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Kim -- It all started back in 2000. I was close to 400 pounds and was a hopeless 26-year-old. I didn't even want to live. I had sleep apnea, swelling of my feet and legs, was always out of breath and all I wanted to do is sleep when I was not at work. I should have been in the prime of my life - my 20's - but instead, I could barely get around. I struggled just doing basic things without getting out of breath. I had tried every diet imaginable to no avail. You know the story, so I don't need to go in to any detail. If you're reading this, then you have probably been there. I came to the end of this journey of my life when I decided that I was going to have the surgery that you always hear people talking about. This was the last resort, I thought to myself, I HAD to have surgery. Only the Lord knew what the next six years held for me. In 2000, I began the long battle against an insurance company that, despite all my co-morbidities, refused to pay for me to have surgery . I fought for three years until 2003.They finally changed the criteria to be 'plain and simple' and there were no 'gray' areas for insurance people that have never met you to deny the surgery. You either met the criteria or you didn't. I had three medical doctors prior to this change telling me to have the surgery (via a letter to the insurance company) and one insurance board that had never met me saying it was not medically necessary. After this insurance ordeal and change of policy, I received my approval and off I went to see Premier Bariatrics. I was scheduled for an October 2003 surgery. I had not yet met the doctors for any appointments, only for the group seminar. When I announced my approval on the DS (duodenal switch) list, I received an email from someone in Portsmouth about a surgeon that was getting ready to do her DS and she was his first patient and I could be his second. She told me that he was a great Christian surgeon and it was much closer for me to travel to than to Dayton. I went, I saw, and ended up switching surgeons because he was able to get me in for surgery in August versus a October date. I thought to myself, Two months means a lot when I waited for three years and I just wanted to get it done! Unknown to me at that time, it was the worst mistake I could have ever made. I had my first surgery in August 2003. I lost 128 pounds, from a high weight of 404 to 276 and then I quit losing. This was nowhere close to a typical duodenal switch patient and I wondered what I was doing wrong. I then began an upward climb back up to 310. I was very depressed and didn't know what to do. I was thinking that I went through this major surgery and here I am doing the opposite of everyone else around me. I was gaining and everyone else had these tremendous success stores. What did I do wrong? Looking back, the only thing I did wrong was to not have patience and to not care more about "WHO" I was letting do my surgery. I would never be able to adequately stress the importance of researching the surgeon's experience. The duodenal switch is a complicated surgery that involves very critical measurements of a person's bowel. If this is not done correctly, you end up with a situation like mine. After settling myself down, I realized I should have never gone to an inexperienced surgeon. I called Premier Bariatric's office three years later and spoke with Kim to see if the doctors would be willing to REVISE me. There was a lot of hesitancy at first and they really didn't like the thoughts of a DS-to-DS revision. They said normally what you lose with the DS is what you lose; a revision can only cause nutritional issues and they didn't like the thoughts of that. They then sent me through a series of tests and found that my bowel was entirely too long. They agreed to do a revision and, at 310 pounds, on August 17, 2005, I went back through the surgery again except this time, I went through it with the best surgeon ever. They were very honest with me up front saying that I might not lose very much at all because a DS-to-DS revision normally does not net much weight loss (per Dr. Hess results - 20lbs average). It's been eight months now since my revision and I'm down 61 pounds to 249 pounds. Granted, I'm still a 'big' person; however I've been given a gift and opportunity by Premier Bariatrics to have this second chance and although I only see them a few times a year, there is not a day that goes by that in my mind I don't have a 'thankful' moment for what they have given me. Every time I get a compliment I think about it. Anyone that asks me who my surgeon was, I don't hesitate to tell them "Premier Bariatrics in Dayton Ohio. They're the best." On a final note, the staff at Premier Bariatrics are tremendous people. They give of themselves constantly and I've never heard a complaint out of them. There wouldn't be anything wrong with it if they did (we're all human, right?). It takes special people to do what they do and they are always there to help you. They answer any question you ask and are more than helpful pre-op and post-op. The lesson here is to have patience. The battle is long and hard, so never put yourself through what I went through and have to go back through it again. Do it right the first time and choose Premier Bariatrics and STICK with them. Their follow up is extraordinary and this is critical in the success of this surgery. Why