Gerald G.

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

I am a computer technician living in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. We have Yukon Health Care up here and I would like to here from other Canadians on their experience.

May 30 2001

I have wanted this surgery for about 10 years. I was seeing a doctor in Edmonton Alberta about 10 years ago. He sent me to a surgeon that put me on a waiting list. After 2 years on the list with out moving I was getting frustrated.

It turns out this quack was being sued by several families of patience who where not with us any more. I wish I could remember his name because he fled to the USA and set up practice.

So with this close call and wanting to go back to school I put the surgery on hold. I figured they would make some progress in the operation and I would keep my eye on it.

I started my career after college and got caught up in it for a while and forgot about loosing weight. I was mostly happy and had lots of friends. My career was going well and I felt good.

About 4 years ago I accepted a position with an old company in the Yukon, Whitehorse Business Machines. They had been around for 35 years and were a great opportunity (this may sound funny if you consider the size of Whitehorse). I really enjoyed the outdoor life of fishing, hunting and camping. I weight about 360# at the time and had been that way for years. It did not slow be down in doing these things. I could stand at a riverbank for hours casting a fly rod. Walk around the woods all day hunting with out a problem. Most people do not believe this but I have photos to prove it!! :)

I was here about a year when my accident happened. I remember like it was yesterday. It was late September and I was leaving my friend’s house after making hunting plans. It was a Tuesday and I was going to see a movie. He lived in an apartment with his wife and kids. I walked out the door and down the stairs heading towards my van. The sidewalk was made out of wooden shipping pallets instead of real construction material. One of the slats was broken and my foot went through the board and got stuck as a fell over. With a wet crunch I dislocated my ankle. It was the most painful and disgusting thing I had ever seen. My foot was sticking out of the side of my leg. My scream could be heard all over the apartment block. This was the end of my fishing trips.

I was in a cast for a month and could not do a thing. I have no lateral strength even to this day. My weight ballooned. I can't walk on it for more that a few minutes. I can't stand very long now. And I am afraid of walking on uneven ground or stepping down stairs because if I twisted it I would dislocate it again. So getting any exercise is impossible.

After I contacted a lawyer to sue the shit out of the building owner I started looking into the surgery again. I went to see my doctor, Dr Brad Avery, and he knew very little about my condition and what the available treatments where. I under went many hours of physiotherapy for my ankle.

I did my homework and found about new drug therapies and of course the WLS. I gave him the info I found and help educate him on the problem. My ultimate goal is RYN; however my doctor, like any doctor, needs to feel like he is directing the treatment. I tried some of the new drugs like Rodux with the typical results (YUCK). I had some success many years ago with Ionimun (Yellow Jackets) but had built up a resistance to them. And of course I went to see a dietitian. I have seen many of these people in my life and this one was no different.

Finally about a year ago I convinced him that surgery was the best way to go. Before he wrote a letter to Yukon Health Care (YHC) he got me to go and see a local surgeon, Dr Story, (Dr Story was the surgeon that reduced my ankle and I have a great deal of respect for him but that’s is another story). Dr Story used to perform this process but was against it and would never do another one. He mentioned he worked under the same surgeon I was going to see in Edmonton 10 years earlier (small world) and seen first had the after math of that. I can respect that and do not hold any thing against him for it.

My application to YHC was approved in only a few weeks to have the process in Alberta or British Colombia. I finally though my long wait was over. How wrong I was.

I figured with the list of Bariatric surgeons I gave to my doctor and his staff they would make some phone calls and book me in. I hear back that I am seeing a doctor in Vancouver but it might be a year or more before my first consult. This was 5 months ago. I asked them to please look elsewhere, they said they did and did not find any thing better.

Ok, I though I can wait.

Now I am pissed off.

I finally found out who is doing my operation, Dr Cleator. I called the office to ask some questions and I get a busy signal for 2 days. I finally get through and I tell you it is a good thing the Canadian doctors are on the government tit because they would starve to death if they ran a service that relied on customer satisfaction like every other service business in the world. From what I found out the doctor had been on holidays for the past few months and was just getting back. He would maybe be able to see me in September for my first consult, but the actual surgery would be a year or two away. Also the process this surgeon uses is called a JunoiIllio Bypass, not the RYN I wanted. I am sure glad someone looked into this before I showed up September and wasted 4 more months of my life, I just don’t know why it was I and not Dr Avery! They are sending me a flyer outlining the process.

