The new girl in town

On the 19th of April a new Lori Lamb came to town. This Lori is focused on good health, healthy eating, exercise, positivety and progress. Let me back up a bit, and I'll share the story that's lead me to this new Lori.

In September of 2011 I'd gotten pretty darned sick and tired of being sick and tired. I'd been fighting with arthritis in my lower back and hips for a couple of years, compounded by ongoing issues with plantar fascitis. The anti-inflammatory drugs I'd been taking had caused my blood pressure to increase to dangerous levels, so I was yanked off those meds, which were replaced with medication to manage my high blood pressure. Now, you're probably asking yourself; "what about your pain"? Yeah, I asked myself the same question, and then I asked my doctors. Their answer; lose weight.

Well hell, it's not as if that was the first time I'd heard that answer, but suddenly it was reverberating in my head and I couldn't shut it out! So over the next three weeks or so, between the ice packs and the heat wraps and the "sorry, I can't do X because I'm in too much pain" I started to finally listen to the doctors words. If I didn't lose weight, I was doomed to a lifetime of pain and missing out on really living. I'd already done that for a couple of years, and darn it, I just didn't want any more of that!

When I woke up the morning of September 25th 2011, I knew in my heart what I had to do, and I powered up my laptop and got busy researching weight loss surgeries. Years before I'd contemplated having the Lap Band procedure, but ultimately decided it just wasn't for me. That left only the Gastric Bypass as far as I knew. But then I saw something I hadn't ever seen before; Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (aka the Gastric Sleeve).

Relatively new the the United States, but performed for several years and with great success in Europe, the Sleeve sounded less invasive than the Bypass, but reportedly had a solid success rate with good patient follow-through. I knew that either way I went, this was a lifestyle change ... not just another diet. But it was clear to me that it was time I made a major change to my life, or face a life filled with pain, and that just wasn't an option any longer.

Over the next few days I did my due diligence, and the more I dug around the web for information, the more interested in the Gastric Sleeve I became. And then I came upon the Bridges Center for Surgical Weight Loss and their connection to St Luke's Medical Center here in Phoenix. I knew St Luke's had a good reputation, but I didn't know anything about Bridges or their staff, but hey, you can find anything on the web, and this was no different.

The following week I had a date with Bridges Center for an evening of information about their surgical weight loss procedures. I was ready to make the lifestyle change I needed to ensure a life ahead of me, and I was excited! Still, as excited as I was, I chose to keep it all to myself. I was finally doing something for myself, and I wanted to keep it to myself.

Going to that informational evening was probably the best gift I'd ever given myself. That evening made everything crystal clear for me, and in my mind, cemented the deal; I was going to have a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy come hell or high water!

The following morning I phoned my insurance provider to find out what I needed to do to get their blessing and confirm the procedure would be a covered benefit. As a side note, it's important for me to make clear that even if my insurance carrier would've denied me this benefit, I would have found a way to pay for this life saving surgery. It was THAT important to me.

Let me be clear about me and the word "no";  I rarely if ever accept "no" as the final answer ... from anyone. I was once determined to get my husband a ride in an F-16 out at Luke Air Force Base and for six months my contact at Luke kept telling me "no, can't do it". And I just kept saying; "ask again, a no is just a maybe that hasn't found its yes yet"! After 8 months of persistance, I got the F-16 ride green-lighted and presented my sweet husband with the best birthday gift ever. My Luke contact later told me it would've been easier to get an audience with the Pope than wrangle an F-16 ride. Hmmm ... an audience with the Pope? Let me ponder that.

But as God's blessings would have it, my insurer was only too happy to give me a thumbs up. Of course, they also gave me a lengthy list of hoops I'd have to jump through before I could be scheduled for surgery, but I knew I was up to the task. The next step was to see my primary care provider for a 6-month doctor supervised weight loss program. Again, God was in my corner because my doctor was able to fit me in (no pun intended) two days later. When I finally shared my plans with my husband, he was every bit as supportive as I'd known he would be. I would even go so far as to say he was proud of me for coming to this decision for my own reasons.

The next 6 months were a whirlwind of doctor's appointments, food diaries, weigh-ins and tests. At the time, it seemed to pretty much monopolize my days, but looking back, it wasn't so bad. I just kept my goal in mind and got on with it. I learned a lot about the procedure I was about to undergo, and I learned a good bit about myself. I also took off 28 pounds in that 6 months, something I chalk up solely to keeping a food diary and embracing the whole lifestyle change choice.

On the morning of April 19th 2012 I walked into St Luke's Medical Center at 7:30 in the morning and said a quick but final goodbye to thirty years of struggling with being overweight. My husband tells me that the first words out of my mouth upon seeing my surgeon, Dr Daniel Fang, were; "let's get this show on the road Dan" ... but I have absolutely no recollection of that, and I'm sticking to that story.

My surgery went well. I'd made up my mind before going in that morning that I wanted to be up and walking around as soon as my doctor would allow it. In fact, I'd even made my husband promise to kick my ass - if need be - to get me up and keep me moving. I knew that the more I walked, and was able to get some nutrition in, the sooner my doctor would let me go home, and I was determined to spend no more than a single night in the hospital. Like I said before, I don't do "no" very well. So when my nurse said I didn't really need to walk the entire floor again, I ignored her and kept on moving. The following morning Dr Fang was so pleased with my progress that he signed my release papers, and I was out the door by lunch time.

It's now been 2 months, 1 week and 1 day since my surgery, and I feel great! More importantly, I've taken off 41 pounds since having the VSG, and 69.7 pounds since I began my journey towards a life of good health. I've made a lot of changes in my life, and I've had a lot of new experiences. And shopping for clothes is one hell of a lot more fun!

Choosing to change my lifestyle has been the best decision of my life. I may be 54, but there's a lot of life in this old girl, and by George ... she's gonna live it healthy! If you or someone you love and care about is struggling with being seriously overweight, and has a history of diet failures (as I did), please encourage them to do their own research into the weight loss surgery opportunities that exist today. If they're in the Phoenix area, send 'em on over to this website; www.bridgesaz.com ... neither of you will ever regret it!

Living healthy ~ Lori