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Bariatric Surgery
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> Betty Hebert
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Betty Hebert
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 Betty Hebert
Gastric Bypass
I was not born with a weight problem but developed one approximately two and one half years after my daughter was born(1985). I allowed stress to take its toll and used food for comfort. The numbers on the scale began to escalate. It was as though I felt better after snacking or had convinced myself of it. As the years went by, I continued to gain weight. When I reached 200 lbs I tried a number of diet plans in which I was successful in dropping anywhere from 30 to 60 lbs, but in no time I had gained 50 to 80 lbs back. Before I knew it, I was weighing 300 lbs. The weight really didn’t bother me until I had to shop for clothes. At one point I am pretty sure that I was weighing over 400 lbs. My scale didn’t go that high.
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Betty before surgery
| In August of 2005, I had an accident and injured my knees. I was sent to Fontana Center for physical therapy in the swimming pool. I was sent to an orthopedic surgeon and was told that I needed knee surgery but he would not do it until I lost a substantial amount of weight. My cardiologist felt that it was a medical necessity that I have the Gastric Bypass surgery; that if I didn’t within the next 5 years I would have to have knee replacement surgery. My internist agreed that the surgery was my only option and should be done to get the weight off quickly. My chiropractor (not knowing that other doctors had talked to me about it) thought that I should look into having the surgery. I had been seeing a podiatrist for a year getting injections in both feet to ease the pain of planter’s fascia on a weekly basis—with the next step being surgery. I had been diagnosed and treated for sleep apnea. I have had blood clots in my lungs once and in my right leg twice.
I began doing research on the web, watched the health channel, and spoke to friends that went through the procedure. I attended information sessions at another hospital and LGMC. I was more comfortable with Dr Gachassin’s presentation. He was not in any way pressuring but just the opposite—he tried to talk us out of the surgery. He stressed that this was just a tool and I would have to be committed to a lifestyle change. At this time I weighed 392 lbs, which meant I had lost at the least 8 lbs.
In October of 2005, I made my decision to take this life-changing journey. I joined Fontana Center for Work Rehab and began walking in the pool for 1 to 2 hours each morning, stopped drinking and eating at the same time, removed sweets from my diet as well as carbonated drinks. Taking these steps I lost 60 lbs. Some of my family thought that I didn’t need the surgery because I had lost weight on my own. My reply was that I had lost in the past and gained it back. This would be a tool to help me keep it off.
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Betty after surgery
| My surgery was on June 22, 2006. By December of 2007 I was down to 146 lbs. It has now been a little over 3 years and I now fluctuate between
156 – 160 lbs. All my health issues have gone, my energy level is up, and I am doing things that I would never have imagined 3 years ago.
Someone who has never had to deal with obesity takes for granted the little things like sitting on the floor, crossing your legs, clipping your toe nails, tying your shoes, and being able to play and keep up with your grandchild. I made the right choice for me.
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