So not only have a wasted 5 months I am booked in to see a doctor that does not even do the surgery I want.

F**K!!!!!!!!

So what to do…… I went back to an e-mail I had from a Dr Joffe in North York Ont. I had written Dr Joffe early in my research to find out a few things and he was great in writing me back. I called his office and was told they could only see me in late September. I though great. I asked how long it would normally take after the consult before my surgery. They said they were sorry but not for 6 to 9 months. I said not 2 years! Perfect, I though. I am going to see my doctor next week and show him this. I hope he can help me because I am at the end of my rope.

I will pay the difference in airfare from Alberta or BC to North York just to get this over with.


June 15 2001

I seen my family doctor 7 days ago and I have got a referral to Dr. Joffe in North York, Finally. I as still waiting to hear about a firm appointment date but I am hoping for an October trip to Toronto.

He has one other patience that has applied for funding from Yukon Health Care and a second who is interested in the process. He asked me if he could give out my e-mail address as a contact for them. I hope I hear from them, as I would like to share this web site.

June 22 2001

I got my appointment for a consult with Dr Joffe. It will be on July 12 2001 in Toronto (North York) Ont. I am very excited, I was expecting a September or October date and when I called his office the other day his receptionist said they had an opening in July. I am hoping I can get the operation as soon as possible. I hope some time early in 2002.

July 16 2001

I am happy to announce that I have a surgery date of Nov 19 2001. I was so happy to get a solid and short date from my surgeon, Dr Joffe.

I went to his office at around 9:00am on the 12 of July after flying across the country. There were 2 other appointments ahead of me, although only 1 was for WLS I think. As I was sitting in Dr Joffe's small office the phone rang and someone was trying to cancel their appointment for surgery! I could not believe my luck. The receptionist said that no one ever cancels because it is so hard getting an appointment in the first case. The date that became free was Aug 27 2001. I had to think long and hard about this. The other person in the office indicated that he wanted the opening. The doctor called him in to for his appointment and I thought all was lost.

By this time 2 other appointments had shown up, the little waiting room was filling up (I was glad to be there early). Before the other appointment came out I was thinking over my options. I did not think I could fly back to Whitehorse and be ready to come back on the 20th of Aug. So I did not take the appointment. I was expecting a date in January or February any way so a date in November was great.

By the way I now have an Angel, Carol Ann.

July 17 2001

I am now ready to post a picture of me on this page. This is a picture of my self about 4 months before surgery. I weigh in this picture 570 Pounds.

Nov 13 2001

With less than a week till my surgery I am now in Toronto. I went for my Pre-Op testing on Monday Sept 12 2001 and I was impressed. I am having Surgery at the Scarborough Grace Hospital. The Staff was friendly and professional in dealing with many tests. Given the state of health care in today I was surprised how quickly I went through many tests.

I arrived at the Admitting desk at around 11:00am for an appointment with the Internist, Dr Finkelstien for 11:30am. Everything went well with him and I was done at Noon. I was then sent for Blood and Urine test and a chest x-ray. This was done by 1:30pm and I was meeting with the Dietician by 2:30pm. I talked with this her for about 45mins and then there was a short wait till I saw the nurse. This was about 3:30pm and I talked with her about what to expect on the day of my surgery and post-op. I was given an EKG, and had my blood pressure taken (126/60). I then went to the surgery and met with the anesthesiologist and he checked my lungs and gave me a clean bill of health. I was done with many test and process that included many departments, some busier then others, by around 5:00pm. I was very happy.

Oh by the way I am now have my official weigh before surgery, I am 40lbs lighter that I was at my last weigh in, 530lbs.

Well I see everyone on the other side.

Bye.

Nov 23 2001

I went into the hospital on Monday morning at about 6:30am. I was walked into the OR room and was under my 8:00am. The operation lasted about 2 hours and I did not need to go to the ICU. I was taken from the recovery room to my room where I mostly slept till Tuesday. I remember my Mom and Cousin coming by and checking up on me. I also remember Dr Joffe coming in to check on me later also. He told the nursing staff that he wanted me up and walking by the next night, and he was right.

