Sometimes things don't always go as planned

Oct 21, 2012

It's been right at 3 years since I last updated my blog.  There's so much to update on...  all the things I did wrong...  I looked back at all my old blog posts and read through each one.  I could see where I started to get more lenient with my diet and how I started making excuses.  Either way, at almost 5.5 years out from my sleeve, I went from my lowest weight of 236 all the way back up to 353.  As I read through each one of those posts, I wanted to cry when I remembered how life was when I'd finally reached those weights that I'm hovering around now.  Starting out at 425, reaching the 350's was such a big milestone.  To be back there again was a nightmare. 

I've been struggling to maintain my weight loss since December 2008.  I gained from 236 to 250-260 and then fought to lose again back down to 236.  But when I got there for the 2nd time...  I just couldn't continue doing what it took to stay there.  Mentally...  Physically...  Emotionally...  Hit after hit after hit...  2009 was a rough year and the scale showed it.  2010 was a rough year and 2011 was even rougher...  

As a means for coping with all the stress, I returned to some bad habits.  And I justified it ...  I can no longer eat the fully loaded double whopper, king size fries, 40 oz rootbeer, and an extra double stacker.  Instead I can eat 1/2 a regular whopper and a regular sized order of fries... 

Instead of a whole large pizza, I can have 2 slices.

Instead of a taco salad, mexican pizza, and 2 large burritos...  I can eat the taco salad.

But NONE of these things should be included in my diet!!!  They never should have made their way back into my diet either. 

So for 3 years, allowing these small exceptions, I gained 117 of the 189 pounds I had fought so hard to lose.  Had I not done something about it, I probably would have gained more.

About 2 years ago, I started looking into a revision to the Duodenal Switch.  I had a hard time finding a surgeon in Louisiana and talked myself out of it.  I convinced myself that if I buckled down, I could lose the weight again.  This is where the yo-yo cycles started again.  Lose 15 - gain 25...  lose 10 - gain 20...  on and on and on and on...................  Until I finally got to the point where I just had to stop with the dieting and just eat...  The weight kept coming on, but not as fast as after I was coming off a diet.

At the beginning of this year, I started seriously thinking about revising to the DS.  My sister was getting married in April and no matter how much I dieted, the weight just didn't want to come off.  As soon as I got home, I scheduled my consultation with Dr. Garth Davis in Houston. 

May 23, 2012 was my consultation date.  I weighed in at 345.  The consult went great.  They did an upper GI and he said my sleeve still looked great!  Perfect size for the DS.  Within a week of having all the requirements met, I got the approval from my insurance company.  A few weeks later, we scheduled the date for 10/11/12.

A few weeks after that, we were moving our office to a new location and I fell and broke my ankle.  I was stuck in a cast for 6 weeks.  I worked from home and tried to keep busy so I wouldn't gain and I did fairly well.  At my pre-op appointment 2 weeks before surgery which was about 5 weeks after I got my cast off, I was at 353. 

I started a 2 week liquid diet to prepare for my surgery.  I lost 16 pounds.  When they weighed me at the hospital for my revision, I was 337.

This morning, I am back down to 329.  1.5 weeks out from my DS revision.  Recovery is going well.  I'm staying hydrated which is something I struggled with this early out with the sleeve.  My sleeve shrunk dramatically from the liquid diet and the abdominal swelling...  It's great to have nice restriction again. 

I feel like I'm starting all over again.  But I have to remember that I have something to offer still.  I have 5+ years of experience with my sleeve and a wonderful story about what NOT to do...  

Even through all of it, I might not have been 100% - 100% of the time...  but I never gave up.  

I will NEVER regret getting the sleeve.  I learned so much about myself and my body in those 5+ years.  I never would have learned that if I hadn't gone down that road.  Had I done the DS first, I might have learned those lessons after it was too late and there was nothing left to revise to.  I'm a strong believer that everything happens for a reason and in it's own time and place.  So again...  I will never regret my sleeve.  It is a fantastic tool.  It got me farther than I could have ever imagined.

If I had to give any advice to newbies...  I'd say make sure you do your research.  Figure out what surgery will be best for your body.  I'm a firm believer that the sleeve on it's own is designed for people with less than 150 pounds to lose.  If you fall into this category, you have the greatest chance at reaching a normal BMI within 12-15 months after surgery.  If you have more than 150 to lose...  you have to be realistic.  It's not impossible.  But it will take a LIFETIME of sacrifice and hard work in the gym.  No cutting corners and no excuses.  Also, I believe that excess skin removal will play a huge role in long-term success especially for the heavyweights. 

This is just my experience and what I have seen that has worked for so many others. 

Everyone's journey is unique and only you can determine how successful you will be.  Any surgery is just a tool and cannot work on its own.  I have a second chance to make this work and I don't plan to squander it away. 

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