewise, there are some things I can’t eat that others can. Some former patients eat several small meals a day.  Others don’t.  The post-surgical experience is different for everyone.  And almost everyone I know has a family member or friend considering this surgery  and I always invite them to contact me about my experience. 

Last Christmas, I was able to exchange gastric bypass surgery notes with former USC runningback Anthony Davis.  At ComicCon, I had a gastric bypass discussion with Buck Rogers actor Gil Gerard. 

I’m very grateful to my doctors at Orange Coast Memorial in Fountain Valley.  In 2011, I’ll need a tummy tuck to remove some extra skin that won’t snap back and I’m told the tissue will be harvested for a burn unit to provide skin grafts.  Whoever came up with that idea is brilliant.

The biggest thing that ever happened to me on Thanksgiving was the birth of my son; the gastic bypass thing was the second biggest.  As it sit down to the traditional meal this Thursday, I’ll be thankful for the care I got, the support of my family and friends, and for improved health.  The cranberry sauce (made with sweetener, not sugar) will be a bonus.