- Name: Diane Sierra
- Age: 73
- Surgery: Gastric Sleeve and Cardiac Clearance
- Surgery date: December 2nd, 2015
- Testimonial date: December 21st, 2015
- Surgeon: Dr. Mario Almanza
I arrived the day before surgery along with my friend Robyn (also a patient). We came down with our husbands to do this journey together.. They checked us into the hotel rooms that we would be in for the duration of our stay. The next day (day of surgery)they transported us to the hospital to check in with the cardiologist, blood work and etc. Because I am older and they wanted to make sure I was a safe candidate for surgery, and it had been a couple years since my last EKG, so they took me to another medical facility to have an Echo cardiogram.. Everything turned out wonderful, and I was treated extremely well by everyone I came into contact with.
There were four of us ladies to have surgery that day, Heather (also from WA state), and Tammy from Texas, Robyn and I.. The others went to surgery before me, and I got back to the hospital just in time to meet Dr. Almonzo before I was whisked away to surgery.. No time for pictures with him.. The hospital was very clean, and all of the nurses were very good at what they do.
The next afternoon we were transported back to the hotel, where we were greeted by our nurse with jello and apple juice. note:the restaurant at the hotel provided free broth throughout our stay. Later that day, our group went shopping! Yes shopping!!
Two weeks down the road I wish I had some of that energy! OMG!! I am sluggish, gassy/bloated and feeling sleepy all of the time.. Thinking we may have been slipped and energy cocktail in our daily IV of Antibiotics and pain meds... LOL I need some bad!!
My primary reasons for the gastric sleeve was because my Diabetes was getting out of control as well as my eating habits.. My blood sugar even with taking Metformin 2x a day reached 218, and it was bouncing all over the place, but never under 140,, Plus,,I could not stop eating even when I was full.. Dr Almonzo assured me after surgery I would not need to be on any medicine.. And he was so right!! 12 days post op- No medicine and my bs is under control and steady in the 89-109 range. YAY!!
The second reason my appetite...My weight had reached 200 pounds, a lightweight as far as bariatric surgery is concerned, but way more than I want to be.... But I couldn't stop eating!
My cravings at this point are fleeting, they are gone before I know it.. Hubby is able to cook and eat in front of me and it does not bother me in the least. My husband was able to sabotage my diet before, now he cannot.. There is just no room in my tummy to take more than one or two small bites at a time.. I am going to make darn sure they are worth it!!
If anyone reading this has any doubts about having this surgery for your health sake, just do your homework to make sure it is right for you.. I had doubts and plenty of them.. Surgery is a huge step, and doing it out of the country is a gigantic step.. My family was very much opposed to me doing it and thought I was out of my mind.. Granted I had my age going against me, plus I had a stroke last year.. But I did do my homework without them knowing, and when my BS hit 219 after Thanksgiving, I knew what I had to do to save my life.. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.. I believe this surgery will add years to my life. My mom is 93 years old,, and I expect to be around at least that long! My family now supports what I did, and very glad my blood sugar is not an issue anymore..
Everyone from Weightloss Agents has treated me so wonderful, and I thank them all for making this journey so much easier to take.. God bless you all!!
* This is an actual testimonial, however, your results may vary. For more information, please read our Testimonial Disclaimer and Risks of Surgery.