‘It’s life changing — you realize you’ve been a prisoner in your own body’
Zachery Eacret said he realized a change was needed when he went to urgent care with a bad headache in early 2024.
“My blood pressure was 220 over 120,” he said. “The doctor at urgent care was very blunt. He told me that people with blood pressure this high could die.”
Eacret said he was diagnosed with diabetes and gout. He started blood pressure pills, Metformin and Ozempic. His blood sugar was almost double prediabetic levels.
“My A1C was 11.3. I had to get that down below a nine to have surgery. That was a real reality call,” he said.
A life-changing surgery
When Eacret first walked into the Salem Health Bariatric Surgery Center, he was 297 pounds. This past July, he underwent gastric bypass surgery.
“Today, I’m 189 pounds,” he said. “I’m off all my pre-surgery medications — blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol.”
Realizing he was on the verge of a stroke was a wakeup call for Eacret, who had twin boys under 1 at the time.
“I knew I had gained weight, and I didn’t know to the extent,” Eacret said. “I was commuting from Portland to Salem and made bad decisions with my food, then the pandemic hit and it got worse.”
Since completing surgery, Eacret said his whole life is easier.
“I lift weights now. It was just such a struggle before. When I was heavy, I attributed that to aging,” he said. “I don’t have pain in my hips now. I can play with my kids. I’ll be a better father as they grow up.”
Habits and lifestyle change
Eacret said he worked with bariatric surgeon Catherine Boulay, MD, who got him started on a walking routine while in the hospital.
“She told me to keep walking one step further than the day before. Now, I’m up to three miles a day,” he said.
But he took it even further. Just three months after his operation, Eacret ran a 5K.
“At first, it was discouraging, because I did my thing, it was hard, and I got passed by a group of women in their 80s,” he said. “Then, I got done and I realized that my journey is my journey. Three months before I couldn’t have run 100 yards, let alone a 5K.”
Eacret said he’s also worked with psychologists and nutritionists with the bariatric surgery center to focus on lifestyle change and long-term habits.
“It’s life changing. You realize you’ve been a prisoner in your own body,” he said. “I owe it to my kids to be as healthy as possible. When things get hard, they’re the motivating factor for me.”