CJ

Watch CJ discuss her decision to have surgery.
Watch CJ discuss life after surgery.
Watch CJ disucss the importance of support groups.

So, there I was.  It was Easter Sunday 2008 and I was just sitting down next to this guy named Mark.  My friends had set me up, but I was not on a date.  They knew that I was frustrated with my attempts at weight loss and Mark had lost all of his extra weight after having gastric bypass surgery.  I had so many questions that he barely got to eat.  By the end of dinner I knew what my next step would be.  I was going to find a doctor and have gastric bypass surgery.  Mark’s doctor was located in Marina Del Rey, not exactly around the corner from me, but knowing that Mark liked him made him worth checking out.

I called, got an appointment and waited anxiously for the day to arrive.  Would I like the doctor? Would my insurance cover it?  Would it really work? So many questions filled my mind and more and more butterflies grew in my stomach as the day grew closer.   Finally the day arrived and, not sure of what to expect, I walked in the door.

 I didn’t have anything to worry about.  From the minute I walked into Dr. Jeremy Korman’s office I knew I was in good hands.  From the warm greeting of the receptionist to Dr. Korman’s patience with my endless questions I was guided from one step to the next.  Each step was completely explained, and before I left I was even given a detailed list of instructions of what I needed to do if I wanted to have surgery.   I never felt pressured to decide right then and there.  Of course I knew that this was the next step I needed to take if I wanted to change my life.

My battle with food began in high school when I went on anti-depression medicine.  Something about the medication made me ravenously hungry and I began to eat three and four times as much food has I had in the past.  My mom was concerned and took me back to the doctor after several months of this.  The doctor eventually changed my medication, but by then it was too late.  The pattern of eating to deal with my overwhelming emotions had set in and nothing I did after that would really make it any better.

I knew my eating had to do with my emotions as too often I would reach for food for comfort even as I said to myself “Don’t eat that!!”  I would scream this in my head over and over all the while munching down on whatever was at hand.  I could easily put away an appetizer followed by dinner then followed up with dessert.  It was scary how much food I could consume.  I tried different things to find new ways to cope with my emotions.  I took seminars and read self help books, and while they did help me to understand myself better, my eating would not stop.  Deep down I knew that unless I had a drill instructor standing there smacking the food out of my hands, I was never really going to deal with what was there for me.

One of the things that Dr.Korman said to me was “I do stomach surgery, not brain surgery.”  This made so much sense and because he knew the trigger emotions can be for us he also had a psychiatrist on staff to help patients cope with the new feelings they would experience.  From everything I read, I knew that the first six months would be critical for dealing with what had made me fat in the first place.  I took the courses offered by the office and also worked at finding new coping mechanisms.  I knew that there are dangers of turning to shopping, alcohol and drugs for many weight loss patients and listened to what they had to teach me.  It helped so much to know that they were there for me.

After surgery, I followed the diet plan and all their advice.  As the pounds fell off I began to make a new life for myself.  That’s right, a new life.  I chose not to think of all the things I couldn’t have and look forward to all the things I can do, be and have.  Awesome things like the energy to go for a walk without losing my breath had begun to open up to me.  I enjoyed going shopping in a department store and finding clothes in the “regular sized” sections.  My favorite thing is meeting people I haven’t seen in a while and having to re-introduce myself because they don’t recognize me.  Yeah, that one never gets old.  Oh the fun I have in my new life.  I eat, I live, and most importantly, I love my life!!!  You will, too.