The past few months have been interesting to say the least. It’s been filled with ups and downs, twists, turns, and plenty hurrying up to wait. For those who don’t know me personally, I am on a quest for better health. My health problems are as follows: Severe Morbid obesity (I didn’t know there was anything worse than morbid obesity), two knees in need of replacement (I have ZERO soft tissue. There are no ligaments or meniscus. It’s bone on bone), high blood pressure which is controlled by meds, and a few other ailments.
The two most important fixes needed are, in order, my weight and knees. A couple of months ago, in severe pain, I was introduced to a doctor who will do knee replacements for people with high BMI (Body Mass Index). My orthopedic doctor will not do the surgery unless I lose 100+ pounds. After meeting another doctor who does high BMI surgeries, I felt comfortable with going ahead with the surgery. Walking and standing are nearly impossible for me, due to my knee pain. Climbing steps hurts. Everything hurts, which makes me a lot of fun for Naomi to be around.
After finding out that knee surgery was going to happen, I was ecstatic. Then, as I was talking to Jacob (I talk to his pictures and/or channel his energy often), something came to me. I believe it was Jacob smacking me in the head. There must be a reason why the Cleveland Clinic and UH take a hard stand on surgeries for patients with BMI’s over 45. I sent a letter to my orthopedic doctor who refused the surgery. He’s a friend, outside of office. I told him my plans and asked for his honest opinion.
Jared told me everything I NEEDED to hear. He didn’t pull any punches. He told me about all the risks. He doesn’t need my surgery to make his house payment. He was coming from a place of a friend with extensive knowledge of the risks. Jared (Dr. Levin) was patient and understanding of my pain. I don’t like to be told no. I have an innate need of self-justification, rooted in years of alcoholic indulgence. He never told me NOT do. Well, at least Jared let me come to that conclusion.
With that, weight-loss surgery was my answer. This decision has not without a lot of thought. I’ve been considering this for years. It’s not a quick fix. I know behavior modification is the key for success. I am so grateful to the team at UH who’ve been brutally honest. My dietician has been nothing short of amazing. We developed an immediate rapport. She even had the gall to tell me that “if you don’t make changes NOW, you will fuck this whole thing up!” So, with all of this, I am on the track for bariatric surgery. We decided that gastric bypass is the correct route. I’m starting with diet modifications, exercise consisting of strength exercises and cardio, and vitamin regimens. There will be more to come on my progress.
I met with the surgeon, and we went over the procedure, itself. They are going to shrink my stomach to the size of SMALL plum. They are also going to bypass my small intestines, basically creating an expressway to my stomach. I will get full quickly, and any excess eating will create something called “dumping syndrome.” This is a real thing and it’s not fun.
So, I initially thought this was going to happen relatively quickly. It’s not. All unnecessary surgeries are postponed due to covid-19 patients using most of the beds at the hospital. I will likely not have the surgery until mid to late summer. With the initial disappointment past me, I am focusing hard on what I can control. This is the necessary time for me to work on me. I would like to lose weight going into surgery. I am going to be setting my goals this weekend for my pre-surgery plan. I will be working on the following as my goals PRE-SURGERY:
- % Of weight-loss needed
- Proper intake of vitamins with the proper times on when to take them
- Decreasing all foods that are off limits
- Yes, with some of them I will have a “last meal” of sorts
- Increasing my muscle mass to lesson the pressure on my knees
- Working on cardio strength
This is it for now. More to follow.
As Told by Brandt 
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