Air Force veteran finds joy in retirement after weight-loss surgery

Arthur “Bunky” Hill struggled with his weight his whole life, but being in the U.S. Air Force for 23 years kept him in shape.

“In my last few years of service, I had been gaining weight but still doing all the physical training associated with my job, which became increasingly difficult,” he says.

During his last year in the military, Hill was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and began taking insulin and several other diabetes medications.

He steadily gained about 70 pounds in the years following his 2002 retirement.

“I was unhealthy — I weighed 320 pounds, I had diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol,” Hill shares. “And my quality of life was not good. I wasn’t active anymore. I tried all the fad diets, but nothing ever worked. I’d had enough.”

He decided to look into weight loss surgery at MultiCare Rockwood Weight Loss & Bariatric Surgery Center in summer 2014.

“I took a seminar, which led to an intake appointment with Megan Vulcan (ARNP),” Hill explains. “Megan told me I was a good candidate for surgery.”

His surgery, performed by R. Andrew Bright, MD, took place the week of Thanksgiving 2014.

“I went home with all the new rules I had to live my life by — all the foods I could and couldn’t eat,” says Hill.

All was going well until about a month after surgery, when a perforation formed and required surgical repair.

Encountering setbacks

“Before the perforation, I had just started adding a higher volume of food and more solids to my diet,” Hill explains. “And then I had to start all over again.”

But he persevered and lost 80 pounds over the course of eight months.

“My happy weight in the military was 220, so I was pleased with 240,” Hill says.

At the end of that year, he had to have his gallbladder removed. Despite needing another surgery, Hill says these setbacks didn’t discourage him.

“Before surgery, I was told about potential complications,” he explains. “I understand these things happen, and I have not had any problems since.”

Getting off insulin was a ‘game-changer’

One of Hill’s goals with surgery was to reduce the number of diabetes and blood pressure medications he was taking.

“Bunky’s A1c (blood sugar) was substantially elevated before surgery,” Vulcan says. “After surgery he had a really great improvement — his A1c went from 11 to six. He wouldn’t have been able to do that with lifestyle changes alone.”

Because his A1c lowered, Hill could decrease his insulin intake.

He maintained his weight for several years, but by spring 2022 had gained about 25 pounds.

“I was still healthier than before surgery,” Hill says. “But I started getting discouraged.”

At his annual primary care visit that year, Hill told his doctor the weight was creeping back. His doctor suggested he could benefit from Ozempic because he has diabetes.

Hill decided to try it. It improved his energy level, helped him shed the extra weight and reduced his blood pressure medications from three to one. And by February 2023, his doctor said he could stop taking insulin altogether.

“I was injecting insulin for 20 years, so it was a game-changer getting off of it,” Hill says. “My feeling of well-being is the best it’s ever been in my life. I look in the mirror and can tell I look better, I feel better and I’m happy.”

Enjoying an active retirement

Hill just turned 65 and says he’s healthier than he’s ever been.

“I have my energy back and the ability to hike and walk,” he says. “I’m as light as I was before I graduated high school!”

“My feeling of well-being is the best it’s ever been in my life. I look in the mirror and can tell I look better, I feel better and I’m happy.”

Hill’s wife Lorraine recently retired, and they are enjoying retirement together.

“We’re able to do what good health affords you,” he shares. “We travel, kayak and hike — we do all kinds of stuff. She’s my biggest motivator.”

Hill enjoying retirement with wife Lorraine

“For most people I see, it’s not the number on a scale that brings them in; it’s what they can’t do,” Vulcan says. “Every time I see Bunky, I hear about the latest adventure he’s been on. He’s doing all these things he couldn’t do before surgery.”

Hill credits Vulcan with helping him throughout his weight loss journey.

“Megan is intuitive and has a great way of explaining things. She’s an incredible professional,” he adds. “The follow-up at the center is for life, as long as you participate. I struggle every once in a while, and I know I can reach out for support.”