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Surgeon Testimonial

Ajay Goyal, MD, FACS
My first impression of Dr. Goyal is that he likes to let his patients do the talking. He is very serious about weight loss and he doesn't want his patients to take the surgery lightly.

My impressions of him changed as we had more meetings and was able to meet some of his patients. I found him to be very dedicated about the overall care of his patients. It doesn't stop after the surgery. He is at support meetings, you can speak to him if you need advice or support and he does the best he can to make sure you get the help you need.

His future patients should know that he and his staff work hard to help you. However you have to be willing to help yourself by going to your appointments and being honest with your doctors.

He emphasizes taking your vitamins, eating small meals and chewing your food, and going to support meetings. Support groups and follow up care are extremely important for success with the band.

Dr. Goyal took the time to review the complications and explain each.

Overall I would refer Dr. Goyal to any patient interested in weight loss surgery and looking for a good, reliable and experience surgeon. His staff is superb at doing their jobs and helping their patients.

When you have your surgery with Dr. Goyal you are not only losing weight, you are gaining a family.
Member Interests
  • Books & Literature - I am an avid reader. I LOVE BOOKS!!!!
  • Business & Career - I am working towards working part time and starting a small business part time.
  • Family & Friends - My Blog about Life: http://myblackempire.blogspot.com/
  • Fitness & Exercise - I want to weight train, box and train in martial arts after surgery
  • Writing - I am currently writing a book and have two blogs.
  • Running & Jogging - I want to be able to run a mile by the end of 2006.
  • Music - Pat Benatar, Ronald Isley, Billy Idol, Tupac
  • Photography - My Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladyjgallery/
  • Tattoo - I plan on getting two tattoos after my surgery.
  • Married - I am married to an artist

BigGirlSlim's Journey

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Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.
Food has always been the way I deal with emotions. When I am sad, angry or nervous I would eat. If I am celebrating somthing good, I would eat. Emotionally I was feeling like my life was over. I felt that I wasn't good enough to be in a world that viewed me as wrong. I didn't feel pretty or even like a woman. I was just a thing that lived. I always felt that every time I walked in a room the first thing that people would think of me is fat. I would always second guess myself in social and personal situations. I couldn't never sit in a chair without fear it would break or that the circulation in my thigh would be cut off. I would always wear dark colors and drab clothing to try and melt into the background and not be noticed.
Latest Surgery Support Comments

  • Comment by Sharon T. on 1/3/06 4:10 pm
    Tina, congrats on your big day, and a healthier life! I'm sure you'll be just fine, aand a terrific Bandster!
  • Comment by special kay on 1/1/06 9:41 pm
    Tina~ Congratulations on your upcoming surgery. I hope you have a successful surgery and a speedy recovery. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers.
  • Comment by ka rt on 12/27/05 4:30 am
    Best wishes for a successful surgery and speedy recovery from another January 2006 buddy :-) We can chart our progress together on the losing side! Happy New Year....Happy New You! Hugs, Karen
Click here for the surgery support page
Welcome to My Page!

Thank you for stopping by to read my page and learn more about me.  My name is Tina Jones and feel free to review my blog, view my photography and read about my weight loss experience.

I am looking to meet new people and learn more during my journey of weight loss.  I am looking for help from others who are further done the path than me.  I am looking to help new patients who may have questions, concerns and post op feelings.
 
Feel free to email me or post a comment.

I have a more detailed blog at the following address:

The Diary of Big Girl Slim
Http://www.biggirlslim.blogspot.com

BigGirlSlim's Blog
BigGirlSlim's Blog


Moments in Lap Band History
on January 6, 2007 12:20 pm

This is a recap of my year with Lap Band.  It will help those who are thinking of getting the band and for those who are newly banded.  

For more detailed descriptions on my journey you can check out my blog: Big Girl Slim at http://www.biggirlslim.blogspot.com


One Minute 
I could hear her voice calling to me to open my eyes.  It felt strange because I didn’t remember falling asleep.

 

“Christina..”  the voice said pulling me from the memories of my dream.  I open my eyes and I am in the recovery room of Overlook Hospital. 

