My first surgery, a kidney stone, and a glimpse of my former future
How self-advocacy and metabolic healing shaped what didn’t happen
I had my first surgery yesterday at 52: a procedure to remove a large kidney stone that probably formed years ago. Something about being in the hospital struck me. A moment in the pre-op area, overhearing another patient.
He was being asked about his medications. He was on Metformin. Ozempic. Blood pressure meds. His list was long. He sounded like he was maybe in his late 60s or early 70s.
And in that moment, I realized: that could’ve been me. That almost was me.
From 2007 to 2023, I took Metformin off and on. In 2019, I began using insulin. In 2021, I was prescribed Atorvastatin and Losartan. In 2023, I started Mounjaro. I am off all of those medications (with doctor “approval”).
My chart would have looked just like his. And if I hadn’t changed what I eat and when I eat, if I hadn’t found my way to self-advocacy, it would still look like his.
Instead, I went into surgery today with no medications.
My mother died suddenly the same day she checked into the hospital in 2003. She was 55. We didn’t speak that day. I was hosting an event in downtown Boston and by the time I listened to the voicemail from one of my sisters hours later telling me that mom was in the hospital but she was doing OK, it was too late. She was already gone. Since then, if someone in area code 402 calls me, I answer the phone.
I’ve spent a lot of time over the last two years thinking about her. About what wasn’t possible for her. And what I want to make possible for myself. And to be a useful guide for others.
Yesterday wasn’t just a surgery. It was a reminder of how far I’ve come, and how close I was to a different path.