It has been a while since I have updated. It has been about two months since my last "fill". I lost about 7 pounds within 4 days and another three or so slowly since then. I'm still hanging right around 260. That's down 70 pounds from last December. I'd like to drop 50 more and be done with the weight loss portion of the plan.

My doctors warned me that there would be a period from three months after surgery to six months in which I would lose very little weight. I'm in the middle of that period now. It seems that the body goes into a starvation mode for that period in which it reacts to the reduction of calories by conserving all that it can. The Docs indicate that, at around the six month mark (mid October for me), it should start coming off again.

I have a fill scheduled for tomorrow so I should knock off another 5 or so pounds in the next week.

As for the Wish Center, they haven't really closed so much as downsized. They moved from their very fancy offices to Provena Mercy Hospital in Aurora. Now, I understand that their corporate offices have broken ties with Provena Mercy. They will be seeing patients in Aurora until 10/13. The doctors have told everyone that they will continue to practice even when they leave Provena. I haven't asked. but, it seems that so many insurers are now declining to cover weight loss surgery, that their revenues are probably way down. The cost of the band for people paying cash is around $11,000. The cost of a bypass for those paying cash is around $30,000. That's a lot of dough for either surgery.

If you're interested in having the surgery and want for insurance to cover it, look into United Health as an insurer. They seem to have the most liberal policies that I have seen for covering weight loss surgery.

Also, if you apply and are rejected by your insurance company, refer to the obesityhelp.com website. There are attorneys who have successfully sued insurance companies to get obesity surgery covered for their patients.

I was fortunate in that my 401K had very liberal rules allwoing me to borrow against my balance in it. Otherwise, I may not have had the surgery myself.

From an exercise perspective, I have dropped all of my weight lifting and I'm focusing on cardio mostly. I do about 60 minutes of moderate cardio a day six days a week. I'm also doing 500 assisted crunches about 4 x per week. My cardio is mostly on the elliptical trainer though I am ready to begin running on a treadmill some now. It will take me some time to be able to build up to a good hour long run.

I'm eating much more liberally than I did early on, just in smaller portions. For instance, I was in New York this week having dinner with a client. They ordered a four course meal at an Italian Restaurant. I ate all four courses, but no more than five bites of each course. It was darn good. My diet is still high in low fat protein- Basically it is South Beach.

The reason that I did this was my health. I'm now off of the Toporol for high blood pressure and fast pulse completely now. My BP is normal and my pulse is down to about 70 beats a minute resting. My BP was 160/140 and my resting pulse was 120 back in December.

I feel great. I sleep like a rock. I have a ton more energy.

YourPalWill wrote:I feel great. I sleep like a rock. I have a ton more energy.

Great!

Thanks for the update.

That's great Will! So why did you drop the weight lifting?

LeeK, I find that when I lift weights, I tend to eat a lot more. So, I decided to focus on Cardio almost exclusively until I hit my target weight. Then, I'll put on some muscle that will help with long term metabolism of calories.

My doctor happened to point out that weight lifting=elevated blood pressure. What I don't understand is this—how could one be gaining muscle mass, dropping clothing sizes, yet not losing weight?

fela wrote:My doctor happened to point out that weight lifting=elevated blood pressure. What I don't understand is this—how could one be gaining muscle mass, dropping clothing sizes, yet not losing weight?

Muscle weighs a lot more than fat does. So you can be smaller and still weigh the same or more if you build muscle.

That's awesome Will.

Has the weight loss helped with the sleep apnea problem? Do you still need the mask?

Suzy

Will,
I just discovered this thread, and have been reading it with interest. I wish you good luck on your journey.

I have lost 33 pounds in the last year and a half - most of it through Weight Watchers. Prior to that, I'd considered the surgery, but wanted to find a less invasive solution. I had to lose at least 10% of my body weight due to being diagnosed as "pre-diabetic." I did that (and more), but now I find that motivation is a problem (I feel as if I did what the doctor told me to do, and now I'm "done").

As I struggle with my lack of motivation, and my ever-present desire to make food my main source of "fun," I'm beginning to feel that the central issue is changing one's whole relationship with food. I don't think a person can lose weight and keep it off long term - and still be a "foodie." What do you think? Have you faced this - or isn't it an issue for you?

and my ever-present desire to make food my main source of "fun,"

That was definitely an issue for me. I viewed my passion for food as entertainment. I'd wake up on a Saturday and think, "well, since I have a free day, what can I go eat." And would proceed to do so all day.

For me, it was important to find entertainment other outside of food. Now, for 11 solid months, I have been working toward that end.

I spent more time on the lake in the summer, exercised daily, and still found time to eat the things I liked in limited portions.

Just the other night, I ran across ErikM and CrazyC at TAC where I had one very good course off of the Thai menu versus the four I would have split with my dining partner before. Honestly, I enjoyed itj ust the same.

As the weather gets nastier, it will be a challenge for me to find indoor interests that will keep me away from food as entertainment.