go through something like this and then never follow up and ensure your nutritional needs are being met by the supplements you are taking? You want a surgeon that supports and wants to follow up with you! One more thing, this is how I truly feel about this staff and this surgeon. I volunteered my story because I was a revision and am still in the midst of losing my weight. I've not reached my goal, however, I'm progressing on my way there. Click here to see Kim's before & after photos Dee After much deliberation, time spent on the Internet and direct calls to patients living with many different types of weight loss surgery (WLS), I had decided that the Biliopancreatic Diversion/Duodenal Switch (BPD/DS) would best fit my lifestyle. Since no surgeon was performing "the switch" in Tennessee, I researched and found another well respected surgeon who had been doing the DS for several years and who had a capped self-pay fee. So off I went to Premier Bariatrics in Ohio. Like so many of you, I have fought the obesity fight for a lot of my life. It has interfered with my dreams and goals. My self-esteem was practically non-existent. I was definitely NOT one of those folks who was large and proud of it. My health was deteriorating. However, even during the worst of times and after many failed attempts at weight loss, I had a very small spark inside that insisted there was a solution somewhere and I would find it one day. It was that idea that kept me going. Then I heard about WLS and began a most interesting journey. My main goal after surviving surgery was to ride bikes with my daughter. I did that 1˝ years after surgery. I wanted to dance again since I had danced growing up only to be told in college that I had talent but needed to lose weight. I've done that and continue dancing to this day (I'm now Belly dancing and Flamenco dancing!). I wanted to wear "a little black dress." I've done that and also worn "a little red dress," "a little purple dress" - you get the picture! We all have our small and large goals for our life both during and after weight loss. There are no words that can express how thrilled I am to be living, to be experiencing life in a healthy body. Although I had some complications following surgery (dehydration twice) and it took a good two months to feel like I had resurfaced from the bottom of the pond, I would do this surgery many times over to have what I have now - A LIFE! There are surgeons out there - some are great, some are good, some are less-than-desirable. The staff at Premier Bariatrics have been fabulous. I'm truly grateful to have had this opportunity. Roux-en-Y Surgery 9/9/2002 Meloney -- When I weighed 317 pounds and determined that it was time to do something about my morbid obesity, I needed to find the right surgeon that I could feel confident about in skills, talents, knowledge, and abilities. I wanted a surgeon who had many years of experience, one whose track record was impeccable, respectful, and trustworthy. I researched many surgeons and patient referrals before I came to the decision to choose Premier Bariatrics who have almost thirty (30) years of experience in bariatric procedures. And sure enough, Premier Bariatrics was my best choice! They were very attentive to my needs after the surgery as well as with issues during my after-care. Through their guidance, I was able to achieve my weight-loss goals in 19 months! I lost 170 pounds during my weight-loss journey and now focus on maintaining my results nearly four (4) years after surgery! Thanks to the helpful and knowledgeable staff at Premier Bariatrics, I have discovered that “Becoming Half of Me Has Made Me Whole!” Click here to see Meloney's before & after photos Teresa -- I was 51 at the time of my Biliopancreatic Diversion/Duodenal Switch (BPD/DS) on July 25, 2001. I weighed 369 pounds and now weigh between 148 & 152 pounds. Before surgery I wore a "tight" size 5X and now I wear a size 10 or 12 depending on the style. I am so grateful for all the things I can do now that I could not do before my surgery, little things that people who have not walked in the shoes of a super morbidly obese person take for granted. A few examples are, playing with my grandsons, helping my parents if needed who are both in poor health. I can walk to my office and not have to stop in the first restroom I see to try to catch my breath so it doesn't look like I am "out of shape." I can clean myself after using the restroom; I can stand to take a shower instead of having to sit down. I can stand to cook a meal and not have to try to reach the stovetop from a chair. I remember the embarrassment of being told I would have to get off a ride at Kings Island because I was too large (and that was several years before my surgery). I can now fit in a booth in a restaurant; I actually find myself asking for a booth. I can fasten seatbelts around me without an extension. I can go to the movie and not have bruises afterwards because I forced my body into the seat as best I could. I could barely walk through my condo and not without major pain. I still have pain in my knees and foot pain at times but that is because I destroyed my joints and bones before I had the surgery. It was so humiliating to 'ALWAYS BE THE LARGEST PERSON IN THE ROOM." I thank God and Premier Bariatrics for giving me back my life. The quality of my life is so much better.
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