 

I look around the brightly lit room. I am disorientated for a second because I don’t remember why I am at the hospital.  A few seconds later I remember- I had lap band surgery. 

 

I look down at my stomach and the realization sinks in- I did it. 

 

“Christina” the nurse’s voice cuts into my train of thought.  I turn to look at her and she too seems a little too bright.

 

She asks me questions and I answer them.  She fills out a clipboard and touches my arm and she is so warm.  I immediately think of my grandmother and smile at her.  She smiles back.

 

She tells me what happens next and asked me about my pain.  Pain?  What pain?  I think before I speak. 

 

That’s when it hit me, that I didn’t have much pain at all.  I still felt a bit loopy but I felt …deflated.  I felt lighter and less rigid.  I know in my mind this could be an illusion so I will wait until tommorow to see.  


One Hour

 

I am in a private room at overlook hospital with my husband.  His face is relieved and calm.  We talk and look at the panoramic view from my bedside.  The room is quiet except for the hum of my machines and our whisphers of conversation. 

 

Half way through the conversation the nausea mediction wears off.  Oh Oh.   I knew this was coming and boy did it come.

 

Since I had a lot of medicne still in my system I had a time frame to wait for my next dose.  So for the next 30-60 minutes I worked through the nausea.

 

Sitting up helped greatly.  For some reason I found my nausea funny so I kept making jokes.  It was the only thing that kept me focused.  I had the nurses laughing about how the throw up bins are always colored like puke.  Puke Pink, Bile Blue, Toliet Bowl White and “Going to throw up now” Green.    

 

My main concern with the surgery at the time was the cathetier.  I didn’t want want to save my life and was able to ask not to have one.  The only conditon was if I couldn’t go to the bathroom by myself I would have to get one.  Not a fun thought.  However two hours in I was able to go potty all by myself.  My mother would be proud.

One Day

 

I got the all clear to go home the next day.  My pain for day one was equal to doing a days worth of situps and crunches.  It was more movement pain than anything else.  Every one is different. 

 

Getting home took time but we made it in one piece. 

 

When we got home and settled in I realized something very important.  My legs, my back, my neck and my head didn’t hurt.  At all. 

 

This hit me like a ton of bricks.  I had no meds in me and the pains that greeted me morning and night were gone. 

 

One Month

 

A month later I am feeling no pain.  Things are going well and I am able to do things I haven’t been able to do in about ten years.  I am starting to get hungry quicker and I know that I will need to talk to my doctor about a fill.

 

Mentally I am happy and physically I can feel the difference my initial drop in weight made.  I am smiling more often and can look at myself in the mirror. 


One Fill

 

My first fill was a very awkward experience.  I didn’t really feel much differnce after the first fill.

 

Or the second..

 

Or the third..

 

My fourth fill worked like a charm. 

 

First Ten Pounds

 

Many people don’t apprieciate loosing 5-10 lbs.  I changed a lot for me those pounds.  Things like:

 

  • Taking the stairs one flight as opposed to the elevator.
  • Being able to breathe, talk and laugh when I walk.  
  • Being able to bend over without getting light headed
  • My skin being able to breathe.

 

The first pound is important to any weight loss patient.  It’s a start of change.  However pounds and scales aren’t always the most important indicator of success.  Non-scale victories are the events in your daily life that indicate things are progressing in a positive way.  You are losing or maintaining your weight. 

 

First support group meeting

 

My first support group meeting made me nervous.  I was very scared and felt kind of weird talking about my issues with food, the surgery and how I truly felt. 

 

My doctor had a great support team and they provide us with great ideas and tips to keep us motivated and deal with our common issues. 

 

We can also vent about things that are happening in our lives and share stories. 

 

I left my support group meeting feeling like I had people in my life that understood my journey.

 

First set backs

 

I haven’t grasped the entire lap band concept.  I still deal daily with my head hunger.  I also wasn’t prepared for the emotional withdrawl I would have not being able to eat to deal with my stress. 

