Tom’s Story

Tom spent a lifetime gaining and losing weight and, as he got older, the weight problem got worse. “It seemed the more I tried to lose weight, the harder it got. I asked myself why, when I was successful in other parts of my life, I couldn’t get a handle on this problem.”

Motivated by his doctor’s repeated warnings of an early demise, Tom began thinking about bariatric surgery. When he discussed it with his sister who is a nurse, she commented, “Well, maybe it’s okay for people who don’t have any self-control.”

Tom thought, “Maybe she’s right. If I had self-control, I could eat like these people and not have to have the surgery. If I could eat just 2 ounces at a time… but you can’t. When I repeated her comment to my doctor, he said, ‘She’s not right at all. Why would anyone in their right mind want to weigh 500 pounds (which I did)?’ He understood that I hadn’t chosen to have uncontrolled high blood pressure, sleep apnea, arthritis, and swelling in my leg.” 

When Tom learned that his insurance would cover the surgery, he began serious research on the Internet and was surprised that there were so many different types of weight-loss surgery. He visited one bariatric support group, then learned about Surgical Associates and went to their educational meeting. They invited him to attend their support group meeting where he and Gail found a warm welcome. 

Tom says, “I began the paperwork process for insurance approval in April of 2002 after choosing Dr. Frank Mitchell as my surgeon. Tracy (the Bariatric Patient Coordinator) scheduled as many of the required specialist appointments – cardiologist, pulmonologist, and psychiatrist – on the same day so I needed less time from work.”

“Dr. Mitchell did the Roux-en-Y (RNY) in June and, though there is always concern about breathing problems – especially with overweight men, I breezed through it. I was home in four days and started losing weight immediately. It took about three weeks to start feeling good, but by the fourth week, I was eager to start walking and exercising.”

“At first I could only make it around the block. I closely followed the “food Bible” (the year-long eating plan Surgical Associates provides) and the weight just kept falling off. I was losing so well on the liquid part of the plan, eating cottage cheese, soups and ‘mushy’ food, that I just stayed on that for a long time. I wasn’t hungry. In the first three months, I lost 100 pounds. I woke up thinner every day.”

Becoming aware.

Tom had always eaten his food very quickly, so learning to eat slowly and chew-chew-chew took some retraining. “I had my first problem about three weeks after surgery. While putting away some deli turkey, I took a bite like I always did and it stuck in my throat. The worse thing you can do in this situation is drink water – but I took a drink and threw it all up. I felt better immediately, but it was a good education; good feedback. I think it may have happened six times over the last 11 months.”

At 11 months, Tom has lost about 180 pounds and reached a point where the pounds lost are slowing down; but he’s still losing inches. “I think it helps that I walk three miles most every day, and I know from others in the support group, that the losses will start again soon. I do feel hunger now, but get full very quickly.”

He says that the first 18 months after surgeries are called “the magic window” – before your body adjusts to the changes and begins to stabilize your weight. You lose the most weight during that time.

The surgery is just a tool. 

Tom recalls becoming a life member of an international weight-loss group and laughs, “I think I kept the weight off about 5 minutes.”

So what is different now?

“Behavior modification is the whole key to this thing. The surgery is just a tool.  I’ll still have the restrictive properties, but those can be overridden. If you eat more, eat more often, or eat higher calorie foods, you will gain weight. Behavior modification is the key.”

What makes his story even more extraordinary is Tom’s part-time job. He’s a breakfast chef on weekends at a local renowned Bed & Breakfast, combining rich creams, butters, and liquors into culinary delights for the guests. Tom says his pleasure comes in planning and cooking meals – not in tasting his dishes.

Tom delights in pointing out, “Gail and I can eat out for under $10 now because we get two salads and share an appetizer. We’re both satisfied and even bring home a lot of take-out boxes of leftovers. We share cooking for our son, but he’s even changing his eating habits.”

A new lifestyle.

Tom says he missed nothing of his old lifestyle. “I’m so active now, walking, riding bike, going out with friends. We’ve going to the theater this week – we never could go to the PAC because I couldn’t fit in the seats. People think you’ll never get to eat at your favorite restaurant again, but you will. You just won’t eat as much, but you don’t want as much. I think I’ve gained a lot; I’m not missing anything.” 

Gail’s Story

“When Tom started talking about surgery, I was scared. I could see the health problems he was having and knew they were life-threatening, but I was also scared of the surgery. My mom had many surgeries and survived, but it didn’t look like any fun.”