On Tuesday the nursing staff was great at making sure I was comfortable. The even ordered a special bed; it was very nice and was a lot easier to get in and out of. I was up and walking to the bathroom by Tuesday night.

The next day I was given my leak test. I had to do it twice as the first machine was not to clear. I could not wait to get my Nasal Gastric (NG) tube out. I was getting a little worried about what was happening with the test when I had not heard anything from Dr Joffe about my leak test at 7:00pm, about 7 hours after. I really wanted this tube out and more importantly want to know if every thing was all right. It turned out fine and I got all my tubes removed. I was not using the pain pump any more and I was drinking lots of so I did not need the IV anymore. It was nice to be able to walk around with out all of that hardware.

Thursday was spent enjoying my first Post Op meal of broth and Jell-O. It was interesting how just a few bites and I was as full as any Thanks Giving diner. I was walking every where and was able to have a nice long shower.

By Friday afternoon I just wanted out of there. I saw Dr Joffe and he said I could go and I split.

I am so happy to be on this side of the slope now, however I can now see the long road ahead... Mostly smooth and downhill.

Dec 6 2001

Well I got home on Dec 4 and am very happy to be home. I got my staples removed on Nov 30 and got weighed, I am down 25 pounds. I was so happy... 25Lbs gone forever.

Dec 18 2001

It’s been one month since I had surgery. I am back at work and am feeling good. Everything is going well and I have had only one small problem. I have a pocket of blood under the top on my incision. It causes some muscle pain, but as long as I take it easy it’s fine. I took a couple of days off to let the muscle pain I was having heal. My doctor says it will go away on its own in a few months. I went and found a scale in Whitehorse that I can use and I am now down 40 pounds. I am so happy with my progress.

Dec 28 2001

During the holiday season I have started to add solid (soft) foods to my diet. I tried many with mixed results.

The ones that worked fine, as long as I chew chew chew, where some of my favorites. I tried baked ham and it was so good. I did some dark meat turkey and gravy and was ok. I also tried some shrimp cocktail and was very happy that it sat well. I love seafood and am hoping it all works as good. I can also do soups and stews. I made a very good Ham and Cabbage soup that my mom makes (called a boiled dinner). It’s very much like Corn Beef and Cabbage except you use a picnic ham instead of the Corn Beef. If any one wants this simple but wonderful recipe please e-mail me and I will send it. I also tried several soft and hard cheeses with pleasant results. This is good because I like cheese.

The ones that did not do so well were short thank god. I tried some bread and was sick. I even tried a little stuffing and was sick also. I can live with out it though and am told that I might tolerate it later. The other item that I was sad about was eggs. I tried the as scrambled and it did not sit well and came out in about 2 minutes. I though it may be because they where too hard. So the next time I poached them with the same result. It’s to bad, cause I like eggs. And they are a good source of protein.

I am very proud of my self for the self-control I showed this holiday season. I stuck to the no sugar rule like it was my life on the line. I did not even slip once. This will be the only Christmas in my life that I lost weight. YIPPIE!

Jan 2 2002

I weighed in today and after the holidays I am down a total of 52 Pounds. That’s a loss of 12 pounds from my last weigh in 2 weeks ago.

Jan 18 2002

It’s been 2 months since my surgery and I am down 61 Pounds. I am very happy with my progress. I got my first "Your loosing weight" the other day from some one who doesn’t know I had surgery, which was nice. I noticed the steering wheel in my van does not touch my tummy any more.

Feb 1 2002

I am now down 81 pounds. I had the flu for the past 5 days and was on mostly liquids. I think that contributed to the 20-pound loss in the past 2 weeks. I am moving better than I have in a long time and able to stand much longer. I am now hoping to reach the 100-pound loss by my third month post op.

Feb 11 2002

So 10 weeks after surgery I am 80 pounds down. My goal of dropping 100 pounds in 3 months is in sight. I am now able to wear pants that I bough just before coming to the Yukon 5 years ago, pretty amazing.

Feb 19 2002

It's now been 3 months since my surgery. I am so close to my first small goal of -100 pounds in 3 months. I am -92 as of today. So I am calling it a Victory and congrats to me. :)

April 8 2002

Wow it’s been a while since I updated my profile. Everything is going great and I am now 409. That means I am down 123 pounds and I feel fantastic. I have some photos that I will be sending in soon and I hope to get posted. I am starting to walk for 1/2 hour a day. It does not seem like a lot but before my surgery I would have been luck to be able to walk for 5 minutes before being out of breathe.