 

This was one of the biggest obstacles I have had to face this year with my lap band.  The emotional and mental aspect of weight loss. 

 

I have lost, I have maintained and I have gained.  In total this year I have lost about 20-25 lbs.  I’m not the average loser on the Lap Band. 

 

One year anniversary

 

My surgery date was Janaury 4, 2006.  This entry will mark my one year anniversary. 

 

I am still the torrtiose.

 

I am still learning to deal with my issues.  I now have help.

 

I’ve been told maybe this surgery wasn’t a good idea. That maybe it was a mistake.

 

No it wasn’t a mistake.  

It's a new year for weight loss.

1 comment | Leave a comment.

Another Surgery
on December 6, 2006 6:31 pm
I am having another surgery for December 22, 2006.  I am going to have my nasal passages repaired and my tonsils removed.  

I haven't been feeling too hot the last few weeks.  My legs have been weak and my allergies are killing me.  

Other than that, things have been okay.  

I found out that I love mushrooms.  A lot !  They are so yummy.  I also found out that having two veggies with a protein can be good and healthy too.
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Thanksgiving Reflections
on November 26, 2006 8:18 am
This year has been up and down for me.  I have losed and gain weight since I had my sugery on January 4, 2006.    

As I sit back reading over my blog posts and thinking of all the people I have met, things I have done and steps I have taken I feel blessed.  I was asked recently by several people if I feel I did the right thing since I haven't lost the "ideal amount of weight".    In total I have lost 25-30 lbs.  This year I haven't been able to get stay below 280 lbs.

Some people have made me feel like it was a mistake to get this operation.  And in a low moment I almost agreed with them.

However, when the dust of negativity settled I realized I made the right decision.  I admit my slow weight loss is my fault.  I haven't wrapped my head around a lot of the concepts used to make the band successful.  I can do better.  

I know what I need to do but I have to get my mind back in the right place.   I can't change over a decade of bad habits after one surgery.  I have to change it day by day.  

I have lost 25lbs as of this post.  I know in my heart that more weight loss is to come.  I'm not in race.  I am not the ideal weight loss candidate.  I never live by a scale and I will not allow one to rule my success now.  

I am thankful this year for the things that I couldn't do a year ago.  Things like bend over and not getting dizzy, being able to sit in a chair slowly, being able to run and keep up with my baby sister, being able to walk and not think about pain with every step and most importantly I can breathe better.  

That's a hell of a lot of accomplishments in 25lbs of weight loss.  So I am the tortoise that is slow, but steady and will win the race. 

Having this surgery saved my life.  I pray every day that I can do better with the band than the last.  I pray for mental and emotion strength for those times when I am stressed and want to use food as a crutch.  I pray for the strength to get up in the morning to face a world who views me as different.  I also pray to never become the ideal because if I did, I wouldn't be me.


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My Story

I am shy (very shy), Imaginative, smiles alot, plus sized , tree lover, writer, photographer, married, loves kids but doesn't have any, and working towards working for myself.

I have decided to have Lap Band surgery when my body started giving me signs that it was fed up with my treatment of it.

My concerns about my surgery are hair loss, excess skin and loosing too much weight too quickly.


1/3/06

Hi, My name is Christina Jones and I am scheduled to have my Lap-Band Surgery at Overlook hospital on 1/4/06 at Overlook Hospital in New Jersey. I don't know how to create a web page profile on ObesityHelp.com but I have a blog that you can read about my journey.

To make a long story short, I have been between slim and heavy all my life. My curent weight is 307 lbs. And today I am very nervous.

My hubby, my dad, my friend Selena, and my friends from ObesityHelp.com have been so great and motivating.

To all my fellow Bandster having their surgery this year, I wish you a safe surgery and recovery and joy filled year with you new body.


1/3/06 SPECIAL THANKS

I want to thank a few people for their guidance and support:

My hubby deserves a patience medal. My daddy deserves the "I'm not going to freak out" award.

My friends Ena, Liz G., Serena, Lisa, Sharon, Special K, Kross 1026, DX E, Angela Carrington and all the men and woman (old and new) of Obesity Health.com.

