This post is sponsored by HCA Midwest Health.
My mom gave birth to me, but my doctor gave me my life.
I can see how that is a very powerful statement. But now I’m living my life, not just existing.
It’s been four years since I had the weight loss surgery. At my heaviest, I was close to 500 pounds. When you are that heavy, there are so many things you can’t do. You can’t sit in a
chair with arms. You can’t get health insurance. When I needed an MRI, I had to go to the zoo to have the procedure because the MRI at a hospital wasn’t possible. The table cannot handle that type of weight, and I didn’t fit in the machine itself.
That’s just the medical situations. There are so many social situations that are crushing. I
couldn’t go grocery shopping — my 16-year-old daughter did that for our family. I couldn’t teach my son to ride a bike. I missed more choir concerts and holiday programs than I want to count. And don’t even think about being able to participate in vacations. I had to watch from the boat as my kids went snorkeling.
I wasn’t living a life. I did this to myself.
I’m not blaming anyone. I made the decisions about what I ate. I didn’t just suddenly become 500 pounds; it was gradual and all on me. When I started my journey to weight loss surgery, I was asked about my goal weight. I said 250 pounds. That was half of me, and I couldn’t imagine even getting to that number. So, when I saw 199 on the scale, there were no words to describe that feeling.
I’m certainly not taking surgery for granted. It’s a big surgery. Bariatric Surgeon Dr. Roger de la Torre, with HCA Midwest Health, performed gastric bypass surgery. It involves taking a small part of the stomach to create a new stomach pouch (roughly the size of an egg), which bypasses part of the small intestine. Because of this, you’ll feel fuller more quickly, and you won’t be able to eat as much food at one time. It’s not a surgery you decide to do on a whim. You see therapists, nutritionists, cardiologists and other doctors to make sure this is a healthy, realistic surgery.
Fast-forward three years to a family vacation. I was the first one off the boat into the water and the last one out. I snorkeled the entire time. I walk three miles a day on the treadmill.
We are going parasailing soon. This is the life I was meant to live.
I don’t take the blood pressure medications anymore; I still take diabetes medication but my A1C is normal. I can say I finally feel healthy. Today, I’m still working on myself. I have triggers. I know what food I can and can’t have in my house. It’s not just the food you eat, it’s how you feel about food.
I sat in the background for 15 years and watched everyone else make memories. Now, I look forward to my next 15 years, and I wouldn’t be where I am without the surgery and Dr. de la Torre.
Are you ready to make a change? If you’ve tried to lose weight in the past but haven’t been to keep the weight off and you meet certain requirements, you may be a candidate for weight loss surgery. At HCA Midwest Health, our network of compassionate bariatric surgeons are here to guide you step by step on your journey toward reclaiming your health. Click here to take our weight loss surgery health risk assessment.
This story was written by Rhea Mahmood, a mom of two from Lee’s Summit, Mo.
