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Meeting
Dr. Johnell is the best thing that has ever happened
to me. I struggled with my weight all my life. When
I was young, my parents used to call me “pleasantly
plump”, and pass it off as no big deal. I
grew up in a neighborhood with a private lake where
all of the kids congregated in the summers, comparing
tan lines and laying out in their bikinis. I never
wore a bikini and tried my hardest to find swimsuits
that would make me look more slender.
My weight yo-yoed constantly
and I remember my father offering to buy me new
clothes more than once, if I could take off 30 pounds.
I gained 50 pounds during each of my two pregnancies,
and failed to lose the weight. Over the years I
have suffered from arthritis in my knees, sleeping
problems, incontinence, depression, and a myriad
of other small problems associated with being overweight.
I have been on every diet thinkable, from the Optifast
liquid diet, to Weight Watchers, to Slim Fast. I
saw nutritionists and attended exercise classes.
Nothing worked. The final straw came when I had
to pay 1 ½ times the fare for a helicopter
tour my family took while on vacation two years
ago. Not only was I embarrassed, but I was experiencing
obesity discrimination at its finest!
Dr. Johnell performed my
gastric bypass surgery November 3, 2001. I have
never been so happy before in my life! I came out
of surgery with a smile on my face and have been
smiling ever since. I have lost nearly 120 lbs.
from my heaviest weight, and now people I haven’t
seen for a while don’t even recognize me.
I have no physical ailments and I am on no medications.
I don’t have the same obsession with food
that I experienced previously. Dr. Johnell and his
staff have been extremely supportive and helpful
throughout my entire experience. I would highly
recommend him to anyone considering gastric bypass
surgery. This is an option for all obese people
who thought there was nothing else out there…if
you’ve come far enough to even admit that
you are obese, then you are one step closer to finding
success.
Julie
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