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Surgeon: Dr. Peter Crookes, USC University Hospital, Los Angeles, CA
by Randy: Being Fat Like almost all of us, I have been fat my whole life. When I look at pictures of the cute little girl that I was, I see the beginnings of chubbiness in my cheeks and arms. I couldn't run, I never got chosen for sports, I wore glasses, I read. I was a fatty waiting to happen. Puberty hit me like a ton of French fries. The pounds piled on. My mom put me on my first diet when I was twelve. I dieted constantly after that. Sometimes I lost a lot of weight really fast. It always came back faster. I dieted down to a mildly rubenesque weight just before I met my dear husband, 22 years ago. I look at that picture now and sigh. I still thought I was fat. The roller coaster continued. I bought books, I joined Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Optifast. Each time was going to be the last time. But as always the weight piled on. I thought phen-fen was the answer. It was for a few months, but it not only made me feel lousy, it stopped working. I drew the line at Xenical after a friend told me how nasty it was for her. Three or four years ago I started seeing stories on the news about weight loss surgery (WLS). It scared me some, but it looked like an answer. I made an appointment with a surgeon. I knew it would mean changes, but I was ready. Disappointment! The surgeon told me I was not fat enough! That was a first in my life. No one had ever even hinted at that before. My BMI was 39 and I had no co-morbidities. The surgeon sent me to the hospital's obesity clinic to try yet another round of diet pills. This time, they didn't work at all. But I persevered. I tried WW once again. After 3 months of religious adherence I barely lost 7 pounds. Then I joined my local Y. They offered a computerized fitness program with a trainer. After 6 months I felt better but I had gained another 10 pounds! By now I had been diagnosed with sleep apnea. My reflux, from which I had suffered for years, became ever worse. I fought every month with the insurance company for my medication. I had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I didn't know where to turn. Then, in January of 2000, there was one more story about WLS. This time it was the famous 48 Hours piece on Dr. Fobi. I began to think of trying this again. The day after that report aired, our regular FedEx delivery person, whom I hadn't seen for several months, appeared at the door. She had always been heavy; I was impressed to see she had lost 60 pounds! Of course I had to ask how. Tina had been to Dr. Fobi. She offered to take me with her to a support meeting. But I've never been one to wait for something. I began to research on the web. What a fabulous resource we have in this new Internet age. I read everything I could get my hands on. I compared surgeries, results, complications, long-term success, and life styles. Finally, I decided that for me, the Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch (DS) was the best choice. I joined a support group and took the plunge. I waited a little longer than I should have to make an appointment, foolishly wanting a referral before making an appointment. It became clear to me, however, through the wise counsel of my internet family, that it was better to lock in a consult date and worry about a referral later. I was lucky in that I lived in Los Angeles where there are two highly qualified surgeons performing the DS. My appointment was for four months down the road. A lifetime to wait. But now, it's just around the corner. I am on the road to my new life as a slimmer, healthier, more energetic me. Read Life in the Fat Lane, Part 2
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