April 19 2002

It’s been 5 months and I am now 405 pounds. That's 127 pounds gone for ever. I am very happy with dropping 25 pounds a month and I hope I can maintain that rate for a few more months.

May 10 2002

I am now less than 400 pounds. Today was another small mile stone for me in my journey. I was looking forward to being 3xx for so long and I am now 395. This means I have lost 137 pounds in about 25 weeks. That means I have lost as much or more than the weight of most of the adults I know.

May 23 2002

I have dropped 13 pounds in the last 10 days. I went out this weekend for 4 days on Quads. We camped out and had a great time. I had lots of energy and had no problems keeping up. My next mile stone in my journey is to be under 350 so I can use the normal scales at the doctor’s office. I am now 382 (that’s a total lose of 150 pounds and half way to my goal of 230 pounds) pounds and should make that mile stone in the next 4 to 6 weeks. Summer time has been my traditional time to drop weight because I love the out doors. I plan on doing a bunch of camping and fishing this summer. I am also planning a moose hunt this fall from horse back. Have not done that in a while.

June 21 2002

I am now only 17 pounds from my short term goal of 350. I am now 367 pounds. That's a total loss of 165 pounds in 7 months. I am very happy with the results of this surgery.

July 1, 2002

I was near the scale I normally use and I stopped and got on. I am now 360 pounds. That’s 172 pounds gone forever.

July 15, 2002

I did my bi-monthly weight check today and I a now 348 pounds (-184 pounds). I am now at my next mental goal. The next step is -200 which should be sometime near the middle of August.

Aug 6, 2002

I am now down to 335 pounds. That’s a total loss of 197 pounds. I am very happy with my on going weight loss and should be well below 332 (which is -200 pounds) by the 9th month anniversary on the 19th of August.

Sept 3, 2002

I am now 319 pounds. I dropped 16 pounds in less than a month. I am still averaging about 1/2 pound a day. I tried on a pair of pants today and the waist was 58 and where a bit loss. I bough underwear that where only size XL. I am very happy with my progress.

Sept 30 2002

Today I am 302 pounds. only 3 pounds until I am 2xx which is a mile stone for me. I am only 70 pounds from my goal now and it is getting close. I guess the next mental goal for me is to be less than 285 pounds. This will be the lightest I have been in my entire adult life.

Oct 30 2002

Well I am now under the 300 pound mark. I am now 290 pounds. I will post a new picture when I am less than 280.

Dec 31 2002

I weighed in today and I am now 274 pounds. I have been approved for the skin to be removed. I will hopefully be doing that in April or May 2003. I can not believe how great I feel.

Feb 14 2003

I am now less than half the weight I was. I am down to 265 pounds, that's a loss of 267 pounds. Things are beginning to slow down, but I am not concerned. I expected this to happen and I will still continue to drop. Even if it takes a year to drop the next 65 pounds I am ok with that. It is still sliding in the right direction. I will be under 200 pounds soon enough.

June 28, 2011

It has been a long time since I have been posting on here.  I have achieved many goals and wanted to write some now.

I started body building 3 years ago and have made some major changes in my body composition.  I wanted to change my metabolism and building muscle was the only way to do that.  I had great success and have turned my 250 pounds into a hard 250 pounds.  You can check me out on my facebook page, From Lard to Hard.

On June 7 I underwent a body lift operation in Costa Rica.  This was my second reconstructive surgery.  The first was aPani removal 4 years ago and they remove about 6 KG of skin (about 12 pounds) from my stomach.  The surgery on June 7 was an upper and lower body lift.  The removed 5kg or 10 pounds this time from my lower back, upper back stomach and chest.  They remove 20cm of skin from my lower back this time.

I am now 3 weeks post op and have had very few problems.  A bit of fluid build up that I needed drained and a couple of open wounds that are taking a bit longer to heal than others.  I am very happy with the results.

I am also going to be doing fitness and weight loss consulting with a professional fitness trainer.  This will allow me to help others who are struggling.  Check me out on my Facebook site http://www.facebook.com/FromLardtoHard for more information or to contact me.