I Never Felt Bigger Than Anyone Else, but I Was Wrong
Bariatric surgery patient Joe Ettwein
My battle with being over weight began around 20 years ago. My short-term
solution was to join Weight Watchers® just long enough to lose 50 to 60 pounds
and then, feeling like I had everything under control, I’d quit. Every time I went
through this cycle, I gained back more than I had lost and at the end of 15 years of
dieting I was 150+ pounds heavier than when I started out.
My biggest thing was that I never really saw myself as being bigger than anyone
else in our group of friends or fatter than any of the guys at work, but I was wrong.
I’d get little reminders now and then, like a booth at a diner that I couldn’t fit in or
a seat at the movies that was too tight for comfort or, the worst one, the infamous
seat on the airliner that just didn’t work at all. I always needed the seat belt
extender and always joked about it, but inside it was pretty embarrassing.
For years I couldn’t stand to do anything at all in hot weather. I never enjoyed the
shore or even walking on the boardwalk. It was too much work for me. “I’ll wait
here on this bench and smoke a cigarette while you finish shopping. Just let me
catch my breath.” Who was I kidding? With smoking and being overweight came
the usual stuff— high blood pressure, sleep apnea, constant sweating, always being
out of breath and utter exhaustion.
“I Never Felt Bigger Than Anyone Else, but I Was Wrong”
by bariatric surgery patient Joe Ettwein
1
Being tired most of the time led to years of sitting around, watching TV and you
guessed it—eating everything I could get my hands on, totaling a mere 3,500
calories per day. I was not a happy person. I was tough to live with and was
rarely interested in doing anything that would involve walking or being out of the
A/C. I had an excuse for not going anywhere or doing anything.
My wake-up call came during the summer of 2010. I fell at work from heat
exhaustion. When I got the report from the doctor at the Emergency Room, he
said everything that was wrong with me was weight related. That’s when I was
scared enough to look into losing weight in a serious way. I began to research
gastric bypass options and actually had a friend at work that had the surgery a few
years prior to my meeting him. When he told me he had bypass surgery, I could
hardly believe him because he looked good to me. But I was seeing the “after,” not
the “before”. He had lost 165 pounds and said many times that he’d go back
tomorrow to get it done without any hesitation.
I, on the other hand, had tons of hesitations. Then, I spoke with my family doctor
and she suggested St. Luke’s Bariatric Surgery Program. I followed up on the
suggestion, started going to the support meetings and gathered a lot of
information. I heard many stories, all very inspiring, and I realized that with this
network available, I could do this and overcome my weight problem.
I remember the meeting with Dr. Claros and how impressed I was with his entire
approach to my issue—never pushy, never assuming, just informative and
supportive. He was very positive about the surgery and what my expectations
could be, and he was right.
I weighed 430 pounds when I started my weight-loss program. I had my RNY done
on November 8, 2010. By the following October, I had reached my goal weight of
235 pounds—the same weight as when I got out of high school. During the first
year after surgery, there were some rough spots. I had kidney stones and a
hernia. Overall, I feel as though the whole mission has been a success, but not
without tons of support from my wife and all the kids, as well as all of my friends,
home and at work.
The most crucial support came when I was preparing for my surgery and Terri
Davis was there every second of the way. Just minutes away from going into the
OR, I remember asking her what would happen if I changed my mind. Terri said
that she would help me up off the bed and that I was welcome to leave. No
pressure at all. You see, I had a fear of not waking up. Thankfully, the operation
went well and at 15 months post-RNY, still maintaining my goal weight, I feel great.
I am very grateful for all the help and support. I have even had the opportunity to
speak to a few people about having the surgery and that’s a good feeling. I am so
fortunate.
“I Never Felt Bigger Than Anyone Else, but I Was Wrong”
by bariatric surgery patient Joe Ettwein
2
So much for never feeling any bigger than my friends and co-workers. I just need
to say that, with 18 inches off my waist, not minding a walk around the mall and
just feeling better overall, this is a great place to be for me. Thanks to everyone
for all the support along the way. This was not something I could have done alone.
“I Never Felt Bigger Than Anyone Else, but I Was Wrong”
by bariatric surgery patient Joe Ettwein
3