Francine221
I am a 47 year old women that has been overweight most of my life. I've been on many diets and have lost weight and gained it back several times. After I had my kids my weight slowly increased and was difficult to lose. I have joined gyms but never truly was able to lose enough weight. About 2 years ago I brought my son for a physical for school and saw an advertisement for monthly allergy shots. I asked about them and the doctor took my blood pressure and was shocked I was still standing. I was put on 3 different blood pressure medications. My blood work came back pre diabetic and I believe I had sleep apnea although I was never officially diagnosed. My husband said I started to snore and would stop breathing. My asthma kicked in worse than I've ever had. I was so tired all the time and worried about my health. I am a teacher and move around a lot and needed to do something so I investigated bariatric surgery. My mom had surgery 13 years ago and did well with it. I put things off because my insurance wasn't covering it. This changed when my insurance changed and all my comorbidities qualified me as medically necessary. I spoke with my primary care doctor and she felt it was a good choice. I investigated doctors and for some reason I kept going back to Dr. Hans J. Schmidt. When I spoke with my mom I mentioned I just wished I knew someone who used him. I told her the name and she laughed and told me that was her doctor 13 years ago! That just cemented my decision to meet him and discuss the vertical gastric sleeve with him. I Immediately liked him and was very comfortable with him. The staff was so helpful at Advanced Laproscopic in Paramus. Everything went so quickly in a matter of 2 months I had been cleared to have surgery and approved by insurance. I had my surgery the day after school ended. I spent 2 days in Hackensack Hospital in NJ. The nurses and staff were extremely attentive. I would say the worst part for me was the nausea. Being nauseous made it very difficult to drink the amount of liquids I needed to. I was told I needed to drink the allotted 4 oz each hour for 4 hours before I could go home. I was able to do it but was extremely nauseous. When I got home I was still nauseous for about a week. The 2 weeks of clear liquids was difficult towards the end. I am now 3 weeks out and feeling alot better. I am sometimes nauseous and I am learning my limits when it comes to eating. I'm so happy to be in phase 2 puréed food. I am also getting accustomed to not drinking while I'm eating. I am learning each day and keeping a very positive attitude. I am committed and will do my best. I decided to do this because I appreciated all the others who shared their experiences. It made me feel like I wasn't alone. If you are investigating doctors please consider Dr. Schmidt he is an awesome doctor and his staff at Advanced Laproscopic is wonderful.
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Before & After
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