Bariatric Center Georgetown Community Hospital

View our Spotlight Patients of the Month

October Spotlight Patient

Bill Clark

At one point in mid 2010 my weight was 318 pounds! In May 2010 I began to document what foods I ate, my weight, etc. and prior to the surgery I managed to lose 24 lbs. I was accepted for a gastric bypass and began to prepare for the surgery scheduled for October 20, 2010. However, my blood sugar had crossed from the pre diabetic stage to diabetic. I was on three blood pressure meds, 50 mg of Lipitor per day which was barely keeping up and I most generally had no “get up and go”.

My surgery went well, the staff was terrific and I went home on October 22 with no need for any blood pressure meds, with normal blood sugar and with no Lipitor but a whole package of supplements that are needed to replace what food can no longer provide because of the change in my “plumbing”. I had few problems once I understood that some of my surgical wounds would “leak” for awhile. I did not need all of the pain meds either! I do recall how difficult it was at first to get all of the supplements down but somehow managed to do so. My only negative thought during this period was that I hoped that taking the required daily supplements would get a lot easier, and it has. I didn’t lose weight as fast as I thought I would but never felt down about it, I just kept paying attention to what my “manual” said and followed the doctor’s orders. I hit a plateau sometime in January and really didn’t get off that plateau until the end of March and then I began to drop more weight almost daily; it didn’t scare me but I was really surprised.

To date I have lost 118 lbs. The doctors tell me that I am carrying about 12 to 15 lbs. of excess skin. I do need to take 20 mg of Lipitor per day and my internist knows from my food logs that my high cholesterol is NOT from what I eat, thus my tendency for high cholesterol is inherited. I have unbelievable energy, I sleep better and I absolutely embrace each and every day!

I tried a suit on for my wife the other night; I believe I could have fit two of me in those trousers. The bad news is that I had to buy all new clothes; even my shoes didn’t fit. The good news is that there are some folks out there, who got some pretty nice clothes from Goodwill.

I still start my day with a protein shake in 8 oz. of 1% milk. I have a sandwich on deli flats for lunch. If I feel hungry I snack on a couple of crackers. At dinner I eat what everyone else eats, but just a lot less. Food is not the main ingredient in my well being as it had been for so many years. I know what I can eat and how much I can eat. I know that I cannot possibly eat everything served to me at a restaurant so I just box up what I can and eat it later. My wife is a great cook and I know that sometimes she probably misses cooking some of the dishes I used to eat but I feel like she appreciates having her husband back.

I’ve had a great life so far and can see no reason for that not to continue for many more years. I have a terrific wife, five adult children and five grandchildren (with probably more to come) who I

love...and frankly I love being alive. I remembered from my high school and college sports days and from when I was in the service how good I felt after good healthy exercise so I came up with riding a bicycle and swimming as my main exercises then added in the gym.

Riding a bike is great for me because I am goal oriented. When I am riding I never think of the whole course I have chosen, I just pay attention to what is right in front of me and take each hill as it comes. I ride that bicycle 8 to 16 miles per day (weather permitting) over country roads outside of Richmond, Kentucky. I smile sometimes because if someone heard me when I ride, they would think I’m crazy since sometimes, when things are tough, I actually talk out loud to myself to the pace and to get to the top of that hill I am riding. Then, when I get there, I do not stop and rest since I can “rest” as I go down the other side and get ready for the next hill.

I go to the gym several times a week and have a personal trainer three times per week. I am an active gardener and… oh yes…I am 66 years old but feel like I am 40 again!

My only regret is that I did not have the surgery ten years ago when my weight started to become almost out of control.

My trainer told me yesterday that in each of our sessions I usually go through eight to ten different exercises with four sets each when most of his clients go through four to six different exercises. I asked him why that is and he told me because I don’t take that long between sets. I smiled and told him that I had eternity to rest once my life is over so I don’t want to overdo this rest thing now....he laughed.

I have always been the “glass is half full” guy and not the “glass is half empty” guy. It was just with my work schedule and the demands of my job; I did not have the time to “take care of me”. When I retired I made up my mind that I had earned the right to take care of me and more importantly, I had a duty to me and my family to do so.