"I had my DS surgery on June 17, 2004. It was the best decision I ever made.
Looking at the web site, I see many of the physicians that took care of me. In addition to Dr. Ungson, Dr. Soto and Dr. Monjardin have been working as a team for many years. That is an extremely important factor in considering surgery. Operating on obese patients is tough and difficult which is the reason that you want a team that has been working together for a long time.
I was 290 lbs before surgery. I had been a diabetic for nearly 30 years. I had trouble breathing, had kidney damage and several surgeries to retain eye site. Also, had high blood pressure. It took me eight months to lose the weight. I have been weighing in at 187 to 195 lbs for six years now. I am not exactly thin but I fit into nice clothes, I do water aerobics, and I have manageable issues with vitamin absorption. My diabetes is gone, my kidney function is better than it has been for years.
Since the surgery I finished college and got an MBA. Life is good, not perfect, but very good.
June 17, 2013 Update
It's been exactly nine years since I have the surgery. I don't have a single regret, I would do it again in a "New York minute". My full recovery took a while, but three months after the surgery I went to Turkey for a week. Couldn't have done it, at my biggest weight.
I am still at 187 lbs. which means that I maintain a loss of 100 lbs. I don't have Diabetes. My Hemoglobin A1C ranges between 4.8 and 5%. My eye site is terrific, my kidney function has improved, my ankles are not swollen always, my feet don't ache all the time, and I can reach my toes easily. Altogether I am in better health now than I was when I was 30 years old. I am 58. My malabsorption problems are manageable.
Since the surgery, I finished college, and got an MBA. I traveled to many parts of the world. As I said earlier, life has not been perfect, but it has been very good. Most of my difficulties are due to chronic depression, which is also well managed."
