Weight loss surgery was the plunge uphill for Eric Smith, always the big kid, who has lost more than 200 pounds. Here is his story, complete with inspiring before and after photos.
From the earliest that I can remember, I was always the biggest kid. I didn’t climb trees or fences, though I was always active. I played soccer and football as a kid growing up. I was always bigger then the rest of the kids, though, and my grandmother would always tell me, “Don’t hurt them.”
In junior high, I played football and I had to get my pants from the Dallas Cowboys because the manufacturer that supplied the uniforms for my school didn’t have them in my size.
And at my very highest weight, during adulthood, I weighed 440 pounds. I had high blood pressure, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, knee problems and pain in my lower back. I considered weight loss surgery a good while before having it – going to weight loss surgery meeting eight years before my operation. It was out of my price range at the time, and not covered by my insurance. But later I got a job that covered it, and the day my insurance went active I made an appointment.
During the beginning of the process, I had to go on a diet for 90 days for the insurance company. I did begin exercising and watching what I ate, but the weight I lost went right back on during the holidays. My doctor and his staff walked me through every step I would go through and answered all my questions.
After my surgery, I lost 60 pounds in the first two months. When I got to the four-month point, I’d lost 110 pounds. As of February 13, 2010, I’ll be two years out from my weight loss operation – and to date, I’m down 210 pounds and have maintained the same weight for nearly a year.
That doesn’t do much to stop the cravings. There are days when I want to eat everything I see, and the one thing I have to remind myself of is that I have to take my time from the very first bite. I can sometimes forget, but my stomach always reminds me that every bite has to be chewed until the food becomes mush. The second thing is: water and bread don’t mix. Plus, food has to be moist, because dry food is not a friend of my pouch.
Still, I have this to say to anyone else considering weight loss surgery: If you’ve thought about it, don’t let anybody else talk you out of making the change in your life. This is a decision for you, not anybody else – and it will upset those people. Because they don’t like change.
Eric Smith
http://www.weightlosssurgerychannel.com/success-stories/weight-loss-surgery-changing-eric-smiths-life.html/
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
It's safe for use, say makers
REDUCTIL'S makers "respectfully" disagree with the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) recommended suspension of its product. They insist that Reductil is safe if used according to the product label.
Abbott, in an email to the New Straits Times yesterday, said its ongoing evaluation of the Sibutramine Cardiovascular Outcome Trial (Scout) data does not change its assessment that sibutramine has a positive benefit/risk profile when used appropriately in the approved patient population.
"The company believes there are many patients who benefit from sibutramine and respectfully disagrees with the committee's recommendation to suspend the medicine," communications and government affairs director Pamela Harrison said.
She said the Scout was requested by European regulatory authorities as a post-marketing commitment to evaluate cardiovascular safety in patients at high risk for cardiovascular problems.
"More than 90 per cent of patients in the Scout study were ineligible to receive sibutramine under current labelling and none were managed according to labelling guidance -- which recommends the medication be used for one to two years (vs. treatment for up to six years in Scout and requires patients to stop therapy if they do not respond to treatment (vs. continuing on sibutramine without experiencing adequate weight loss, as was done in Scout)."
She said sibutramine remains available outside the European Union and should be used according to the product label.
"The US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) review of Scout is ongoing. FDA has initiated a label change and the product remains on the market in the United States," she said, adding that Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) took a similar action.
"Sibutramine remains available and should be used according to the product label in Malaysia.
"Sibutramine is approved for the treatment of patients who are obese, have no previous history of cardiovascular disease and have been unable to lose weight through diet and exercise," Harrison said.
http://health.asiaone.com/Health/News/Story/A1Story20100127-194760.html
Abbott, in an email to the New Straits Times yesterday, said its ongoing evaluation of the Sibutramine Cardiovascular Outcome Trial (Scout) data does not change its assessment that sibutramine has a positive benefit/risk profile when used appropriately in the approved patient population.
"The company believes there are many patients who benefit from sibutramine and respectfully disagrees with the committee's recommendation to suspend the medicine," communications and government affairs director Pamela Harrison said.
She said the Scout was requested by European regulatory authorities as a post-marketing commitment to evaluate cardiovascular safety in patients at high risk for cardiovascular problems.
"More than 90 per cent of patients in the Scout study were ineligible to receive sibutramine under current labelling and none were managed according to labelling guidance -- which recommends the medication be used for one to two years (vs. treatment for up to six years in Scout and requires patients to stop therapy if they do not respond to treatment (vs. continuing on sibutramine without experiencing adequate weight loss, as was done in Scout)."
She said sibutramine remains available outside the European Union and should be used according to the product label.
"The US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) review of Scout is ongoing. FDA has initiated a label change and the product remains on the market in the United States," she said, adding that Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) took a similar action.
"Sibutramine remains available and should be used according to the product label in Malaysia.
"Sibutramine is approved for the treatment of patients who are obese, have no previous history of cardiovascular disease and have been unable to lose weight through diet and exercise," Harrison said.
http://health.asiaone.com/Health/News/Story/A1Story20100127-194760.html
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