I lost a total of 137 pounds from the surgery. Most of that weight loss occurred within the first six months. I then gained about 5 pounds back, and then lost about 10 more. I have been at the same weight now for about a year. I would like to lose about 10-15 more pounds, but I'm giving my body plenty of time to recover from the major plastic surgery I had back in March before I do anything else.
My blood pressure has greatly improved with the weight loss. My sleep apnea is gone completely. My knees and hips don't hurt as bad as they did before. Unfortunately, the weight loss did not cure my back pain, and that is something I deal with on a daily basis. I have recently also injured my tailbone somehow and I feel like an OLD LADY with all these joint ailments!
One negative health side effect I've had since the gastric bypass involves my eyes. Apparently many gastric bypass patients get dehydrated very easily. I do a TERRIBLE job of drinking water, and mostly drink Diet Coke all day long. I tend to stay very dehydrated, and this has ultimately affected my eyes. I have worn contacts for 30 years, and now I'm back in glasses to let my extremely dry eyes heal. I developed a condition called neovascularization, which means the red blood vessels in the white part of my eyes are growing into my cornea. This is not reversible. They are growing that way in a "search for oxygen" according to my ophthalmologist. In order to let my eyes get oxygen, I can't wear my contacts. To me this is very depressing, as I wore ONLY my contacts for the past 30 years. To me glasses are uncomfortable and inconvenient - but hey, sight is important! Gotta do what I gotta do!
The only other "negative" since the surgery is that I can't pig out anymore. This is also a blessing and one of the reasons I had the surgery in the first place. But sometimes you just want to sit down and eat a LOT of something. Like pizza, or Mexican food, or dessert. I can't do that anymore. I can't really tolerate fried foods very well. I can't eat much bread at all, and french fries cause very painful heartburn. I can barely tolerate sugar, which means no cakes, pies, or desserts without making myself sick. I can't eat ice cream at all, and in fact, I believe I have become practically lactose intolerant since the surgery. Overall, the things I can't eat needed to be eliminated from my diet anyway, but 43 years of eating habits don't change overnight!
As I have discussed ad nauseum, the plastic surgery I had AFTER the weight loss has been the hardest on my body and my spirit. I am still not 100% and in fact, just had some blood work done last week to check on my iron levels and thyroid functions again. I have had to have two series of iron infusions since the gastric bypass. I don't absorb iron very well since then, and I have to take two iron supplements daily. Infusions are not fun at all! My energy level has been at an all-time low lately and I'm hoping there is a fix for that.
Overall, I am very glad that I had the gastric bypass procedure. The follow-up team that Dr. Boyce has in place is amazing and covers all your aftercare needs. For me, and for Artie with his surgery, it has been a very positive experience.
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