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Category: Health 2 People in progress, 0 People achieved this |
Surgeon TestimonialShawn Garber, M.D., F.A.C.S.I liked Dr. Garber as soon as I met him, and like him more and more as time goes on.
His office staff is generally very helpful.
There is nothing I dislike about him, and his future patients should know he is warm, caring, down to earth, patient, and was very responsive to all my worried, anxious pre-op emails.
His feeling is that after RNY, we are lifetime partners. He has a support group once a month at Mercy hospital and you must adhere to his post-op appointment protocol.
Yes, he did address the risks of surgery.
I would rate him the absolute best overall, and both his competence and bedside manner are great. My roomate in the hospital had pain med. complications which caused her uncontrolable vomiting, and Dr. Garber was either there or on the phone w/the nurses for 12 hours straight until she got better.
He's tops in my book! Latest Surgery Support Comments
 Comment by Kat C on 6/29/07 9:02 pm
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Karen,
BEST of luck for an
uneventful surgery.
May it be textbook
easy and lead to a
speedy recovery.
BIG HUGS,
Karen
PS: Glad we got to
meet before your
surgery so I can
appreciate your
shrinkage as the
pounds fall off!
Click here for the surgery support page
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T minus 1 day on April 16, 2008 5:29 am
First things first--I'm in the Century Club! I've lost 100 lbs. since I was banded--I now weigh what I weighed @ my wedding, and also, less that my husband. I have bony shoulders! So.....
One day till surgery for incisional hernia removal and implants. Holy crap Batman! One day? I'm not ready. Yes I am, just extremely nervous. I've tried to figure out why; I guess it's because I'm when I come home on friday, it's straight into last minute Passover prep.
Passover begins @ sundown on Saturday nite, but because Saturday is Shabbat (Sabbath), no preparations can be made; everything has to be finished before sundown on Friday. So, today I'm doing last-minute shopping, cooking the main dish (brisket, of course) and freezing it--It's a fairly complicated recipe, so I'm doing it myself, but my family can make the roast chicken, soup,side dishes, etc. on Friday.
Of course I'm worried about some type of complication keeping me in the hospital--that would be a disaster. but I'm praying that doesn't happen.
I think it's pretty sick that I would wonder how much the stuff they're cutting away from my abdomen is going to weigh (1-2 lbs?) then wondering how much the implants will weigh (1 lb. max?? they better not weigh more!) and thinking all kind of weird thoughts..
When I saw my PS this past Monday, I was SO nervous. He asked why--he said "I'm not going to hurt you TODAY" LOL, he's such a riot. Actually I really love him. He's VERY excited for me. Did I mention that because I've had breast cancer, I'm "entitled" (insurance-wise) to implants. So I'll come out of this w/a flat belly & nice boobs. He takes such pride in his work that he wants me to wear a bikini this summmer (that's SO not happening).
anyhoo, I'll post again when I get home if I can. Does anyone really read this stuff, or is it just just a self-indulgent exercise? Or I guess you could call it journaling, which I never got the hang of anyway.
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More changes on March 25, 2008 7:30 am
Wow, how time flies!
I'm now 9 lbs. from goal and I just can't believe it.
People who I 've known for years walk right past me.
I went to my PS, whom I hadn't seen in 2 years, and he did it too! He was so thrilled for me, I started crying!
Speaking of the PS, I'm going in on 4/17 for abdominal hernia repair--caused by the weight loss after the tram-flap reconstruction for my mastectomy. I have pain (comes & goes, sometimes severe, but not lasting) on either side of my abdomen and big lumps/knots at either side of the lower abdomen w/a roll connecting them!. The end result will be a flat tummy and...IMPLANTS!!!
When I told the PS jokingly that I was sorry his reconstructed boobs had sagged so much, he said "Karen, you had cancer, you're entitled to implants." Needless to say, I was floored.
So, the only time the 2 surgeons (Dr. Garber and the PS) could operate together is 4/14, just 2 days before Passover. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But I plan to get everything ready beforehand, and my 20-year-old daughter, 18-yr. old son and my hubby, who's not feeling too bad lately, will be doing everything after. Needless to say, I'll be pretty well-medicated for the seders!
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It's been too long! on January 5, 2008 10:29 pm
I can't believe how much my life has changed. It's evident every single day.
I wear a size 10 now! A 10! I'm not buying new clothes except for a suit for job interviews. But I did try on several suits and skirts & blouses to make sure I'm really a 10! I started at an 18 this time around; before the band I was a 20+ I'm having a lot of stuff taken in--a size 14 skirt was taken in 4 inches.
It's not just the clothes, obviously. It's the fact that I fit into a plane seat without wondering if the loosest belt will fit! It's looking at "before" pics and actually not believing that was ME. It's crossing my legs. It's my cholesterol being normal; it's my bp being almost normal. It's meeting people for the first time and them seeing me for me, and me not the weight--even if it was just in MY head, it was taking up too must space there.
A biggie for me: I bought an elliptical last week and started @ 4 minutes thinking I was going to pass out. Now I'm up to 10, really going good! I think the key is the iPod! (LOL) My goal is 20 min, 4 - 5X week. I'll be happy with that & try to work up to 30 min, etc.
My husband compliments me all the time; my kids come home and tell me that their friends compliment me.
