Meet Brady

What was life like before bariatric surgery?
My life was semi-normal before having this surgery. I was active, worked out, and tried to eat well. I was a “sort of Type 2 Diabetic” but was dependent on insulin to keep my blood sugar under control. I was taking a shot in the morning and then one with every meal while also wearing a Continuous Glucose Monitor. Everything I did revolved around remembering to bring my insulin and dealing with blood sugar highs and lows. If I went on a trip I had to pack the insulin in a little cooler with a cold pack which was a pain in the butt and TSA hated. It was stressful to have to always watch my blood sugar and see if it was gonna crash while I was exercising or playing golf. It was also tough to judge what foods would make it spike that weren’t the typical high carb food that you would think. My life was basically controlled by diabetes.

If you put off the decision to come in for a long time, why was that? What kept you from booking a consultation?
I came in multiple times to discuss the procedure, but wanted to exhaust all other options before doing the surgery. I am stubborn and tried everything; vegan diet, carnivore diet, low calorie diet, and many more to make sure I did everything I could before I had surgery. The surgery had also changed a lot from my first visit until I actually had it. After at least 5 years of being on the fence my wife and I decided it was time to take that leap of faith. I knew it was time and knew Dr. Bleu was the Doc that was meant to do it.

What was it like to work with the team, from the start of your journey to today?
Things have been weird after surgery because the world has been weird. Covid hit and it has been bizarre and I haven’t really done any follow ups since it all started, but I know if I had a need or question one phone call would be all I needed to make. Before surgery the entire team was great. Everybody I dealt with was friendly and professional and I was able to be myself (sarcastic and laid back) with everybody. Every question I ever asked was answered and every interaction I had was positive and professional. It was never about selling me on having surgery. It was always about giving me all the information I needed to make my decision, and once it was made it was about getting to the surgery date as easily as possible. The surgery center was very nice and we were in and out of there that same day.

What is your life like now? What’s the #1 thing you love being able to do now?
My surgery was a little different and the goal was to get rid of the insulin and T-2 Diabetes and wasn’t centrally focused on weight loss (not that I couldn’t use to drop some lbs). It worked as well as we could have hoped and my life now is way different than it was. I am no longer on insulin and am really no longer even diabetic. My last A1C was around 5 and my cholesterol is normal, blood pressure is better, and I also have lost about 80 pounds. I don’t have to constantly worry about how much insulin I have to take to cover the carbs in my meal, and I don’t have to worry about taking too much and getting a low. It has been awesome. It has made my life simpler, and I know the decision to have this surgery added some years to my life. It has also made the constant “diabetes anxiety” (insulin planning, carb counting, guilt after eating something that raises sugars, feeling horrible when sugar crashes, eye issues, and all the associated medical risks) disappear which has been a gigantic weight lifted off of my entire family’s shoulders. It was a great decision and I would encourage anybody on the fence about it struggling with diabetes to do it…or get in touch with me and I will be glad to share my side of things with them. I love having to try to keep my weight above 230 lbs. I was above 300 before and its definitely fun to humble brag to my wife and tell her I lost another couple pounds…gotta get those back dang it.