Laporte trucker in the driver’s seat following weight lossFor the bulk of 58 years, Dale Buness considered himself a meat-and-potatoes man. His 18-wheeler pulled into truck stops from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and, like many of his trucking peers, he would belly up to the buffet for a smorgasbord of his favorite foods.The trucker’s lifestyle is what got him in trouble. His 5-foot, 11-inch frame couldn’t handle all of 355 pounds gained during a lifetime. It rebelled with life-threatening conditions. High blood pressure, Type II diabetes, sleep apnea, acid reflux and constant pain made Buness a regular in line at the pharmacy. He even needed inhalers on occasion to help him breathe. “I was miserable,” Buness remembers. “I hurt all over.” Today, 129-pounds slimmer and still losing, he’s completely off medications. He has energy. He can breathe. He can bend over to tie his shoes. In August he celebrated his 38-year anniversary with his wife, Carol, only one pound heavier than when he first said, “I do.” Now when the proprietor of his own trucking company shows you an example of his daily menu, he hauls out a tiny can of baked beans and an equal-sized can of pears. A protein drink, vitamins and a constant stream of water top off the day. That’s it. “Steak or roast are out,” he says, but he’s not complaining and doesn’t miss it one bit. “I’ve had my share.” When he decides to have some meat, he may have a little bit of a hamburger or a hot dog. Buness lost the weight following a gastric bypass, or weight-loss surgery, Oct. 29 at St. Joseph’s Area Health Services. Dr. Dan Smith performed the Roux en-Y (RNY) procedure that led to Buness’ dramatic outcome. During the operation, a staple line divides the stomach into two parts, leaving a pouch capable of holding about 1 ounce of food or drink. This new stomach is then hooked up to portion of small intestine. Some of the small intestine is bypassed as well. As a result of the surgery and head-strong determination to do well, he lost almost one-third of his body mass. He says he’s pretty much leveled out after 10 months, but admits “it probably wouldn’t hurt to lose a few more pounds.” He feels like his “old self” again. Now he’s able to fit into places where he couldn’t before. It sure feels good for him to sit in one of his trucks again. “I can fit behind the steering wheel without it touching my stomach.” Initially, Buness had been seeing a nutritionist for his diabetes. He tried to lose weight, but would gain it right back. “It wasn’t working,” he says. His weight went up and down “like a yo-yo.” His nutritionist suggested the Roux en-Y might be an alternative to explore, so he starting researching the procedure and asked a lot of questions. “I had no choice. I didn’t want to live like some of my relatives.” Eventually he made his mind up to go for it. Even if his insurance wouldn’t cover the gastric bypass procedure (which they did), Buness “would have foot the bill himself.” He was that determined. And he didn’t go in thinking the procedure would be an easy fix. “They can do the surgery, but I have to have the mindset. The hard part is making up your mind to do it and then stick with it.” Buness decided to quit smoking at one point in his life and that was that. He drew on that same motivation to lose the weight. He said at first it was a tough learning experience knowing what you can and can’t do. For example, if you don’t chew your food enough, it can get stuck in the new digestive piping. Food gets caught in the stoma, or opening leading from the stomach to the intestine. “You have to think about what you’re doing.” Believe him when he says food really hurts when it sticks. “You’ve got to listen to what they (St. Joseph’s staff) tell you, or it won’t work,” he says. “You have to do what you’re supposed to do.” Buness listened and worked hard. He had always been a walker, but now he walks with renewed focus. He heads out on the trails behind his home near Laporte for at least half an hour, usually up to a full hour. “And I walk fast,” he says. “I try not to miss any days.” Buness doesn’t see much of his pharmacist any more. He figures his insurance company is getting its return on their investment through lack of visits to the doctor’s office and medication bills that would mount up on a monthly basis. “There are no more aches and pains, and I’m totally off all medications,” he says. “It’s all worth it. As far as I’m concerned it’s the way to go if you have health problems from being overweight. Dr. Smith and his staff have done a good job. Their record speaks for itself.” Buness was once told that once he got on blood pressure pills, he would most likely be on them for the rest of his life. “I got a new life now,” he says, and a new outlook on life to share with his wife, two children and five grandkids. |    Laporte’s Dale Buness, trucking company owner, says a lot of people don’t recognize him anymore since he lost 129 pounds in nine months following gastric bypass surgery in Park Rapids.  |