Daniel R.’s Gastric Bypass Story

My journey started earlier in the year when I ended up at the ER for high blood pressure. I wasn’t feeling good and went to urgent care, and my blood pressure was at 299, so they sent me to the ER where I spent the night. After that, I set up an appointment to establish a regular doctor.

On the first visit, the doctor said with my weight, sleep apnea, prediabetes, and high blood pressure, that he recommended weight loss surgery. I told him I had already considered that and was looking into going to Mexico to do it. He told me that a lot of insurances cover [weight loss surgery] if it was medically necessary, and so I put in my paperwork with his recommendation. Part of that was to lose weight on my own first, which I lost 40-ish pounds in about a month. I saw a dietician and psychologist at St. Mark’s and then I got approved. I was super excited and nervous. I wanted to better my health so I can be around longer for my son, Daniel Cruz.

I finally got my surgery date, and a week before, my wife and I found out we were expecting a second child! That just backed up my decision even more that I was doing the right thing.

The week right after surgery, I ended up at the ER twice because my blood pressure dropped down to 43 and got severely dehydrated. I tried my hardest to stay hydrated, but it is very difficult to consume water for the first few weeks. It gradually got easier. At that point, I got taken off all my medicine and no longer needed my sleep apnea machine to sleep. I no longer snore while sleeping either! I only take my multivitamins and calcium chews!

I quickly started losing lots of weight and dropping sizes in clothes. Before I knew it, I went from using 5XL shirts and size 50 jeans to my current L-XL shirts and size 34 jeans. I can sit and put one leg on top of the other, which I had not done for over 20 years!

I also started being able to go on long walks and not be suffocating trying to catch my breath. I have been implementing better behaviors for my son as well.

I really enjoy playing with my children and being able to do more activities with them that I was not able to before. It’s always crazy and fun seeing people I had not seen for a long time, and seeing their reaction to my drastic changes.

For me, the only complications I had was the first week post-surgery, like I mentioned before. Besides that, I have been very blessed and lucky with my results. My goal the first year was to lose 150 pounds, and I hit that goal. This year, I am trying to lose another 30-50 pounds so that I can do skin removal surgery, then I want to get back into bodybuilding like I did when I was fresh out of high school!

There are times when I feel like I don’t recognize the person I see in the mirror, but inside, I am the same person, but better and healthier than before my surgery.

–Daniel R.
Surgeon: Dr. Rodrick D. McKinlay
Surgery: Gastric Bypass Roux-en-Y
Surgery Date: 12/13/21
HW: 433
SW: 397
CW: 253
TWL: 144

Daniel R.’s Gastric Bypass Story

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