My name is Stella Tanner and I am 68 years old. I had gastric bypass surgery at age 66, 18 months ago, and have lost 70 pounds. The best way to explain my positive experience with this surgery is to start by telling you the condition of my health before the surgery. Even though I was always on some kind of weight loss program, my weight had escalated to 265 pounds. When I was younger, I could lose weight on diets, but as I “advanced in maturity,” this became impossible.
Quite often I was on prednisone for gout, arthritis, and fibromyalgia. I had sleep apnea that required the use of a BiPap machine all night. I had to take increasing amounts of blood pressure medications. I was plagued with incontinence that required constant attention and caused infections and discomfort. Several times a month I had horrible migraine headaches that would totally incapacitate me for a day or more. My doctor was concerned about an increasing blood sugar level.
As you can see, the last few years before my surgery were absolutely horrible. I dreaded waking up each morning to another day of excruciating pain and total exhaustion. I was still working 2 days a week, and 10 years ago I built and developed a nonprofit home for homeless women and their children, and 5 years ago I built and developed a nonprofit childcare and education center that serves 110 babies and preschool children. Both of these projects were manifestations of my life’s purpose, and I loved working with them.
I couldn’t do my housework; even putting together a simple meal for my husband and myself was difficult. I couldn’t attend my grandchildren’s school or sports activities. I couldn’t walk the short distance to the mailbox at the end of my driveway. I couldn’t sleep.
My medical doctor referred me to the University of Virginia, where I was diagnosed with all of the health problems mentioned above and then something new, fibromyalgia. After several more months of treatment, my doctor told me there wasn’t anything else he could do and that I would have to learn to live with the constant pain and poor health.
I wasn’t ready to accept being an invalid. A new doctor suggested gastric bypass surgery. I was extremely hesitant, because I had already researched this operation and had heard some horror stories about it. But I was at the end of my rope, and so the surgery was scheduled.
Now let me tell you about my life 18 months after this operation. I feel good and have lots of energy. I am once again enjoying cooking and entertaining large crowds. The night before I wrote this report, I had dinner for 21 friends; then the next night, I had five teenagers spend the night. I cleaned the entire house (which includes 2700 square feet and three bathrooms), made homemade bread, washed three loads of clothes, weeded one of my flower beds, cooked supper for seven, took the five teenagers into town to the skating rink, ate supper out, bought groceries, picked the children up again, fed them a snack, and put the groceries away. This is now a normal day for me—who earlier found it extremely difficult to move from a chair to the bed.
My purpose for having this surgery was not to look like a “movie star,” but rather a desperate attempt to enable me to once again take care of my family. I have been rewarded with much more than that. This operation saved my life! In these 18 months, my husband and I have traveled to Alaska and to the beach several times, golfed for 2 weeks all over California, and recently spent 2 weeks in Italy. Instead of being an invalid in excruciating pain, my life is wonderful, and it is all due to this surgery.
Please continue allowing this surgery for Medicare patients. I am extremely grateful that I was provided with this coverage, and will spend the rest of my life trying to repay the world for my good fortune. Other senior citizens deserve this same opportunity.
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