Dr. Patel is a lifesaver! Literally! I was doing nothing but laying on the couch waiting to die. With people begging me to just walk 5 minutes a WEEK. That’s how bad it got for me. But it’s not just the surgery that does. it. Dr. Patel is passionate about this working and not being one of the ones that gain it all right back. To that end, Dr. Patel arranges meetings with Dieticians, Psychologists (to understand what you’re getting into), gastroenterologists, etc. Without all of that prep-work and then maintenance after, I would have done it all wrong and have gained it back by now. Dr, Patel really wants you to get it right.
There are many more wonderful things that have happened to me since my surgery (indoor skydiving, hiking, etc.), but I am only trying to give you an idea of my re-birth since surgery. On my birthday, along with my presents, my husband gave me a birthday card and wrote in it “I’m looking forward to having adventures with you again” – that made me cry. We used to travel a lot, anywhere from week long vacations, to long weekends away and all of that stopped when I became too big to fit into the plane seat, spilling over onto his seat. I also couldn’t walk anymore for any length of time. Our last trip we took was to Niagara Falls in Canada and we went on a bus tour. It got so bad that I had to wait on the bus on quite a few occasions because I couldn’t manage those big steps on and off the bus, not to mention all the walking involved. I’m crying now just thinking back to that trip.
I put all of this in writing to maybe motivate someone – even one person – to not give up on themselves and fall down the rabbit hole like I did. Don’t let yourself get as bad off as I was. Keep moving, keep fighting, keep living…. you’re worth it. Talk to Dr. Patel.