Decker |
Last Activity: 03-22-2006 11:42 AM
About Me
- About Decker
- Interests
- I have been big all my life. Early on, being large presented no problem as I remained active and participated in various sports where my size was an advantage. But as I moved on into college, I became more sedentary, but never reduced the amount I ate. I never really tried to diet because I had just settled in to my own image as a big guy. As time passed, and weight mounted, I found myself unable to do the simple things that other people took for granted. I could no longer walk more than fifty yards without back pain and exhaustion forcing me to stop. I couldn\'t take part in the active life that I used to enjoy. This simply made things worse as I became less active due to my inability to move. I weighed over 500 pounds at his heaviest. Then a good friend had bariatric surgery, and I watched her results over a year. I saw the dedication and lifestyle changes that this required and debated whether or not I could match that effort. I began to attend support meetings and research the procedure more in depth. Satisfied with the research, I decided to move ahead with the process. I selected one of the top Bariatric Surgery Centers in the country, located just north of Indianapolis, and applied for insurance coverage. Much to my surprise, the coverage was granted within a week and surgery was scheduled. Through no fault of the surgeon or the hospital, I did have severe complications due to a reaction to anesthetic. As a result, I spent two weeks in the hospital recovering, and close to eight weeks getting back to some semblance of normality. Since that initial rough patch, the results of the surgery could not have been better. I reached my goal weight of 205 pounds within fourteen months of surgery and am now maintaining my weight. In just over a year after surgery, I participated in numerous 5k and 10k walks and placed first in my age group twice. My highest achievement was completing the Indy 500 Festival Mini Marathon of 13.1 miles. I realize that the process is not over. This was not a temporary fix to let me get back to normal. This is a permanent, life-changing step I took to improve my life. The initial accomplishment has been made, but I constantly remind myself that the battle is not over.
