My weight has stabilized around 206 and fluctuates between 206 and 210. I have lost about 77 pounds not the 100 I hoped for, but I did lose the expected amount based on losing 70-80% of the excess body weight.

I had a physical last month and all my labs are still in line. No more diabetes or high blood pressure. Cholesterol is still in line. I got an additional bonus this time, I no longer have the abnormal electrical signal in my heart that has been there for years.

I still have eating control issues and eat things that are not good for me. This is the head hunger that not even the best surgeon can cut out. I have to keep things out of the house that tempt me. If I have a box of Sunshine Cheez-its I will eat them until they are gone rather than eating food that is good for me.

Always as life moves on our focus changes. Some of my good habits have suffered over the last two years. I now read while I eat, I don't use the small plate, I don't have a regular exercise program, I eat faster, and I snack more, all bad things. The other side is that I am very active now and the surgery gave me the power to not over eat like I did before.

My life isn't perfect and problem free after my surgery, but things in general are not bad. I am still very excited by the new life I have gained. I am able to do things that I could not do twenty years ago. I am stronger in body and mind than before because my body is no longer the burden it once was. I am the fellow that had trouble climbing one flight of stairs pre-op and now you can find me 20-30 feet up a tree trimming limbs or taking down a thirty-five year old tree. These things make me feel good now, not worn out or sore.

I am just an average fellow and believe my surgical results are about average. I have not had any real problems or complications due to the surgery. The only on going effects I have are hot flashes and/or fatigue if I eat too much sugar, eat too much, or eat too fast. This passes in fifteen minutes or so and I am back to normal.

It would be easy to view very much of the last two years as failure because not every thing worked out as I expected. I didn't lose one hundred pounds as I hoped and I still have a "beer gut" However, I count my experience as a success. I truly have a new life that I expect to get even better.

Bill Blanton

August 6, 2003

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