Everyone was skeptical but I knew I had to do it!!
*
- Name: Whitney Patterson
- Age: 48
- Surgery: Gastric Sleeve
- Surgery date: January 7th, 2016
- Testimonial date: February 29th, 2016
- Surgeon: Dr. Mario Almanza
All my family on both my mothers and fathers sides of the family are overweight.. many morbidly so... Even my son, though only 26 could stand to lose 40 lbs... Whenever I look at Facebook all I see are my cousins and aunts talking about the current diet they are on... what flavor shake they are drinking that day... or what "magical drops" they are using.. to try to lose that 30-40 or 50+ pounds they still need to lose (again).. And I know that whatever they take off...no matter what.... once they stop using the current program they are on, that weight is going to come right back on.... Just like I have dealt with time after time after time...
Even though I wasn't 100+ pounds overweight like the many in my family, after 40, I knew I was headed that direction. I have been on one diet or another since I was 16 yrs old!! When I think back on all the thousands of dollars I have spent on diet strategies or food programs or counselors... I could have paid for this surgery 20 times over!!
I will admit it isn't for the "faint of heart"... You are making a commitment to a PERMANENT PORTION CONTROL for the rest of your life. We have all done it for one diet or another in our lives... but this is forever!!
The surgery is quick, but the next few days after surgery were painful and you MUST WALK!!! and walk A LOT!! There is a lot of bloating/gas which needs to be gotten out so that you can feel comfortable again. The shared room is efficient and the staff were quite helpful. About 24 hrs from the time you enter the clinic for surgery, you get to go back to your hotel room.
The hotel is right around the corner from the surgery clinic and the rooms were nice size, clean and the staff was great!! They have doctors and nurses which took care of us right in our room for the rest of the time before going home. Whatever I needed was a simple phone call away (i.e. jello, juice, pop ice's..etc)
Now that I am home, and 7 weeks post surgery, I have lost 18 lbs, the small scars are healing nicely and I am telling everyone about where I went, how affordable it was, and what a difference it has made in my life. I would (and do) recommend Dr. Almanza and his staff to everyone I come in contact with for this procedure. It is truly the best thing I have ever done for myself!!