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Surgeon: Dr. Gary Anthone, Los Angeles, CA
I was not a fat baby. In fact, I was undernourished and my mother had to give me away because she could not feed me so I lived with my Aunt until I was 3 yrs. old. Unfortunately my aunt was an incredible cook and fed me constantly. She was also overweight. I would often take homemade pastries to the Nuns at the Catholic Church. If they were cookies, I would nearly drain the tray before I got there. I think the Nuns were aware of my sin, but they thought it was funny. I didn't really start gaining weight until the third grade. and that's when the teasing started. I also wore glasses and was a book worm and got teased for that. In my very early years, I was very outgoing, but as the weight piled on I became more and more withdrawn. and did not interact with the kids at school. My mother put me on a diet when I was about 8. When that didn't work, she refused to buy me school clothes until I lost the weight. It did not help. It only lowered my self esteem even more. When I reached Junior High, I weighed 180 pounds. My grades were good in school but I always failed P.E. because I refused to participate. My mother and brother and sisters claimed I was just stubborn. In 9th grade a miracle happened. I tried out for the drill team and was told if I could loose 50 pounds, I could be on the team. I worked like crazy part of that year and through the summer and made the team. so in High School , I was a slender 126 #. It all ended when I went away to college. After 1 year at Brigham Young University, I returned home weighing over 200#s and very unhappy. I gained another 50#s after I got home. I started back to school part time and worked as a secretary- lost the job because of my weight and went to work for Kelly Temp Services. Like most of you I yoyo'd up and down for several years. After going to a weight control specialist, I lost over a hundred pounds, got down to 126 again and got married. When I got pregnant, I went up to 230 pounds and had a very difficult delivery. They said there was too much fatty tissue around the cervix and I was 12 hours in labor. Though I lost a little weight after my son was born, I gained most of it back during my marriage. When I got divorced, even more so. I was too fat to get any kind of gainful employment that would allow me to be close to my son, so I went back to school and majored in speech and minored in English. I entered the speech tournaments and discovered I was good at comedy so I traveled throughout the states for the speech team. When I worked as business manager for my school paper, I discovered I could write. They did not care about my weight... To shorten this tale. I graduated from Cal-State University Los Angeles with Faculty Honors primarily for winning trophies in the tournaments- one of the speeches being about "Fat People". Even though I was fat, one of the lines in the speech was: "I used to be a fat girl, now I only weigh 110 #. Everyone on campus starting calling me 110. Can you believe I lost weight with all that brain washing? There isn't any method I wasn't willing to try?????? Weight Watcher, Ayds, Slim Fast, Diet Pills, Overeaters Anonymous; banana diet ad infinitim! They offered me a job teaching at the University IF I would loose the weight. I couldn't, so they hired me as departmental secretary in a graduate program. I ate my way out of that job too. I was so oblivious, I did not realize that the University paper work had sticky stuff on it from donuts; jelly stains.etc. Oh the opportunites I have blown ! At 335#, I developed hypertension, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, gout, hypothyroidism, Fibromyalgia, brain seizures and major depression. My family completely abandoned me. I still have abandonment issues galore. What's saving me.? My dear niece, who is an RN called me one day and told me about the DS write up in the New York Times. I found Dr. Gary Anthone on the internet and made an appointment for October 1,2001. I researched the duodenal switch along with other bypass surgeries for a long time but I knew the DS is the only one that would work for me because I am an emotional eater and the dumping syndrome of the RNY would be inevitable. I've also joined an online support group. I still have difficulty communicating because of my abandonment issues. If there are any changes effecting my security, I still experience panic. and that panic turns me to food. I know I will have to deal with that in therapy very closely after this surgery. SO for me: It's not only about what I'm eating but it's about what is eating me.!! For others, the reasons for being overweight may differ. Some of us gain weight no matter what we eat. We all have to assess our eating causes to help us decide which surgery is best for us. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE; I FEEL HOPE THAT THERE IS A SOLUTION FOR US AND I'M VERY GRATEFUL THAT I HAVE FOUND IT. I UNDERSTAND THE IMMENSE SUFFERING ALL OF YOU HAVE GONE THROUGH WITH THIS DISEASE AND THE HUMILIATION AND PAIN, I EXTEND MY COMPASSION AND SUPPORT TO YOU IN THIS MIRACULOUS JOURNEY TO A BETTER LIFE. Will update after my consultation. July 30th, 2001: He told me I would be at risk for pulmonary embolism after surgery, and that he would like to do a tracheotomy on me if he felt it necessary, from there on to the ventilator. He's an extremely cautious and conservative surgeon so I am not balking at the ventilator. Now waiting for the insurance approval !! August 24th, 2001: The waiting period for me was filled with fear, but I have to say that the news of approval filled me with such hope and enthusiasm, I can't begin to tell you what an elated feeling I got. It's like the beginning of your new life. Most of us spend a lot of time researching and preparing ourselves emotionally and when the time comes, you are just ready. so those of you waiting, you can believe in the process. Will update later.
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