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When Artur Jeschke (52) from Piła was preparing for a bariatric surgery, he weighed 148 kg. After cuff gastrectomy, he lost more than 50 kg. Today, he remembers this decision as an extremely important turning point in his life.
How did it happen that you started suffering from obesity?
Artur Jeschke:In my youth I had a very intense lifestyle. I played football at the club, rode my bike. After graduating from university, I started office work and that's when my weight problems started. It was in 2001. There was a shop opposite my office. I ate the stress with buns and bars. In 2007, while I was still working in Piła, I developed an abdominal hernia, which they refused to operate on the spot due to a strike in the hospital. And so I ended up at the Military Medical Institute at ul. Szaserów in Warsaw. By the way, it turned out that it was possible to work here. There was even a hotel for employees. So I moved. Unfortunately, I continued to gain weight, especially in the first months of my stay in Warsaw. My family stayed in Piła. I was alone in a hotel just a few hundred meters away from my workplace. When I came home tired, I just wanted to sit in front of the TV and eat dinner.
Who suggested a bariatric surgery to you?
A.J.:I tried to lose weight, I used different diets. But each of them required a lot of sacrifices and unfortunately ended in my case with the yo-yo effect. I was leading a sedentary lifestyle. With a certain weight, a person loses the desire for any activity. I was sweating, I was getting tired very quickly. Additionally, due to injuries from my youth, my joints hurt and my ankles swelled. My colleagues persuaded me to undergo the surgery. I reported for a consultation to prof. dr hab. Krzysztof Pasnik. On the day I was admitted to the hospital, I weighed 148 kilograms and had a BMI of 44.7 plus elevated blood pressure. Before the operation, I underwent a thorough examination and talked to a dietitian. She gave me some advice that was very helpful, especially in the first days and months after the operation. The surgery itself results in weight loss, but then you have to strictly follow the rules of nutrition.
What are the rules?
A.J.:First of all, you can't bulge your stomach. I eat very small meals: a sandwich withhalf a slice of bread, bread, tea. Taking this into account, it is especially difficult for me, for example, for someone on a name day, when the table is richly set and you want to taste everything. But I remember that if I satisfy my hunger, I have to put myself in a barrier.
How many times a day do you eat?
A.J.:Every three to four hours. I just warmed up half a dove.
This is what your dinner looks like?
A.J.:Yes. Half a potato, a piece of meat, some salad … Or a soup with half a roll. That's it.
Are there any foods that you absolutely cannot consume?
A.J.:I had a strict regime in the first months after the operation. For the first two weeks, I was able to eat only liquid foods: porridge on water, then on milk, and literally children's portions. It was frustrating. My body felt weak. I remember that after the operation I went to my wife's in Piła. Just moving from the room to the toilet made me dizzy. The compensation came after about 2 weeks.
You are three years after your surgery. What's your BMI now?
A.J.:29,1, but the correct is 25. I now weigh within 96 kilograms.
So you lost 50 kilograms in three years?
A.J.:I have lost 52 kilograms. I can say exactly because I downloaded a special weight management program. On the day before the operation, i.e. April 15, 2013, I weighed 148.2 kg, and on May 28, I weighed 119 kg, which gave 36 BMI. The first time I weighed less than 100 kilograms on October 19, that is five months after the operation; then my weight dropped to the level of 99.7 kilograms. Since then, I've been basically holding the weight.
Are you happy that you have undergone surgery?
A.J.:Of course. The operation changed everything. I regained my will to live, started going to the swimming pool, riding a bike. I try to avoid social life, because - as I said - it is too tempting to eat. I avoid carbonated drinks, but drink wine. However, it must be remembered that after a bariatric surgery, drinking two glasses of alcohol makes you drunk. And that's another reason why I avoid socializing. It is stupid to drink two glasses and fall asleep in the armchair.
Do you see any other inconveniences?
A.J.:No desire. I have to force myself to drink. If I drink it in the morning, I may not drink anything all day and not feel thirsty. I have to control it as well as my diet. I remember my son's 18th birthday. We went with the whole family to the sushi bar which I love by the way. I ate maybe five piecesthis sushi and … threw up. So now I try to avoid situations that may cause discomfort. This is a constant struggle with your own head.
Obesity is a diseasepartner's material
Obesity has been officially recognized as a disease by the World He alth Organization. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in Poland. Already 700,000 Poles with third degree obesity need a life-saving bariatric surgery. A bariatric patient requires the interdisciplinary care of specialists in the fields of surgery, psychology, dietetics and physiotherapy.
read moreImportantPoradnikzdrowie.pl supports safe treatment and a dignified life of people suffering from obesity.
This article does not contain discriminatory and stigmatizing content for people suffering from obesity.