You all are very special people and you will forever have a friend in me. Thank you for all your advice, support, and guidance.

I want to give a special shout out to my boss and my department manager. They have helped me deal with the various appointments and making sure I stay healthy.

I want to let everyone know that I think Dr. Goyal and his team (especially Robin and Lucy) are worth their weight in gold. I love them like family.

Lastly I want to give a special shout out to myself. I am glad that I didn't punk out and give up/back out.


I will try to have my hubby email and update my profile. Or you can check my blog because it will have an audio on 1/4/6.

1/5/06

Hi everyone!

I wanted to let everyone know that I am okay and I am officially on the losing team and a bandster. I'm so happy that I have tears rolling down my face as I write this.

I tried to do the Audio Blogger but I think I forgot to do the # sign to end the call and post. I'm sorry it's didn't show up.

So I guess I will start from Wednesday morning. The hubby and I got up early. I woke up feeling completely numb. We had to take two trains to get to Overlook Hospital but the trip was fun. I ended up over packing for my stay because the hospital provided me with everything. But like the nurse said, better to have it and need it than to need it and not have it.

Summit, New Jersey is so beautiful. It's filled with sky and trees. My favorite kind of town. I felt like I was the south and that made me comfortable. I even hugged a tree. I want to come back and visit this small beautiful town.

So I get to the hospital and register. By 11:30 AM I prepped and ready. The only issues I had was that I told I would have a catheter. I pushed that issue because I knew I was going to be able to go by myself and I asked Dr. Goyal if it was necessary. He said no. Yephee for me!

My husband was a trooper the entire time. I was very concerned about him because he tends not to eat when he's nervous so I made him some coffee. That made him feel a bit better.

I called my Daddy and he wished me luck. We got our days mixed up and we both thought the 4th was on a Wednesday. I was so happy to speak with him.

I saw Dr. Goyal and the anoesthesiologist before I went in. As always he was calm as cucumber. The anoesthesiologist was very helpful and informative. She explained each step that was going to happen. They even would place classical music to make me more comfortable.

The last thing I did before they gave me my medicine was completed my living will and directive. I think everyone should fill out the form and assign someone. The hospital will give you blank ones upon your request.

I also asked to see a Champlain. That was the best thing I did, in my opinion. Something was urking me the entire journey to this point. Since my pastor died I haven't had someone to really go to about this. The Champlain was beautiful, kind spirit older woman who made me feel at ease. I asked her if what I was doing to my body with the surgery considered a sin in God's eyes? Is it considered vanity? She said it wasn't a sin (thank you) and that God would want me to better my health to live a full life. With that said I was able to go forward without any worries.

Everyone was calm. Me on the other hand was scared as hell. A lot more scared than I let on. I didn't want to freak my husband out. I told my nurse and they gave me a shot of happy juice. I also told them I always come out nauseated and throwning up so they made sure I had something to soothe my stomach and avoid me throwing up.

Let me tell you a little about the happy juice. I'm use to pills that take about 5-10 minutes to take effect. The gave it to me and my IV and WOW....LOL....the world became a real happy place.

So I kissed my husband a 100 times and they took me into the operation room. I remember them saying something to me and the next thing I knew I was waking up in recovery.

My prior experiences of being put under and waking up were not so positive. I remember throwing up immediately and people yelling at me. This time I woke up gently as if I was getting up in my own bed. Not too much pain and my head was clear. I immediately knew where I was. The nurse beside me was so helpful. She asked me several questions to make sure I was coherent.

A half hour later I was taken to my room and my husband was sent up. I found out that I had the best room on the ward. How that happened is pass me. It had huge picture windows, a sitting area and TV with internet, video games and music. The bed was really comfortable. I loved the room. It was so warm and the view of the moutains and city was breathe taking. I felt like I was very special and important.

I was able to go to the rest room and that was a very good sign. The bad thing is when I was done I was in grade 6 pain and about to throw up. But since it was too soon for me to have medicine I had to wait a bit.

