"First of all, I have to say that I have, hands down, the BEST WLS team in the world.rnrnI had surgery on 2/25/08 and lost 14 pounds the first week . . . and then nothing for two months. I'd go up a pound, down a pound, up two, down three . . . It was an overwhelmingly desperate feeling.rnrnAt nearly my wit's end, I called Dr. Yadegar's nurse coordinator, Liz, to talk with her. The receptionist Joanne said she was gone on vacation to Mexico. I was disappointed, but just left a message for Liz to call me. When I got off the phone, I burst into tears. After almost nine weeks with hardly any results, I couldn't pretend that this stall/plateau didn't bother me anymore. You can only put on a brave face for so long. I had a really good cry.rnrnIn the middle of my cry . . . the phone rang. It was the receptionist, Joanne, again! I was SO embarrassed that she caught me crying! She told me that Liz had just happened to call in, and said that she & Dr. Y wanted to see me on Tuesday. She was so sweet and just encouraged me. After I got off the phone with her, the phone rang yet again. It was Liz! Unknown to me, Joanne had called her to let her know how I was feeling.rnrnNow, this just tells you about the dedication of my surgeon's team and why they're the best in the world. Here Liz is, in the airport going on a personal vacation to Mexico, and she calls me in the airport to ask me what's going on! I've NEVER had any doctor or nurse do that on their personal time. I was THAT important to them??rnrnShe puts me on hold and calls the doctor to see if he can see me. It turns out that he absolutely can't, but he sends a message to me through Liz to tell me to take a deep breath, it's okay, I'm not alone in this, and to settle down, and we're going to dig until we find the answer to what's wrong. Finally, someone offers me hope!rnrnIt was a long weekend, but on Tuesday, I went to see him. He first of all calmed my heart by saying this: \"When people aren't losing weight with the surgery, there's always a very simple explanation.\" That made me feel better immediately. He had the answer, and he was going to help!rnrnAfter following his new instructions (I need about 150g of protein instead of the standard 80-100g), I lost SEVEN pounds in the following week! I was taking in just enough protein to keep me stalled.rnrnI immediately sent them a note via email this morning to let them know how grateful I was. Liz is a no-nonsense \"WLS mom\" who tells us EXACTLY what we need to hear. She's going to push you farther than you think you can go, so just be prepared!rnrnAnd what's special is that she's not just a nurse, but SHE'S HAD THE SURGERY HERSELF. I'm so glad she's actually had her own battles with obesity, because she can identify with her patients. Any other nurse without that kind of experience might have become impatient with me and not given me the time of day to see that there was something else that needed to happen.rnrnDr. Yadegar has the kindest bedside manner I've ever seen in any doctor or surgeon. And being a military kid, I have lived in both Europe and Asia, on both the East and West Coasts, as far south as Florida, and as far North as Minnesota. Never seen anything like it. That says a lot.rnrnBoth my husband and my mother (who came from Texas for the surgery) liked him immediately and commented so many times on how comforting he was. I had nothing to fear. It's too bad that he's just my bariatric surgeon, because I'd make him my PCP (and the PCP of all my friends, too) if I could! :)rnrnI'm so thankful for Liz and Dr. Yadegar's very active participation on my road to recovery, and for listening and caring -- for not just being medical experts, but for allowing themselves to be human as they practice medicine. That's SUCH a huge missing element in medicine today.rnrnThey do more than just taking care of us physically; they understand the emotional parts of us that are connected with our physical issues. They see their patients as human, and until you really need it, you don't know how good that feels. The Lord has surely blessed me with the best help I ever could have had as I fight the biggest battle of my life. They've given me the key to my prison, and the ability to walk from under the black cloud of obesity that's followed me my entire life."