But most important of all, I can be an inspiration to my daughter, who's still safely/healthily banded. She too was banded in Mexico. We had let the "care & upkeep" of the band slip--we knew she needed a fill but was out of the country for most of last year. Recently we went to Dr. Holver. He did an upper GI, endoscopy & CT scan (she still gets that shoulder pain that is usually gone after a couple of months after banding.)
Dr. Holover thinks it's just referred pain from a nerve around the band...nothing to worry about. ANYWAY, she's back on track--she already lost 50 lbs, gave up for about 6 months, and now since she got filled by Holover 1.5 weeks ago has lost another 7 lbs. She's 20, really wants to meet someone. She weighs in the 160's and is certainly attractive to boys, but her self-esteem is so tied up in her weight...well we've all been there.
I'm also looking for a new job--my contract won't be renewed after May. This time around, the last thing I have to worry about on interviews is my weight.
Thank you, my friends of OH for your help, support & encouragement. I don't think anyone can do this alone!
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slow loser on August 5, 2007 6:27 pm
Well it's been over 6 weeks since my RNY/band removal. It wasn't easy--I had an easier time giving birth. My doc had to increase my pain meds after 5 days, I developed an infection @ site of my drain & had a stricture @ 3 weeks out. Hopefully the 2 endoscopies I've had cured the stricture. I only needed antibiotics for the infection. Hopefully my problems are finished.
Anytime I've had a problem & called Dr. Garber's office, either Dr. Garber or Holover was on the phone with me within minutes. I emailed Dr. Garber without knowing he was on vacation in Europe, and he emailed me right back! When I saw him & thanked him, he said "Oh, I love keeping in touch w/my patients from wherever I am." Amazing!
I'm starting to eat normal foods--today I had toast w/fresh tomatoe broiled on it topped by mozeralla ch. I didn't really eat the toast, just the crust, but it was amazing.
I haven't lost that much weight; only 22 lbs. Many people lose that in the first 2 weeks. But as long as I'm losing, I guess I can't complain.
I'm still amazed that I'm on this journey & looking forward to seeing what the future will bring. I JUST WISH I WERE LOSING FASTER!
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Archive
My Story
My name is Karen. I live on Long Island; married, 2 teenagers.
I started having weight issues when I was about 19--from there it was up and down until now.
My husband married a slim 132lb. woman (my adult low was 118 which lasted about 5 minutes.) I had a miscarriage soon after we were married and went up to 150; got pregnant again, and that was the beginning of my yo-yo-ing for the next 18 years. The lowest I ever got was 145 between my 2 children (they're 17 and 19 now.) As with most of us, I was on every diet out there.
When I was 42, I weighed 200 lbs. and without any family history, developed breast cancer. It was early stage, Thank G-d, but since it was so wide-spread in the ducts and not contained to one area, I needed a mastectomy. Since so many woman I know went on to develop it in their second breast, I elected to have a double-mastectomy with tram-flap reconstruction. They took the skin from my abdomen and microscopically reattached it to my chest, making new breasts. Taking the skin from my abdomen effectively gave me a tummy-tuck.
I swore I would lose my weight after that, as being overwieght put me at greater risk for other cancers. Well, that didn't work. One year later, I weighed 232 and was miserable. My insurance didn't cover WLS, so I elected to go to Mexico for a lapband.
Luckily, I lined up after-care before I left. For the 1st few months everything was fine. Then I noticed that after each fill, the band would get tighter and I would need a slight un-fill. It started happening more and more frequently so I went to my PCP, who's a gastro. and had many tests. Turns out I have Nutcracker Esophagus, which means I have too much motility as I swallow. Nobody knows why it made my band tighten up, but it is a potential pre-curser to esophageal cancer. It became very painful, I felt like I was having a heart attack all the time. So, I had my band completely unfilled. Throughout all this, I managed to lose 83 lbs. I was the perfect bandster, eating exactly what and how I was supposed to.
I must add that while all this was going on, my husband was diagnosed with 2 different liver diseases, which will necessitate a liver transplant. He's being carefully monitored to determine the right time for that, is not able to work, and is on SS disability. Thankfully, last November I got a new job w/a substantial pay raise, so we are just making it financially with help from family.
So, as my weight crept up to 210 (not hard to do when I was existing on Three Muskateer bars, ice cream and little else. I think sushi was the only healthy food I ate! My BP was climbing and I was at my wits end, again. Many doctors will not touch people banded out of the country, but when I called Dr. Garber's office, the response was "if you need medical attention we cannot deny it." Everything else happened as if in a dream. It turned out that he is a good friend of my plastic surgeon, whom I love. Somehow that meant a lot to me--why, I have no idea. Then when I asked my PCP for advice, when in the past he was dubious about WLS, he said "I think Dr. Garber is the best." Among the tests required was a phych. eval. The psych had no appointments for months. Then I found out she had supervised a WL study for adolescents that my daugher had been in; I emailed her and she fit me in in her Commack office. To me, these were signs that it was time for RNY. Everyone knew that I wanted it done ASAP so I could be healed in time for whenever my husband has his transplant and they could not have been more cooperative. My first consult w/Dr. Garber was in May, and after completing all tests in record time, sometimes 2 in a day, I got insurance approval for June 18th. My BMI was 37.5 w/high BP, and Stephanie in Dr. G's office was amazing in working w/Oxford for my approval.
My 47th b'day was June 17th, so I got 2 birthdays in one. On June 18, 2007, I had RNY, and at the same time my lapband was removed. The journey begins.
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