Gail says that she too has always had a weight problem, compounded by her family’s love of ice cream and her own addiction to sugar. “I was a ‘sugarholic’– I went to QuikTrip every day and got a pop, a candy bar and Cheetos – every day.” 
She was prescribed diet pills (she thinks ‘speed’) while in high school and lost weight. She gained weight in college and at age 30, got more pills and again dieted down to a reasonable weight. Then she began gaining steadily pushing upward on the scale to reach an all-time high.

Hunger was a constant companion. She says, “I used to wake up in the middle of the night with my stomach grumbling and rolling and I’d fight it and go back to sleep, but I couldn’t fight the hunger during the day. I just couldn’t stop eating, especially if there was ice cream in the house.”

The hunger for change.

“I kept going to the support meetings with Tom and seeing all those people gradually losing weight until I finally got up my nerve. This was my first-ever surgery, but I had gotten to know the doctors at Surgical Associates and had so much trust in them I really was not scared by the time of the surgery.”

Tom interjects, “I never asked her to have the surgery; it was totally her decision. I would never make that kind of decision for anyone else.” To which Gail responds, “He just made it possible; which I am really grateful for.” 

Dr. Frank Mitchell performed Gail’s RNY surgery on January 16.  She also breezed through it and returned home in three days. Gail works part-time from home, so was able to start getting back to her computer within a week, despite experiencing normal post-surgical weariness. “I had the glue closure instead of staples, which I think helped.”

Both agree that the binder that is placed around the stomach after surgery and worn for several months made a difference in the healing process and minimized scarring. At first Gail had a problem sleeping on her back instead of her stomach, and she still uses her sleep apnea machine, but looks forward to abandoning it soon.

Gail continues, “I’d lost 20 pounds at my first checkup and have lost about 80 pounds in the four months since surgery. For the first two weeks you (don’t) eat hardly anything – that’s a real booster, it helps a lot. Now I can eat shaved turkey and cooked vegetables. Being able to finally eat salads has really helped; that happens around 4-6 months. I can tolerate chicken – lots of people have problems with it – and broiled catfish and shrimp go down easily. Red meat has never been my thing so I don’t miss it. I can do a lot of dairy like skimmed milk in my protein shake and low-fat, sugar-free yogurt. I have introduced fruit into the yogurt. I really love fruit, it is so incredibly sweet and the fiber helps with constipation problems. We make sure we get in all the necessary vitamins every day, too." 

The only times Gail has been sick was after eating some Chinese-style chicken that had apparently been prepared with sugar, and after a couple of bites of bean dip. “I haven’t had any problems with dumping, but I sometimes feel uncomfortably full. When I first notice I’m getting full, I know not to take another bite. It gets stuck in my throat, like the acid reflux I had before surgery, but not afterward.”

Gail’s foot problems prevent her from joining Tom’s walking group, but she rides bike with him. “It’s nice not to be so clumsy. I was always afraid of falling because of my weight and my bad feet. I thought I might have to have foot surgery, but as I lose weight, they seem to be getting better.” 

Sharing a better life.

The couple’s lives have changed drastically since surgery. They ride bikes, take dance classes, enjoy the fellowship of the support group, and have learned to enjoy life without concentrating on food. Improved health has become as important to them as losing weight once was.

Gail says, “I take water aerobics where I can stretch out. I had no idea how stiff I’d gotten – I used to walk side-to-side, kind of lumbering along. We both used to groan whenever we got up from a chair. We don’t do that anymore! I had 50 years to eat everything I wanted. I’m ready to be happy with that. Being able to go places with our son and have him not be ashamed of us is much more important.” 

Tom’s blood pressure is controlled with one and a half pills a day (down from four), but he says his goal is zero pills. His arthritis has diminished, and his legs rarely swell. He’s breathing and sleeping better. 

Both Tom and Gail are Bari-buddy volunteers within the support group. Gail says, “Some people don’t get good feedback from the people around them. Losing weight affects your spouse, your children, and your co-workers. They aren’t always positive. The support group is one place where everybody approves of you and you feel comfortable.”

Bari-buddies act as one-on-one mentors to pre-operative members and maintain contact by e-mail and telephone, and sometimes, lunch. They visit their buddy in the hospital after surgery and provide extra support through those first few weeks. They are there when those, “Is it normal to …” questions arise.