SDritz, as for the CPAP, I'm still using it 3-5 hours a night, then taking it off for the rest of the night. I'm due a new sleep study soon.

My program has teken a bit of a turn for the worse in the past week. This skin infection that I described back in July keeps coming back. My surgeon is worried that the band is causing and erosion of my outer stomach wall and that the infection is actually on my stomach and working its way down the tube to my port which is located right near the spot of the infection.

This afternoon, I'll be having an endoscopy to determine if his suspicions are correct. If he is correct in his daignosis, it is likely that the band will have to come out.

If that's the case, I'm pretty determined to keep going forward with my weight loss program. I feel like I have developed some good disciplines as a result of behavioral changes that can serve me well even if the band has to be removed.

This isn't really where I expected to be six months into this process. But, I will make the best of it no matter what the outcome.

good luck Will. we'll all be rooting for a good outcome. if the band comes out, you'll create a psychological 'band' and carry on. you sound very determined. joan

What Joan said.....you'll be in my thoughts and I hope everything turns out for the best.

The mental part of the program is the hardest to overcome. You have made tremendous strides in such a short period of time; that is truly a testiment to your commitment.

Hang in there Will!

I'm very pleased to report that they found no erosions on the stomach. Now, we need to figure out what is making the infection re-occur.

For now, the band stays on.

Thanks for your kind wishes.

I don't post here often but I have followed your journey. I'm glad things went well and hope things continue in good form.

p.s.-when you lift weights are you subconsciously holding your breath? There have been studies that say this causes a rise in blood pressure during the exercise.

I probably inhale and exhale during the course of a rep, Een. My BP is pretty good these days.

I apologize for my failure to follow up on this journal in a more timely fashion of late. Work has had me quite busy.

This morning, I weighed in at 252 pounds which represents a weight loss of 76 pounds over my starting weight of 328 slightly more than one year ago.

In November, I was able to conquer the four month long skin infection which had kept me from getting fills for the previous four months. I was able to get one fill. Then, the infection returned.

The good news, for me, is that the fill that I got seemed to hit a certain sweet spot which has, finally, allowed for a new 12 pound or so loss in the last 40 days. I'm within spitting distance of being able to hit the 100 pound loss plateau by the one year anniversary of my surgery in April.

The bad news is, that once the new infection heals, I'm probably going to have to have the original port removed, then placed back in after they're sure that the infection has gone for good.

Thanksgiving day was just a horror for me in terms of being able to eat any thing at all. No matter how much I chewed, I couldn't seem to get anything down until I had a couple of bowls of vegetable soup that night. It was just one of those days.

I set a goal for myself top drop between 10 and 15 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I stand a pretty good chance of being able to hit that rather easily. In addition to caloric restriction, I have hired a personal trainer a couple of days a week to help me mix up my cardio and weightlifting routine to further facilitate my progress.

The new fill has really restricted what I can eat. Eating more than a cup of food at a time is pretty difficult for me now. I find myself easily, and without hunger, substituting protein drinks for snacks and meals. When i do eat, I tend to focus on things like chicken salad, braised meats, and high fiber cereals.

One of the regular "meals out" that I can handle is the fantastic massaman curry at Elephant Thai on Devon. The softness of the chicken and potatoes makes it go down rather easily.

The doctors at the former Wish Center have reformed a new practice called Lifeweigh Bariatrics in Downers Graove where I will continude to be treated through the time that I hit my goal of 120 pounds of weight loss.

Needless to say, I feel great, both about the weight loss and with regard to my general health.

I'll try to post a new picture in the next day or so.

Thanks for the update! It's great news on all fronts, it seems (T'giving day excepted). I continue to be impressed by your determination and self-discipline and wish you continued success. You should be proud.

The infection finally won! Three weeks ago, after nearly seven months of attempting to fight the infection with antibiotics, I had the surgeon go in and remove the port just under my skin where the infection was occurring.

Unfortunately, in removing the port, we also lost all of the fluid in my band. It was a darn shame because only two weeks earlier, the doc had found my sweet spot and I had lost nearly fifteen pounds in a two week period.

With the loss of fluid, I am now completely unrestricted and find myself eating way too much these days. I have put about 9 of my fifteen pounds lost back on.

In the next week, I'll finish a month long cycle of antibiotics. We should be ready to put the port back in about two weeks later. At that time, we'll fill it back to the level where it was previously.

I have decided this is my last shot at it. If I get another infection, I'm having the whole thing taken out.

Would I do it again? Probably so. My health is much better and I have had a productive weight loss thus far, though not as much as I hoped at this point.

You probably sense the frustration in my post. My frustration level is through the roof at the present time.

Will, you have done so well on this program despite the setbacks and are the poster boy on this forum for this type of surgery. I am sure once you kick this latest infection you will be back on your program and reach your goal.

Best wishes to you for a speedy recovery and, hopefully, no more recurrences so that you can continue to your desired weight.

