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Meet Harriett. In December, 2008, she and her husband, Bob, embarked on an exciting, new journey when Bob underwent gastric banding surgery at St. Luke's Hospital in Jacksonville. Follow his progress, through her words, in her online journal. This is her 12h entry: December 2009 - January 2010. Her thoughts will be a monthly feature posted here.
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A year ago Bob started a new life. Twelve months and 120 pounds later this new life is good. Gastric banding surgery has helped him lose weight rapidly and safely. The slacks he wore to the hospital on the day of surgery were a size 56. He can now wear a size 38. The 4X shirts are gone and he now comfortably fits in a large. His BMI has gone from 47, extremely obese, to 28, overweight. His goal is 24, in the healthy range.
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| Bob in December 2009, one year after surgery. |
The changes are encouraging and are accompanied by other perks as well. For example, we are no longer forced to request a table at our favorite restaurant if we prefer a cozy booth instead.
The loss of weight has brought Bob many compliments during the past year, but one of the most memorable came at a business meeting recently. Our oldest son now works with the same company as Bob and the two of them were together at the meeting. Their supervisor greeted them with the comment that Bob now looked younger than Jeffrey! Although people often believe Jeffrey looks older than his age, I am certain he’s never been mistaken for someone his dad’s age.
December 19 our youngest son was married. Bob was thrilled to be the father of the groom but he was also thrilled to be greeting family members he hadn’t seen a year or more. He packed carefully, selecting his sharpest looking new clothes as he prepared for his “debut.” Family and friends were shocked to see how much weight he had lost and commented on how good he looked.
Family gatherings, especially weddings, usually mean lots of great food, and this was no exception. From the rehearsal dinner to lunch with family and friends on Saturday to dinner at the reception to breakfast the next morning, food was part of the celebration. The good news is that Bob was able to enjoy each meal. The quantities of food he consumed were much smaller than at past family gatherings, but he was still able to sample almost everything.
On the evening of the ceremony, when Bob appeared in his tuxedo, I felt like I was taking the arm of my very own James Bond. He glowed with confidence and was as handsome as he was at our wedding many, many years ago.
Harriett
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Want to learn more about weight-loss surgery options at St. Vincent's HealthCare? Talk to one of our registered nurses at HealthLink by calling 904-308-5465 (LINK) or plan to attend one of the free weight-loss surgery informational sessions.
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