athomas8413
At the age of 17, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and Clinical Depression. I did not have an issue with my weight at that time. In September of 1992, I married a wonderful man who is my strength and my rock. We've been married for 16 years. I began taking medication for my mental illness in 1994 shortly after the birth of our son, Josh. It was then that the weight started piling on. I was on several medications and most of them caused weight gain. No matter what I did, I could not get the weight off permanently. Sometimes I would lose 20 to 30 pounds, only to gain that back and more. My identical twin sister died in August of 1999, so I suffered a setback not only with my mental illness but also with my weight. I weighed more than I ever had in my life, over 350 pounds. Since my sister's death almost 10 years ago, I have struggled constantly with my weight, trying various diets and weight loss drugs. I would lose as much as 50 pounds and then gain it back. Finally I began seeing my current doctor, Gilberto Sanchez in 2006. He is the most wonderful doctor. He has a weight loss program. It consisted of a weekly injection of lipotropic plus and 1000 calories per day. I was on this plan for 1 year and lost significantly. I was pleased with what I had lost, but still was not satisfied with my weight (I was still over 330 pounds). I talked with him about my desire to have weight loss surgery, and he supported me 100%. He quickly referred me to a weight loss surgeon, Doctor Parham Mora. He was a very good doctor and was very thorough. He ordered all of my pre-op tests beginning in December 2007, and by March of 2008 he got approval for my surgery. It was scheduled for March 26, 2008. However, I received a call from his office 2 weeks before surgery. I was told that I could not have my surgery at Baptist Hospital because it was not considered a center of excellence. I was told that I would have to have my surgery in Birmingham, AL about 80 miles from my hometown of Montgomery, AL. My surgeon was invited to come to Birmingham and perform my procedure by my insurance company, but he refused. I was crushed. I was so close and became very anxious. It was then that I decided to research various weight loss surgeons on the internet in the Birmingham, AL area. I stumbled across the name of a doctor I had read wonderful reviews about several months before when looking for a surgeon. His name is John Touliatos. I contacted his office and was scheduled to attend his seminar on March 17, 2008. My first appointment with him was on March 31, 2008. He had the kindest eyes and was a very pleasant man. My appointment with him lasted for about 30 minutes. He answered all of our questions and made us feel at ease. He mentioned how surprised he was at how well prepared I was for surgery (thanks to Doctor Mora I had all of my pre-op testing done and required no further tests). Doctor T immediately sent me to his surgery coordinator who set up my appointment for surgery. It was scheduled for April 15, 2008. Just 2 weeks away! Oh my goodness! I could not believe this was happening, and so fast. Since I had already been approved for surgery prior to that, it only took 1 week to confirm my approval. My surgery took place on the 15th at about 12:00 in the afternoon. I was told it took about 2 1/2 hours. When I came to in recovery, I was in a great deal of pain, so much pain that I could not respond when they called out my name. I could only moan and groan. I heard the doctor mentioned that they were going to have to heavily sedate me. The next thing I remembered was being wheeled to my room. When I looked up at the clock it was 7:50 p.m. Wow! I had been in recovery all that time. I don;t remember much about the first day in the hospital except that I was in a great deal of pain and they contionously gave me pain medication every 2 hours. The second day was better. I was able to move around on the hospital floor and was able to start my liquid diet. I kept a constant temperature of about 101 and they worked to keep my fever down. Doctor T told me that I would not be able to go home on Thursday unless they got my fever to break. Waking up at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday morning. I got up out of bed and walked around the hospital floor. I kept eating ice and sipping cold water. I got up again at 7:30 and then 9:30 and followed the same pattern. By the time Doctor T came to see me at about 11:30, my fever had broken and I was allowed to go home. How's that for determination? It's been almost 3 weeks since my surgery and I've lost about 27 pounds. I am no longer taking medication for high blood pressure or diabetes. My arthritis pain is gone and I feel like a new woman. I am already getting into clothing I have not been able to wear in years. My life is truly changing for the better and I couldn't be happier. I'm so proud of myself and you should see the way my husband looks at me. I have a long way to go, and I'm looking forward to the ride. Thank you Doctor T!
