greypawn

Hey there folks, I've been a long, long time lurking here and I was just sleeved this past Thursday by Dr. Rosenthal at Cleveland Clinic in Weston, Florida. I felt I owe it to this community which has given me so much strength already by sharing my story here. To start, here's an article printed in the local Florida Today newspaper on New Years Day about my resolve in getting the gastric sleeve. --------------- For many generations, being large has run in my family. Any thin person at our family reunions will inevitably be asked, “And you are married to whom?”I’ve been large all my life, and like so many, I’ve struggled with my weight. From as far back as elementary school, I’ve tried an endless stream of diets. The pounds always return. Last year, I was a candidate for the Florida House of Representatives. Running for public office is a physically challenging thing, requiring miles and miles of walking and door-knocking. You can imagine how much harder it was for me. I lost in the primaries, but there was an unexpected benefit — I also lost 63 pounds, just by being on the campaign trail. Even with my recent weight loss, I’ve still got a long way to go, and as cliché as it sounds, my hope for 2011 is to lose as much weight as I can. So, like Al Roker and some other well-known people, I’ve resolved to have gastric surgery to help me shed the weight. I want to feel better and be healthier. I want a long life ahead of me — there are a lot of things I want to accomplish. Hope is a wonderful thing, but it takes action to turn hope into reality. --------------- At my max weight, which was just before I started my run for office last year, I tipped the scales at 565 lbs. I'd been trying for at least 18 months to have some kind of weight loss surgery, exploring the lap band for the most part because of my fear of getting a non-reversible procedure. The surgeon I was seeing who was willing to do the band on me said he'd do it if I lost 25 lbs... so I did Atkins, cut sugary sodas completely out of my diet and stopped eating fast food - even switched to organics. Ended up gaining 10 lbs. I was enraged at not only my body, but the frustration of living life unable to do the simplest of things like sit in a booth at a restaurant or fly on a plane without making extra arrangements. The surgeon referred me to Dr. Rosenthal at the Cleveland Clinic south of where I live in Melbourne. Rosenthal specializes in very high BMI patients, of which I am one. As you know, jumping the hurdles in getting ready for surgery can take some time, but I did my homework and was able to get going with the Cleveland Clinic. The insurance company (Premera Blue Cross) first approved me for lap band, then mistakenly approved me for gastric bypass, but when it came time to approve for gastric sleeve they denied. Using this forum as a resource and the experience of others here I was able to craft a successful insurance appeals letter and get myself approved. The two week liquids-only diet was the worst part, to be honest. I'm sitting here in the hospital now, three days post-op and ready to go home. The pain is a dull one, but nothing considerable. I've had toothaches more uncomfortable than this, to be honest. I'm glad my journey in getting the sleeve is over with now, and I know the next journey is in learning to live with my new tool for weight loss - and then learning to live with the new me. I'll be sharing more as I'm able. -Joe