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Surgeon: Dr. Jerzy Macura, Staten Island, NY
by Debbie R.: I will make this short and sweet - NOT - as most of who have gone through some kind of gastric bypass all got here with the same experiences. I started getting a "belly" at age 6 and well, by the time I was 12, I had already been to Weight Watchers. By high school I'd been to other WW type places but also graduated to the first of numerous diet doctors that I would see over the years. I always had many friends and was active in high school, even though I was over 300 lbs. I was a coach on the swim team believe it or not and a pool leader in high school and was on the bowling team that went to and lost a city championship here in New York. I was an avid sports fan and went to Mets games and Rangers games even when I could barely fit into the seat I had. There were ups and downs all through my young adult hood, diet after diet, and diet pill after diet pill. I didn't eat anything, not a morsel of food for 6 months when reaching one of my many "bottoms" and going on this protein drink diet. That worked really well. Lost 50 pounds in 4 months and then put on 75 in less time than that once I started eating again. There's not a diet out there I haven't tried or was forced to try by parents who loved me dearly and were terrified of what my weight problems were doing to me. I was just too stupid to see that and never was able to succeed at anything they made me try. With all my friends and activities I loved to do, I was isolated because of my weight. There were things I wanted to do but couldn't because I was so damn fat. There were the trips my friends took to amusement parks, concerts, hockey games and road trips to go on that I made excuses for as to why I couldn't go. I didn't want to be embarrassed when I couldn't walk up the steps or fit into the seat. There were restaurants and family functions I would hide from because I didn't want to be embarrassed or my family embarrassed when I couldn't fit in the seat. Of course there was my dad who always wanted to sit in a "booth" and I wondered if he did that on purpose to embarrass me some how into losing weight. There's not a booth in a restaurant in the world that can seat a 300 or eventually a 500+ pound person. Now he understands. Back in 1997 I was feeling tired all the time but I just thought it was because of my weight. As the spring turned into summer I got weaker and weaker and was always sick. I missed so much work I don't know why they didn't fire my butt. I was told I had the flu early that winter. A few weeks later I was back at the doctor and he asked me for a urine sample. I had to walk 10 feet to the bathroom and I looked like I had run a marathon. He was concerned that my heart was palpating. He finally made me take blood tests. My brother-in-law is a pulminologist and his partner is my PCP now. I had the blood tests done on Thursday and on Saturday morning I get a panicked phone call to come into the office right away as I was severely anemic. I was too weak to go and promised I come in on Monday. Got there on Monday, had him fax the test results to my BIL Steve, Steve sent my sister to come and get me and bring me out to their house on Wed. Thursday I was at a gastroenterologist who said I was too weak to even examine. I couldn't walk 2 feet without gasping for air. Friday I was admitted to the hospital so anemic that due to 3 slow leaking stomach ulcers (from overuse of anti-inflammatory drugs) I had been slowly bleeding to death internally for about 7 months. I had lost half of my blood and had 3 points transfused back in. My parents who had driven to Florida the day after my blood tests raced back to NY when they heard I was so sick. It was so bad that I had stopped taking care of myself, my house, everything because I was so weak and my brain blood deprived, I didn't care about anything. Well, this scare led to a family meeting where my family ganged up on me, or so I thought at that time. It led me to a month's recovery at Duke University Diet and Fitness Center and I did well there losing 30 pounds and some more the first few months I was home. But….once I again controlled what went into my mouth, it was just one more failed effort to get over this disease of overeating and obesity. What finally led me at age 46 to WLS was I was going to die. At 518 pounds it was more than I could handle to just take a shower, get dressed in the morning and find my way to my job on Wall Street. I couldn't use the subway anymore - too many steps so I paid myself into the poor house using local car service to go to and from work. I couldn't do the simplest of things anymore without wanting to pass out. Then in October 1999 I slipped and fell in my house and tore the cartilage in my right knee. My beloved cat had saved my life and I didn't know it yet. He had thrown up during the night and I didn't see it and that's what I slipped on and fell. Months of therapy and sitting idle at home didn't help. Then in February one of my cats got cancer and at 16 I had to put her down. Then within days of her being put down, my beloved Winston who'd thrown up that morning got sick and on April 7th, I had to put him down too at 16. I was devastated. But, I was so mad at how difficult it was every time I had to take one of them to the vet. It was work for me because of my weight. My sister wanted me to do this years ago, but with all I was going through since I'd hurt my knee, I finally made the decision myself to start researching the possibility of surgery to end my suffering and I was suffering. My BIL recommended the Mt. Sinai group and I emailed them and Dr. Herron called me at work the next day. My sister and BIL came with me to the initial meeting there and we all decided that the DS would be best for me, including the doctor because of the enormous amount of weight I had to lose. I had all the usual co morbidities…bad knees, arthritis, sleep apnea which I found out later on during my pre-op testing. Pre-op testing led me to a cardiologist for the first time where they discovered a heart murmur and some thickening of the heart muscle which almost cost me the surgery because I was too obese to have tests done to see the heart well enough to determine how damaged it might be. They say things happen for a