carlk
As a child I was always big. I would sign up for foot ball and was always the biggest kid on the team struggling with every thing. In grade school I was above 200 pounds.. Then in high school I reached over 300 pounds. I still managed to do all the things I wanted to do fiscally but it was stressing my body out the whole time. In the early 90s I reached 450 pounds and I maintained that weight for many years . In 2004 I got bitten by a Brown recluse and wound up dieing from it but they brought me back three times . they fought hard for my life. I was not to happy about this I really just wanted to die. They would not let me. I attended a weight loss seminar in 2004 but with the wound I had from the spider bite they would not be able to do the surgery. I reached a Max weight of 510 pounds at this time. it took three years of wound care to heal the wound. when I went back to see my weight loss surgeon he told me I needed to loos 100 pounds before he would do the surgery. At this time I had to make the decision to try to live or die. I thought about my last stay in the hospital when the had to bring me back . It was obvious they would not just let me die like I wanted to. At this time I made the choice to live and do the pre opp weight loss plan. I started on the liquid diet which was 6 protein shakes a day with 2 cups of vegetables a day. Within 5 months I had loss 94 pounds and they set my surgery date for November 29 ,2007. This date is truly the day I started to live again. I kept a food diary the whole time and anytime i was not clear about some thing I was on the phone to the dietitian. after all the years of not caring what I was eating I new nothing about reading labels. The education I received was great.
Before the surgery I was on 14 different medications,24/7 oxygen @ 5 litters, 600 units of insulin 420 of lantis and the rest Apdria threw out the day. I also had a bi pap machine set on max pressure and had to use a Kane or cart to get around the store.
After the surgery I had to refuse the insulin in the hospital I came off all my medication except my synthroid pill. my blood glucose levels run in the low 70s now with out anything. I walk any where between 3-5 miles a day and have currently lost 335 pounds and have returned to work after twelve years . As of now I have also had a thigh lift a complete lower body lift a stomach tuck and a male chest reduction. I cant thank Dr.Kozar and Western Bariatric Institute team enough for all there support and education I have received from them. I also need to thank my support persons Pat and Kit for not giving up on me
THANK YOU
