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Surgeon Testimonial

J. Rivera, M.D.
Dr. Rivera is a very serious person... Clashes a BUNCH with my not so serious personality. But as long as he's a competent surgeon, (I hope) he will fulfill the need I have when my insurance approves this.


OK.. Dr Rivera came off very competent in his surgery skills. He operated on WLS member Amie Vardaman - (Colt). I have been up at the hospital with her and he has been very good about her surgery and treatment. She's coming off without a hitch and he has made an effort to make sure even the family understands.


I talked to Dr. Rivera's Insurance lady Chris today and she informed me that because of the length of time since my denial I had to re-apply. She said she'd walk me through it this time if I made sure she got all of the corespondence. So... here we go again.


I am now at the point where I have a lot more respect for Dr. Rivera's "real" compassion. He showed geniuine concern that my paperwork was not finished in my previous insurance attempt and told me to follow up with him whenever I heard from Medicaid. Here's hoping!


Post-op perspective would be I just loved the care he gave me.. and all the follow up he's been willing to do. He has answered all my questions and worked very closely with me. The recovery part for him I'm sure has been difficult since I've not been able to work on the usual time frame because of weather delays (keeping in mind he's over an hour from my home) and he's been very flexable and understanding. I would recommend him to anyone, and tell anyone they're lucky to have him as a surgeon..

Reflecting on my every day now... There is no way I could thank this man enough for assisting "Divine" in giving me my life back. They really worked well as a team to give me the gift of life. A life that I now enjoy SO much more than I did pre-op.
Latest Surgery Support Comments

  • Comment by cyn30az on 9/11/06 9:36 pm
    u totally inspire me thanks for letting me find you ... i am about where u were im having surgery sept 20th and im starting weighing 505 i think .. im just happy to hear someone my size have a sucess story ... thanks cindy
  • Comment by IleneFaith on 1/28/05 8:10 pm
    Girl.....you are an inspiration to us all. Just read your profile and it is incredible what you have accomplished. Keep a stiff upper lip and forge ahead. One day you'll catch a surprise look at yourself and you'll realize how incrediable you look (you really do!) My surgery is coming up next week (Feb.3,05). I hope and pray that I'll be as successful in my journey as you have been. Blessings and Hugs, Ilene
  • Comment by Mercy on 5/28/03 6:23 pm
    Hi There! Congrats on you loss!! I'm sure you are quite happy. I noticed you listed Wiccan & Pagan on your profile. Have you practiced long? Good luck with all your endeavors! Paula Cope
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emcotterman's Blog
emcotterman's Blog

My Truths
posted on 11/21/06 10:01 am
I originally posted this blog for other sights but thought I'd share it here since this is where it all started... Ok people... I've gotten a lot of wows and people in awe about the weight loss pictures that I have... First of all let me say: My heighest weight was 513 lbs. I was very unhealthy and at that point I could barely get out of a chair, much less move and really didn't care whether I lived or died except for my three young kids. Even then... I didn't want them to see me suffer, so when I got on the operating table to have gastric bypass surgery, everyone else was worried for me... I wanted to make it through, but only if it was going to help me improve my life. I have lost weight. I am down to about 190 lbs now. I am married to a great man that has loved me for 4 years now, James and I'm working on being a mother to my children... However.. the glamour isn't all that... there are SO many things to recognize before trying this extreme measure of weight loss... 1) Self esteem comes from within. If you don't have it, no one else can have it for you!! You hide it with your weight, and it doesn't just come back because the weight disappears, you have to WORK on it!! 2) Excess skin DOES happen.. If you look at my pictures it's everywhere in them... Especially my thighs and arms, and the only way to get rid of it is through surgical procedure. I've already had a complete lower body lift where they cut me completely around my hips and removed an apron of fat etc that totalled 15 lbs of skin!! 3) You may NEVER be happy with what you look like. Again going back to the self esteem thing.. I kept saying I'd be happy at 300, then 250, then 225 etc... now at 190 sometimes down into the 170s I'm still not comfortable in my own skin... I have a loving husband that supports me dearly but, it's a personal decision, and a personal problem. 4) If you've carried your weight over a lifetime, you will not automatically lose the aches, pains and sometimes health conditions caused by the weight and you can / may develope new ones. Your body has got to put itself through a MAJOR change to do this, and the only one who can control it is you... 5) The darker side.. If you've always been heavy, you start seeking what you missed by always being the "outcast" You seek the attention of others and thrive on it... Bars, clubs, grocery stores, gas stations, you'll be MORE aware of the looks that they're giving you post-op than the dirty ones they were giving you pre-op. Be very careful. While there's a lot of temptation out there, if you already have a partner, they love you for you.. and nothing can beat that! My man has loved me through fat and thick (I'm not thin yet) and he knows me better than any one of those guys that would just walk up to me and say "Hey baby can I buy you a drink" and while that may be flattering at first, it's a recipie for disaster in the long run!! So thank you all for your comments, but I do want to say that it does take a lot of will to do it the way I did.. and if anyone else would like any information on the surgery feel free to contact me or Obesity Help. Com it truely was a great guide for me on my journey through this mess. My biggest thing to tell parents, don't let your children make fun of fat people we can diet, and ugly comes from the inside out


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