reason…Mt. Sinai wasn't in my insurance plan and my insurance then gave me Dr. Macura's name and I recognized it from the OSSG site. I cancelled my surgery date with Mt. Sinai, crying when I did that, and made the appointment with the wonderful Dr. Macura. That was in July 2000 and on October 12th, 2000 I was wheeled into the operating room at 1:00 pm in Staten Island University Hospital and was reborn. It was amazing. I'd gotten so obese that I had to stop working in July as it just got too difficult to go anymore and from July to my surgery date I gained another 30+ pounds and was wheeled into my knew life at 552 lbs. I was terrified that I would die on the table because I was so fat. But…Dr. M did a FANTASTIC job. The surgery took 3 hours, I only needed the breathing tube for ½ an hour in recovery. They let my sister and parents in for about 5 minutes to see me and then I slept for 3 hours. I woke up in recovery and started demanding the score of the Mets playoff game and they knew I was well enough to be moved to a cubical with TV in ICU and off I went just 6 hours after getting out of surgery. I was in ICU less than 24 hours and in a room for 6 days. I never had any pain or post-op problems - hard to imagine for someone weighing what I did then. My recovery has been uneventful and except for the gas and diarrhea at times, I can't complain and wish now that the DS had been available to me 20 years ago. Being obese I missed out on a lot - marriage, children, fun, etc… But, that's the past and now I'm living for the future in a wonderful present. On January 28th I'd lost 109 pounds and am feeling wonderful. I can do laundry, housework, go to work, walk up and down steps without dying or gasping for air. I took my nephew to a hockey game and almost cried myself to sleep that night that I was able to do it. I never could have dreamed about that just a year ago. Life is good and I've made many wonderful friends here. Capt Joe D - my savior has been a Godsend - I don't know how I'd have gotten though this without his help and support and most of all his sick sense of tasteless humor - a man after my own sick and tasteless heart! I was meant to meet ya when I had to switch over to our wonder Dr. Macura. And to the other friends I've made along the way, love you all and look forward to a new thin and healthy life with you. One Year Post-op: At 1 year post op I'm feeling wonderful, down 200+ pounds. My next weigh-in is Oct. 30th (my anniversary was Oct. 11th). I can walk easily and have been doing a lot of it since the World Trade Center attack as I work just 2 blocks from there and have had to find alternate means of travel - meaning my skinnier legs! Doing the NYC subways a lot now too for the first time in about 5 years which is amazing to me. I'm LIVING again! My vitamin levels are excellent and I have so much energy I don't know what to do with it all! I do have a lactose intolerance and use Ultra Lactaid all the time, but that's no big deal. I have problems with pasta and pizza and have eliminated them from my diet. I can eat tomatoes no problem, but not tomato sauce - it just doesn't like me! I eat them and I get terrible gas and upset stomach. I've had issues with uncontrollable bowels, but I've started taking Fibercom (4 pills daily - 2 in the am and 2 at night) and it's really helped tremendously. I have days when I don't eat much and others where I can eat a horse, but I guess that's how "normal" people eat so I'm told. OMIGOD - I'm NORMAL! Bahahahahahaha! I no longer worry about fitting into bus, restaurant or theatre seats. People don't scurry away anymore when I go to sit down next to them on the subway and I can fit into much smaller spaces now. I can go to my company cafeteria and sit comfortably in the chairs at the tables. I couldn't fit into them a year ago and the most important thing...I'M HAPPIER THAN I'VE EVER BEEN MY WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE! That's what's important. Having the DS was the BEST decision I've ever made in my life. Life is beautiful - even after the horrifying events of the last few weeks. As I said above, I work 2 blocks from the World Trade Center, but was not at the office that day. "Someone" was looking out for me. BTW - I'm feeling so good right and fit right now, I've got myself tickets to see U2 in Madison Square Garden for all 3 shows in October. I NEVER could have done this a year ago. LIFE IS GRAND!!!!!!!!!! December 3, 2002: I'm finding a few guys paying a bit of attention to me recently, something I'm not used to but thoroughly enjoying. I ran into an old boyfriend who I hadn't seen in 25 years and we're going to make plans to get together soon to catch up on where our lives have taken us. Who knows? What didn't work 25 years ago could work now. I'm out and about and loving every minute of my life now. What I find most amazing now is how other people react to me. I used to get looks, nasty comments, etc. Now, I'm just like a person who is now offered a small seat on the train and can fit into it. I can go to the movies and not stress out about finding an aisle seat or any seat to fit in - I fit in them all. I flew to Houston on business in September and even though I still needed a seat belt extension, I had plenty of room in my seat and actually had someone sitting in the seat next to me with no problem. I didn't have to have 2 seats for myself for the first time since I can remember. I wanted to cry on the plane I was so happy. I had no problem using the airplane toilet - another major accomplishment. Let's just say, I am living like any normal weight person and treasuring every minute of my new life. I'm losing my job after 25 years in February so that has me a bit concerned because of the medical coverage and at my age (48) it's not that easy to start over again. I'm going to fight for the medical benefits as the DS is considered a pre-existing condition and they approved the surgery so I think they are obligated to give me the medical insurance. I'll get a great severance package but I'll be 1 year shy age-wise to take early retirement and I'm going to fight to get them to bridge me into this for the benefits. If there are any lawyers out there who can help...please email me. Best Wishes to All for a Healthy and Happy 2003!!!
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