Some folks suggest that obesity is hereditary, while others say it is a monster that we create ourselves. Regardless of the debate, the problem still exists. I was of normal size all the way through school and only part of my adult life. In 1983 when I left the service, I weighed a mere 174 pounds.
I started gaining weight and fought like a mad man to keep it within respectable ranges for a long time.
During my stint in the Arizona National Guard, I found my weight creeping up to 215 pounds. I obtained a waiver for this amount of weight after having a medical examination and a pinch test. Soon I found my weight inching up to 232 pounds. I again received a waiver. I continued to gain weight no matter what I did. I joined Weight Watchers, to no avail. No more waivers were to be had, so I got out of the National Guard.
I had ballooned to over 384 pounds and joined Jenny Craig to lose weight. After reducing down to 277 pounds, I gained it all back and more. At that point, I began researching weight loss surgeries to locate a better quality of life for my family and myself.
I approached an area surgeon in hopes of qualifying for Gastric Bypass surgery. This was denied by my primary insurance.
My primary insurance sent me to Dr. R. Starkel (who married and became Dr. Blackstone) for a second opinion. She recommended I have the surgery, but my insurance carrier later denied it again. I completed and submitted an appeal letter and later won my appeal to have the needed surgery.
On Jan. 14, 2002, I had my Gastric Bypass surgery at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea, weighing in at 474 pounds. I knew this surgery could have some complications, which it did, further complicated by me feeling so good I began sleeping in my own waterbed. My incision began to open every time I coughed, forcing me to have another surgery. My secondary incision took three months to close and heal completely.
By no means has the surgery been an easy fix. I have fought this battle over weight and any quality of life for the longest time.
I now weigh 241 pounds and have regained the ability to do any thing I need to do! My only limitation is my own fears, not my weight. I have my life back!
Thank you Dr. Blackstone and the staff at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea!
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