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August Spotlight Patient

Patient Spotlight - Letty Oswald 

 

One of the best parts of my job is getting to talk to patients after they've had weight loss surgery for these Patient Spotlight pieces. There is such a change in behavior from the first time I meet them; usually in a seminar or at their first appointment, where they are burdened by their weight and all the health problems associated with it.

 

Letty Oswald is the exception that proves the rule. She was cheerful from the first time we spoke on the phone. She was cheerful during all of her appointments, and she was cheerful on the day that we sat down to talk about how her life has changed since having weight loss surgery in November, 2010.

 

Letty's enthusiasm and attitude were on hyper-drive that day; and I so enjoyed hearing about some of the major milestones in her life. Quite honestly, I had trouble taking notes during our talk - I just couldn't keep up!

 

Letty, or Letty Ann, as her family calls her, was inching up past 350 pounds when she decided to call Georgetown Bariatrics.

 

"I know that without my band, I'd be 400 pounds sitting here today.  I had never really tried to change my eating habits, even though I was miserable and obviously killing myself.  I couldn't breathe!  Steps were a nightmare. I struggled to get dressed.  At night, I'd beg the Lord to help me get to the bed without having a heart attack.  Once in bed, I'd put off going to the bathroom because I knew that just getting up would wear me out."

 

I knew it was time to do something a few years ago when my ex-husband, the father of my children, died from a heart attack at the age of 55.  Within two hours of his death, my kids begged me to do SOMETHING.  They cried, "We can't lose you, too."

 

Even though I promised them on that day that I would take care of myself, it still took years for me to seek out help. But once I made up my mind, and made that call to your office, I knew that I would not - could not - back out.

 

So, I got my band in November of 2010 and I've lost 115 pounds so far!  I get inspiration from so many things.  I loved it when people started noticing and telling me how much better I was looking.  I get a kick out of shopping for new SMALLER clothes.  My son, who is much like his grandfather and not one to give compliments easily, made a comment.  It went like this: He and his wife were at my house and my daughter-in-law and I were having a conversation and she exclaimed to me how good I looked.  She looked at my son, and said to him, "Doesn't she look great?" His answer, "Well, she doesn't take up as much room in the kitchen now as she used too."  You have to know him to truly understand, but that was a great compliment!

 

Life today is so much different than it was a year ago!  I used to wonder how on earth I was going to give up all that food that I loved to eat.  But I also knew that I got where I was by making the choices about food that I made.  Now, every choice that I make in eating makes me happy!  The healthy stuff is so much better than I ever dreamed it would be.  I went to Tumbleweed, my favorite restaurant, on New Year's Eve and had the grilled chicken breast with veggies.  I ate about 1/3 of it, and I swear it was the best meal I've ever eaten!  When I think about how I used to eat...it makes me sick!

 

 

I know people who haven't done as well as I have, and you know what, those people aren't making good choices, either. I've decided that this is my new way of life.

 

I suppose the best thing that has happened since surgery was a conversation that I had with Daddy. He's 86 and a WWII veteran; he was a machine gunner and I'm so very proud of him and how he served his country and his family.  He's not a man who shows love and affection easily.  Well, by May of this year, I'd lost a hundred pounds, but I decided to wait until Father's Day to tell him.  When I did, he said, "Letty Ann, this is the best thing you've ever done.  It sure has taken a load off my mind.  You know you wouldn't have lived as long as me - and I am so proud of you."

 

I never recall being told that, and I had to hold back the tears when I told him that I was proud of me, too."

 

So are we, Letty - so are we.