Bariatric Surgery

	Donna B.	Scott B.
Date of Surgery:	February 11, 2008	March 19, 2008
Weight prior to Surgery:	357 lbs	384 lbs
Weight 12/2/08:	191 lbs	234 lbs

Donna

I’ve struggled with my weight since I was a teenager.  I have been up and down since I was 14 years old.  I have a friend who is totally homebound due to complications with her weight.  She is about 12 years older than I am and I could see myself headed in that direction.  I did not want to be 50 and stuck because of my weight and health issues.  I had tried every diet, but nothing worked for very long.  As I was turning 40 I made the decision to get healthier.  I had been researching the procedure for a few years and met a few different surgeons, but there just was not a good fit. 

My family doctor suggested that I schedule an appointment with Dr. Balsama.  Dr. Balsama was very personable and talked to us like people, and after leaving his office I felt like I was appropriately informed about the procedure. He has a very personal approach and treats us like individuals.  Every case is different.    

My husband and I decided that I would have the surgery first and he would be scheduled about 5-6 weeks later so that we could take care of each other.    The surgery went fine.

Prior to surgery I had been on a number of medications for cholesterol, high blood pressure and required a machine for sleep apnea.  About two months after the surgery, I was taken off all mediations and the sleep apnea was gone. I’ve made major changes in my diet, the most significant is that prior to the surgery I used to drink two 1 liter bottles of Pepsi a day.  I haven’t had soda since the day before surgery.

The surgery and subsequent weight loss has made so many things possible.  This past summer I went on my first rollercoaster ride in twenty years because I could finally fit in the seat again. At this year’s company holiday party, we danced all night.  There was no chest pain, or sweating and my feet didn’t even hurt!  I like going shopping now.  I don’t feel embarrassed to walk into a store or restaurant anymore.  I know that may sound silly but, it has made a huge impact on my life. 

Scott

I was a restaurant chef, prior to becoming a truck driver. I used to be small and somewhat toned and in pretty good shape, but I did have high blood pressure. I had sleep apnea and I had surgery to correct it back in 1994. In 1999 I ruptured a disc in my lower back. Because of my limited movement and activities, I began gaining weight at a rapid rate and my sleep apnea resurfaced. In 2003 before I had lower back surgery, I had reached a total weight of 350 lbs. Because of the surgery and the hardware in my lower back, mobility became even less. With the increasing weight gain, I developed high cholesterol.

I never thought about having surgery until my wife decided she wanted to have it to become healthier. On her first doctor’s visit (prior to seeing Dr. Balsama) the doctor looked at me and said, “Are you here for surgery too? I can do you in a few weeks.” He was horribly rude and acted detestably to my wife because of her smoking habits etc.

Then one day our family physician, Dr. Gintare Gecys, referred us to a third doctor, Dr. Balsama. Donna made the call, we met him in person and her first comment after the visit was, “I like him!” After conversations with his office and the results of some of her tests, Dr. Balsama called my wife personally—three times to be exact. Because of Dr. Balsama’s personal approach to both of us, I was influenced to have the surgery.

After surgery, I was able to stop my medications. It has been nine months since my surgery and I am toning up now.  There are so many health benefits to losing the weight.  My wife and I are both enjoying some of the ordinary things like walking and dancing without gasping for breath and having chest pains.  We ride bikes without the seat hurting our butts.  We have been able to enjoy amusement park rides we couldn’t ride before because we didn’t “FIT” in the seats safely.  We can buy clothing in the malls that never carry “BIG or PLUS SIZES.” It’s also been great to be able to fit into a booth at a restaurant and also to fit in the seat on an airplane without embarrassment.

Since we are both former chef’s, we have been making many creative healthy gourmet meals using healthy vegetable stock and numerous vegetables.  We are more aware and careful with portion size and we even weigh meat out on a digital scale.  We really have had no serious cravings.  It has been a very positive experience that has changed our lives for the best. 

Thank you Dr Balsama!

Andrew Gleason

By the time of his first appointment with Dr. Balsama, his weight had topped out at 330 pounds and was the underlying cause of several other medical conditions.

I knew that I owed it to my wife and two children to make a change.

"My blood pressure was 176/120, my blood sugar was 125 and my cholesterol was 276," Gleason said. “I knew that I owed it to my wife and two children to make a change.”

Last October, Dr. Balsama performed gastric bypass surgery. Just two weeks after surgery, his blood pressure was down to 130/90; his blood sugar was under 100; his cholesterol level had dropped to 136; and he was able to stop taking both his cholesterol and blood pressure medicines. Today, Gleason exercises regularly and, at 204 pounds, is closing in on his ultimate goal of 180 pounds.

read Andrew's full story