In December 2007 I decided to have gastirc bypass surgery. I have been overweight since about the age of 8. While with family over Christmas I was looking at a family photo taken when I was about 5 and I was thin. I vaguely remember this but I have always seen myself as being overweight.
From my mid teens I have been to dietitians, gyms, weightloss programmes etc. All with varying levels of success and for differing lengths of time. At university I undertook a variety of tests in the Physical Education Department Laboratory including measuring body density by being immerged in a pool. I have a large body frame and while many charts would say my ideal weight should be 80-85 kg the tests suggested that my ideal weight should be more 90 kg. This is a weight I have not been since 1980.
I am now the heaviest I have ever been. My current weight is 171 kg (377lbs). My height is 180cm (5'11) and my BMI is 52.8 I am now pre-diabetic so the onset of Type II Diabetes is imminent if I dont do something. I also have sleep apnea which is a result of being overweight. For many years I have experienced also depression which I am sure is connected to my weight. I was formally dignosed with chronic depression in 2001 and have been on anti-depressants since then. At various stages of my life I have also been in therapy and my weight, body image, self love, self esteem have been explored. When I was living in Sydney in 2004 I looked at having the Gastric Band proceedure done. This was put on hold when I had a major meltdown which meant having to give up work and the eventual moving back to NZ.
And so I have made the decision that I have to take a definitive decision about my health and address my weight in a more permanent way. I had been thinking about it and my GP had been encouraging me to explore surgical operations but had put it off due to the cost ($23,000) as it is not covered by the public health service in New Zealand. Thanks to support from my siblings I am now in the position to have the funds to pay for the operation so in December I made the appointment to see the surgeon Mr Stubbs here in Wellington and I am booked in for the operation on Tuesday 22 January. The surgery I am having is the silastic ring gastric bypass often known as the Fobi Pouch. It is invasive surgery and creates a small pouch forming an upper stomach which is attached to the the intestines and so bypassing the remainder of the stomach and the duodenum.
Having always been someone up front about things I have told my friends and work colleagues. While the initial reaction has often been surprise and concern about the enormity of such surgery, the overwhelming feedback has been very positive and expressions of encouragement for doing something. People have offered practical help as well as lots of moral support. So I go into this operation with a sense of hope and excitement but also with some intrepidation due to the possibility of some complications from the surgery and the implications of the surgery to my life. As food as been a major focus of my life and used as a comforter, boredom killer, etc the way I eat, what i eat and why I eat are all going to be challenged.
I am going to document my experience of having the operation and the next few years.
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