Weight Loss Pre-Op & Gout Battle

[ArcherMP 12]

I am getting sleeved this Friday (May 20th). I have been battling a prolonged serious gout attack since the 2nd week in January of which I have been pain free for maybe 2-3 weeks since the start of the attack.

At the beginning of April I went to see my Doctor because I was finally tired of fighting a losing battle with the Gout using home remedies, nothing was working and I was desperate. A person can only drink so much Apple cider vinegar and eat so many cherries. At the time I weighed in at 250 pounds (I am 5'8") with a blood pressure of 175/95. This is the time I committed to finally getting sleeved.

Once I had the surgery arranged, I received my pre-op diet plan and I decided that instead of waiting to begin the diet, I would start immediately and continue until my surgery date. Instead of 2 weeks, I will have completed 7 weeks by my surgery date. Of course we have moments of weakness and I am no exception. Only twice have I given in, first to an amazing chicken biscuit from Chickfila, and second to an amazing pulled pork BBQ sandwich. Both of which were large contributors in me getting to 250 pounds in the first place!

Since that warm, early April day I have been Gout free... That is until yesterday.

I promised myself that when the excruciating pain returned I wouldn't wait to see the Doctor and would be treated right away. My daughter and I went to the Doctor this morning, she had a low grade fever overnight and what we believed to be an ear infection.

The nurse took our vitals, and was confused when she took my weight. In fact we were all confused, she even had my try 2 different scales to verify. I didn't think about it much at the time because I was more concerned with my little angel not feeling well.

The Doctor came in immediately and asked me what I had changed since the last visit. I explained that my wife and I had decided that I was going on a Liquid Protein diet. I didn't share the fact that I would be having my surgery very soon.

You see the there is one thing that I am scared of in this world. I am not afraid to die, I was in the army until 2010 and have experienced my fill of hairy/gorey/nasty situations. I rarely experience PTSD and what flashbacks I do experience quickly melt away by finding activities that keep my mind occupied. The only thing in life that scares me is leaving my son & daughter alone by dying to young because I was to stubborn, ignorant, or stupid to take control of my health problems.

Now I don't know about you, but I have never had a Doctor that has ever said they were proud of me. I guess there is a first time for everytmyselfI have never experienced any Doctor go from 0-100 in an animated, positive setting in my life. I asked him what the fuss was and his response was "in 6 weeks you have dropped from 250 to 218, and your blood pressure is 148/90!" He went on to explain how he hears sob stories left and right, how people say they are "trying" but never see any results. As he poked his monitor (a little bit too hard because I thought it might detach from the wall) he said "this proves to me that it CAN be done, I see it with my own two eyes, and I am so proud of you!"

I pride myself, like any other guy, in perfecting my ability to control my emotions. The military taught me how crying is for wimps, wussies, and weaklings. A million thoughts rushed into my mind all at once, my eyes began to fail me,

And I couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

My daughter who was in the room was, was scared at first, began crying also. She tends to do that when she sees other people cry, even when she has no idea what they are crying for. She asked me if I was sick and going to die, but before I could collect myself and properly respond the Doctor answered for me, " no sweetheart, your daddy is on his way to living a very long time, he wants to see your children grow up!" That briefly made it worse because for some unknown reason she is scared of having kids, but that is a different story for a different time. Just before he left he put his hand on my shoulder and told me "don't give up, this little girl needs you for as long as possible."

We gathered our composure and left the doctors office with our head held high. On the way to the car I decided that I wanted to share my story with you.

This isn't my story alone, this is OUR story. I don't want, need, or expect congratulations. Each and every one of us share the same experiences with variations throughout our journey at some point or another, think of it as a sort of BariatricPal MadLibs.

Define your goal, plan how to get there, expect moments of weakness, and resolve yourself to achieving your goals at all costs. Contrary to popular military belief, weakness DOES NOT equal failure.

You are here for a reason, a very important reason. We deserve to have you here and we need you here. Likewise you deserve to be here with us, we are a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen, collectively that is.

Do not second guess yourself or your decision to be a healthier you. Hold on to the positive experiences while on your journey, deflect and discard those that don't get you closer to your goals.

I can't speak for everyone here, but if you need words of encouragement or a discreet someone to talk to then drop me a line. Many of us (including me) have decided not to share our WLS with our families and friends out of fear or ridicule. Surround yourself with the people who share the same goals as you. Use us, if you don't it's your own damn fault.

My positive experience today has re-invigorated my commitment to my own goals, and I am here to pass that fantastic feeling a long to you, pay it forward I think it is.

I plan on putting a few bucks into some sort of fund (if one exists) to help those that need a little push in the right direction. If anyone has any suggestions I am all ears. I am the president of a non-profit organization right now so if I need to then I will setup my own if anyone else is interested.

Good luck on your journey, don't give in and don't give up as to why you are doing it and who you are doing it for. Remember, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.

Love you guys!

Jeremy

Pic of my daughter and I:

Sent from my Nexus 6P using the BariatricPal App