To fight it I had to sit up in a particular spot and that helped greatly. I did slow and steady breathing and started praying. I prayed and gave thanks that I made it through the surgery with no complications and thanked him for all the old and new people in my life. I prayed for the other people who are having the surgery. And I started to feel better.

My husband came in and we talked. We went through my magic box and he had me read the cards out loud. Saving the motivational words helped me a lot that night. Seeing the pictures I included gave me something to focus on.

He was a little ticked that they didn't give me anything for over an hour to help with my discomfort. They finally came in and but I was given water. Two sips and I was about ready to throw up again.

They finally gave me a shot for the sickness and pain and i was finally about to lay back. The hubby and I talked and the people who were talking care of me came to visit. I felt pretty good after the medicine kicked in.

The hubby gave me the scoop of what happened during surgery. He said that he was told I had issues with my breathing but I was okay. Dr. Goyal came and saw him briefly. Then he was allowed into my room.

I took a short nap and when i woke up I was sick and in pain again. I had to wait again for medicine but I tried to walk it off. I figured if I got my lungs working and was moving I would be fine. It worked a bit and it caused me to burp and that felt great.

I couldn't sleep too much at first because I was worried about my hubby. He was so quiet. He decided to stay the night with me. It was too dark and late to go home. He took care of everything.

The second time they gave me medicine it lasted longer. I finally was able to go to sleep about 11:30 PM. I had to sleep with a CPAP machine and leg compressors. Somewhere in the night I had some chest pains. I could breath out but had problems breathing in fully. The CPap machine helped a bit. The mask fit me well and I could sleep longer with it on so I was allowed to keep it.


The rest of the night was foggy. I was in other kinds of pain: nausea and headaches. I remember waking up in pain because one of the nurses was trying to take my blood pressure but the cuff was too tight. Eventually we learned that my blood pressure should be taken on my forearm.

The next morning I woke up late and was feeling 100% better. I don't blame anyone for the pain because I expected it because of my past history. For breakfast they game me tea, jello, water and broth. It was pretty good and I was able to drink a little of each. I didn't want to push it so I stopped.

Dr. Goyal's partner came in to talk with me and my hubby. I did good is the basic report. Outside of last night's episodes I would be able to go home on today. I was happy because I missed my bed and I wanted the hubby to get some rest too.

I thought because I was able to walk well that I could walk to the train station from the hospital in Summit and also when I got home. I request anti-nausea medicine for when I got on the train. The problem came when they took the IV out and I got dizzy and lost my balance. I was not allowed to walk and ended up taking a cab. I also was ordered a lunch and had to eat some and walk before I could leave.

So we did as the doctor ordered. I have to see Dr. Goyal next Thursday. The ride home went smoothly. I picked up my pain meds and went home. I ate a little bit and took my meds.

Let me tell that Tylenol with codeine is the nastiest medicine consumped crushed. You can't mask it with anything. Once it's down and you get ove the taste, it really works well. I was out like a light within 30 minutes.

I had my husband call my boss to let everyone know I am okay. I spoke to my dad and my mommmy and went to sleep.

I have no regrets about my surgery what so ever. I look at my stomach and tiny scars and thank to myself things are going to change. For the first time in my life I am not overly hungry. I am sipping on some tea that my boss told me about. It's really good.

The hubby is sleeping right now as I write this. I checked my email and my bosses wrote me letters. Serena wrote to me too and that lifted my spirits. I'm going to call my job and write some more in the morning.

For others who had the surgery, I hope your surgery and recovery went well. I am thank for for everyone who supported me every step of the way.

1/13/05

I had my first post op appointment with my doctor. I am went from 309lbs to 293 lbs for a total loss of 16lbs in one week. WOW...

I couldn't believe it. I thought okay 5 lbs maybe. I am very pleased about this.

I have been experiencing some light headedness and I am going to try to remedy that.

My next appointment is in two weeks. I am feel good mentally. My body doesn't hurt anymore. I can sleep again and I am able to move a little better as my stomache heals.

1/19/05

I am doing good. I have started exercising and feel good about that. I found a protein that tastes really good to me and I am getting my proper protein, vitamins and water.