"More Years With My Family"
That’s what Diane Kindall says weight-loss surgery means to her.
When Diane Kindall sat down to read an article in her local newspaper last year, she didn’t know it would change her life. “I read about a woman who was about my age and weight, and she also had diabetes,” says Kindall, 52, of Allentown. “She talked about how weight-loss surgery made her healthier. I realized it could help me, too.”
Kindall first heard about such surgery 20 years ago. Thinking “it was too risky,” she put it off—but her health, specifically her type 2 diabetes, didn’t improve. She was first diagnosed with diabetes while pregnant with her daughter, Virginia, 14 years ago. The condition subsided for a time, then returned.
Kindall tried to control her diabetes through diet and exercise, meeting several times with a nutritionist in pursuit of the right diet. She also met with a psychologist to deal with the emotional aspects of living with diabetes. Still, she needed oral medication to keep her blood sugar levels in check and couldn’t get her weight below 260 pounds.
The newspaper article she saw gave her hope. To learn more, she first called her insurance company to ensure she had coverage for the procedure. Then, last December, she met with a Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network surgeon. “He spent two hours with me and answered every question I had,” Kindall says. “He said I was a good candidate for gastric bypass surgery and explained the preparation process.”
For Kindall, that meant medical tests to make sure her lungs and heart were strong, and a sleep study, which revealed that she also had sleep apnea (a breathing-related disorder often associated with weight).
Within two days, Kindall’s blood sugar levels had fallen from 280 to 111. She lost 25 pounds in her first three weeks after surgery, and she no longer snores. She returned to her job as an automotive insurance subrogator five weeks following surgery.
As she loses more weight, Kindall plans to enjoy bicycling, and swimming and kayaking on her family’s annual summer vacation. She also looks forward to spending more time with her husband of two years, Wayne, her daughter, Virginia, and son Gregory. “I feel like I’ve gotten a reprieve,” she says. “I’ll now have more years with my family.”
This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
