Richard Andrew Bright, MD

My primary care physician recommended my bariatric surgeon when I found it impossible to lose the 40 lbs required to have hernia surgery. The hernia caused a lot of pain whenever I exercised even a little. I started the two week preop diet at 331 lbs on July 8, 15. By September 3 I had lost 42 lbs! It's now Oct 1 and I've had both surgeries and am down 59 lbs. I haven't been able to exercise much, due to the rapid fire surgeries and healing time, but I'm mostly healed now and starting to go on walks and outings with my family. Unbelievable experience! Pros: Rapid weight loss, duh... energy, the future is bright! I've lost 59 lbs in 9 weeks. Cons: Dealing with insurance/medical billing added a new level of stress, it was expensive, but my insurance covered it and now I've maxed my out of pocket so I'm thinking about knee and ankle surgeries before the end of the year (sort of a pro, not a con). I love to cook, but now it's becoming more of a chore. My stomach is iffy about most things still and if I eat more than a quarter of a cup I may regret it. I keep hitting plateaus, which sucks, but I cannot imagine that at the rate I'm eating food there is any way I won't lose weight. Updated on 5 May 2016: I can't believe I'm at 10 months, over 100 lbs down - and totally healed, feeling amazing and I can't stop smiling! That hernia was a [RS bleep]. I've joined a gym, I actually go to the gym because it's so satisfying to feel strong! I think that's the thing that surprised me most - how I'd forgotten what it felt like to be strong. I love my life now! Oh, and we sold our house, bought a new one and my husband had knee surgery so he can keep up with me ;-) Life is wild! Updated on 9 Mar 2017: Hi everyone! I haven't been updating, but I thought some of you might like to know what it has been like after just over a year and a half from surgery. I would do it ALL AGAIN! First off, THE FOOD: In the beginning it was hard to remember that that teeeeeeny tiny serving really was all my body wanted to eat - I was in genuine pain a couple of times. Now I'm used to it and I actually find myself taking my time over food so that I can finish my meal about the same time as everyone else. I've also started ordering soup if we go out, since it's mostly water and passes through quickly. I don't feel so weird - I get served at the same time as everyone else and I don't have to go through the drama of either ordering a half portion and not even finishing that or being grilled by the server, "you don't like it? Was it bad? Should I send it back?" (especially at Mexican restaurants, I've noticed. They really want to fill you up!). I'm becoming a popcorn junky (to which my dietitian is ambivalent - so yay?) because it's mostly air and I discovered at the movies I can actually eat a small popcorn in the allotted time! :-) Getting enough protein was a problem - I cannot abide protein drinks (if you can, good for you. They make me want to spew), and most protein bars are way too heavy for me and contain tons of sugar which makes me jittery now. I got a dehydrator and started making my own beef jerky which is awesome, when I get to eat any since my kids always raid my stash. What else... What I miss most is taking a loooong cooooold drink of ice water! God, sometimes I would kill to just down the whole water bottle but it's still sip sip sip. The cold can bother my stomach a little (probably makes it contract) but mostly I just don't have the capacity to fit that much mass in there. My stomach has stretched a bit, but not much. I started after first healing only being able to eat MAYBE a 1/4 cup. Now I'm at about 1/2 cup... 3/4 if what I'm eating is worth the mild discomfort ;-) usually it isn't. Dark meat chicken is still icky to me, and it used to be my favorite. At least now I can eat bread, which took about 9 months, but I try to avoid it because I have a hard enough time getting protein and veggies, what with my popcorn habit! I keep forgetting to take my vitamins. My doctor is gonna kick my butt. I suck at taking pills. Ok, so... EVERYTHING ELSE: I feel amazing. I have energy. I want to go out and do things. I want to dress up. I've started working from home for myself. I quit my gym when we moved 6 months ago and haven't signed up for a new one yet, but this winter has kept me on my toes with all the snow shoveling that I'm not missing it too much. I just found a new gym closer to home and will be signing up shortly (it's cheaper too!) My kids are getting more fit - but my husband has gained a bunch of weight - he's been travelling for work and eating out all the time at fancy restaurants. We're working on that. I can fit on the roller coaster. I can fit in a plane seat. My skin is clearer. I went through that sucky hair-loss phase and my hair thinned considerably, but that stopped and it's filling back in - time for a layered cut. I had to buy new clothes every few weeks for a while, so I opted for Goodwill etc (it was getting expensive) and it worked out. New bras are full-price, though, and that got old. My feet shrank almost a full size. THE SKIN: My extra skin isn't toooooo bad... but my belly has stretch marks from pregnancy that are all flabby and gross. My arms are anything but toned. My thighs are jiggly like water weenies. That's the bad. On the plus side, the new 'rash suit' surfing style bathing suits couldn't have come at a better time! Yay spandex! But only for swimming, I'm not a creep. I think that's most of it. Like I said, I'd do it all again - this experience has been positive from start to finish. I don't know what the support staff is like when you do this surgery in Mexico, because I did mine locally, but my surgeon and staff were amazing. They held my hand through the whole thing. If you are considering a sleeve, and it makes sense medically, DO IT! Don't hesitate. Who knows what's going to happen to health care in the US? Do it now before your chance is taken away. Good luck everyone! I hope all your experiences are as great as mine has been. This whole thing has been hard, don't get me wrong. There are lots of rules to follow and it all equates to a major lifestyle change. But that's the price I was willing to pay to get the rest of my life back! I just put a dress on the other day that I wore when I was 23. 23!!!!!