Suzy

Will, thanks, as always for the update. I'm, well, it's hard to say the right thing, I'm disappointed, but it's not my body, certainly not my frustrations. Surely, what I mean is, gosh damn this sucks. Good luck and I hope things improve soon.

Rob

Vital Information wrote:Will, thanks, as always for the update. I'm, well, it's hard to say the right thing, I'm disappointed, but it's not my body, certainly not my frustrations. Surely, what I mean is, gosh damn this sucks. Good luck and I hope things improve soon.

Rob

Took the words right outta my mouth.

I just want to add my thanks and best wishes as well, Will. Your story is important because it's the real story, not an advertorial for some medical group. The surgery is imperfect and complications are common. Even though yours wasn't, I gather, in the life-threatening category, it's certainly a quality of life issue at the very least. So's the weight loss, of course, and it sounds like you're saying so far the trade off has been okay. We've been pulling for you though the whole effort, and will continue to do so. No matter what happens, we can't thank you enough for sharing the good and bad times with us here.

HI,

I will estimate the source of your continuous infection is your body rejecting the appliance. You may want to inquire with your doctor if there are similar appliances made of different material.

Thanks again for keeping us updated on your experiences.

Best regards,

My two month break from my weight loss plan is about to come to an end. I'm scheduled to go back into surgery this coming Friday to have the port that was removed January 26 put back in.

For those thinking about the surgery that I have been through in terms of cost, it is fair for me to share this out because none of what I have paid has been covered by my very good insurance plan at work. I'm blessed with a healthy savings account resulting from one of the most remarkable 20 year run ups in the history of the stock market and a generous 401K plan that allows me to borrow against it and pay myself back.

The initial surgery itself cost right around $11,000. The five fills that I had subsequent to surgery cost $115 each. The cost of removing the infected port was about $1,500 and the cost of putting it back in is slightly more than $1,900. So, you can probably understand that I kind of view this as my last opportunity to get this right. I'm reaching the point that, if the infection re-occurs, I'm not sure that I can justify the continued cost of leaving the device in, to myself.

During my 2 month hiatus from being restricted, I could pretty much eat anything in any volume that I wanted. Even with a lot of exercise, I gained about six pounds in the two months. I gained pretty much all of it in the first two weeks following the January surgery. By virtue of this experience, I learned that, for the rest of my life, I am going to have to be somewhat restricted to keep the weight off. That's good to know. I'm still down 61 pounds from my starting weight.

I have been working out with a trainer from Bally's who is really pushing me to increase my anaerobic heart capacity. It seems to be working pretty well as my stamina continues to get better every week. The advent of nice weather is always an enouragement to leave home and get some good physical activity, too.

This week, I'll have to cut down my food consumption in preparation for the shock of having the band filled with 9ccs of fluid the day it is put back in. That's the same level that they had worked me up to prior to having removed the port. At that level, I could only eat a very limited amount of solid food and had to get most of my protein via protein shakes. At that level, I was dropping 5-7 pounds a week.

My surgeon, Jeff Rosen, who was an employee of the now defunct Wish Center has started his own practice called Lifeweigh Bariatrics in Downers Grove. I cannot say enough about the excellent treatment he has given me.

Thanks for all of your continued interest. I'll update you guys when I finish up the next round of surgery. My goal is to drop another 20-25 pounds by the end of June. That will have me within striking distance of my overall 115 pound goal.

Will, good luck to you - I can't imagine anybody on this forum doesn't have concerns in this area. I somehow have managed to barely stay on the inside of the weight level that would affect my heart, but had a couple breast cancer scares in the last year (turned out to be nothing.) - weight is the only controllable cancer factor for me. Seemingly small losses like ten pounds are a real achievement, believe me.

Good luck with all...

I didn't realize it had been so long (10 months) since I had posted a picture. My port replacement surgery went very well a couple of weeks ago and we're now back to a pretty aggressive approach on tightening it. The pictures are in progression from December 2005 to April 2007.

I'm looking a little thinner these days though I'd still like to drop an additional fifty pounds or so.

These days, I eat a lot of chicken salad and Lean Cuisine. The small portions of the Lean Cuisine make up about two meals fgor me.


December 2005



June 2006



April 2007

Impressive as all getout. Will, you've perservered through a lot of challenges--most of which you've shared and some undoubtedly known best to you. Throughout, you've had my great admiration and respect and these pictures should make you prouder of your accomplishment than any thing we could say. Congratulations.

You look terrific! Glad to hear the port surgery went well and I hope there are no problems this time around.

Suzy

I haven't updated this thread in a long time. But, today was an epic day in my 18 month, four day fight against fat. This morning, at my Sunday weigh in, I stepped on the scales at 226 lbs. For those of you doing the math, that represents a 102 lb total weight loss since I started all of this.

Breaking the hundred pound barrier was a big goal for me when I started all of this. I no longer sleep on the CPAP machine and I have been able to also give up my trigylceride and blood pressure medications.

Thanks to those of you who have offered your continual support during my long journey!