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Surgeon: Robert A. Rabkin, M.D., San Francisco, CA
Surgery date: September 8, 1999
Pre-op weight/BMI: 344/53.9
Current weight/BMI: 185 (at one year post-op)

 
Left: Pre-op (344ob.); Right: 4.5 months post-op (253lb.)

 
Left: 10 months post-op (199lb.); Right: One year post-op (185lb.) down 159 pounds!

by Robin:

My name is Robin and I am 35 years old, and have 3 beautiful children, ages 9,7, and 3. I work full time as a Paramedic, and have done so for 12 years.

I have been heavy as long as I can remember. I weighed 250 pounds on my wedding day. I have tried every diet plan that I could find and only successfully lost any significant amount of weight once. When I was 23, I followed Weight Watchers and starved myself for 3 years. I lost 109 pounds and had to exercise like a maniac for an hour a day to maintain the weight loss. I was truly miserable and I felt so deprived. When I got pregnant with my first child my OB-GYN insisted I eat at least 1800 calories a day. Well I did that and more, I gained 60 pounds with the pregnancy and just kept gaining even after my daughter was born. By the time my third child was born I weighed 300 pounds. I started worrying about my health, and my ability to keep working at the job I loved doing, being a Paramedic.

As the weight piled on, I decided to go back to school and get my Bachelors degree in Nursing so I would have a decent paying job when I became too fat to work as a Paramedic. This is when I decided I needed to do something drastic, and I started researching the surgery routes. I looked into every surgeon and procedure that I could. I spoke with the Doctors and nurses that I worked with and I was given a myriad of opinions, many of which were just outrageous. I finally chose Dr. Robert Rabkin in San Francisco!

My insurance covered the entire procedure which if I didn't mention was an "Open gastric bypass with a duodenal switch". I have never regretted my decision! Even those first days post-op I knew that this procedure was the answer to my prayers and finally a cure for my problem. I did however feel very skeptical at first that the surgery would work. I really thought that I would be the one person that would somehow still manage to gain weight or at a minimum not lose any weight. I was WRONG! I lost 23 pounds in the first 2 weeks. I have lost steadily ever since, I lost 115 pounds by my 6 month check up.

Delphine, Dr. Rabkin nurses said she wanted me to lose half of my total weight loss in the first 6 months and then it should slow down after that. I still need to lose another 70 pounds, but I have all the confidence in the ability to do so.

I eat whatever and whenever I want, with no guilt. My portions are very filling and I don't feel deprived. My friends and family remark at the small quantities I consume but I no longer notice. I have not had any significant side effects. I had to get used to eating smaller portions, if I try to eat when I am full I will vomit. It only took a few times to learn when to quit eating. I have regular B.M.'s and they are softer than before. If I eat a lot of fatty foods I pass oil in the stool. My body can not break down the fat- YEA!! The biggest problem is I really stink up the bathroom. But I can deal with that, and I can cure it with a can of lysol.

I hope I haven't offend anyone, I tend to be very direct. If you have any questions please e-mail me at rshenry@pacbell.net

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