- Name: Brenda Mashaw
- Age: 53
- Surgery: Gastric Sleeve
- Surgery date: June 17th, 2014
- Testimonial date: August 14th, 2014
- Surgeon: Dr. Almanza
I have the same beginning as probably everyone, failed diet after diet until I reached a weight that I could not live with. Mine was 250lbs. I had always been athletic and in great shape until my 4th child when I was 32 and the weight stopped coming off. I hovered around 200lbs for years until I retired from the Army in 2007 and then I slowly ballooned up to my maximum weight. I had been considering some kind of surgery for 2 years and discussing it with my younger sister, who was suffering from too much weight too. When the scale read 250lbs I cried for hours and called my sister and told her that I was going to have the surgery she said she was going to have it with me. We both studied the different surgery options and we both wanted the sleeve, next was finding a good doctor that we could afford. I was reading several people blogs and one of the ladies talked about her experience with Dr. Almanza and his staff. We decided that this is were we would go and he would be our surgeon. It was simple to start and online chat and get any information that we needed, and we needed a lot of reassurances because we were going to a foreign country to have, what we thought was a dangerous surgery. They were great and we booked our surgeries for the same day and they put us in the same room. The surgery was just like any in the United States. Everyone spoke English, the hospital was clean and professional. After the surgery I was having chest pains for hours, which is common but I thought it felt like a heart attack but the night nurse sat with me and pounded my back for probably an hour and made me walk for hours!! Finally it subsided and I felt better. In the morning we went back to the hotel and they were ready for us there with an IV and medications. The care at the hotel was very good and with just a call they were right at your door helping in any way they could. I would recommend this surgeon and his staff. If I had to choose something to improve it would be the after care once you get home. I didn't know I could call them and ask questions about how many calories,carbs., protein and the hundred other questions I came up with. I had joined several forums and they have been awesome with their advice. You can get very little help from your local weight loss doctors because you didn't have your surgery with them so you will be on your own when you get home. I am just 8 weeks out from surgery and I feel great! I have lost 50lbs (since April, 36lbs. since surgery), and I know this is probably too fast but I look good and because I am exercising, I feel great.
