Patient Stories
Paula's Story
Paula was suffering from diabetes and was headed to one of her regular, quarterly doctor visits. Her doctor informed her that the next step for her diabetes control was using Insulin. This was a real eye-opener for Paula, and she began considering her options to lose weight and become healthier.
When she attended the Fresh Start Bariatrics seminar, she already knew she wanted surgery; it was just a matter of choosing where. Paula really didn’t know about the program when she arrived, but she could not have been more impressed.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met such a devoted, compassionate doctor,” Paula said of Dr. Myers. “He’s the softest-spoken man, and you can just see his intentions are truly genuine. Plus, he greeted everybody at the seminar personally; no doctors do that!”
Obviously, the choice was easy for Paula to select Fresh Start Bariatrics and Dr. Myers to perform her surgery. Her experience with Fresh Start Bariatrics was everything she wanted it to be and more.
“I was amazed at the program’s scope of thoroughness- even before I had my surgery. Fresh Start Bariatrics requires that you meet with dieticians, psychologists, medical doctors, etc. before having surgery.”
One thing Paula also noticed was the way the medical staff treated patients at Fresh Start Bariatrics, compared to her regular family doctor, or other doctors she had seen.
“You don’t realize how much of a bias medical professionals have against people who are heavy,” Paula said. “However, from the first time I walked in to Fresh Start, they called me by my first name and greeted me with a welcoming smile. In fact, every time after that first visit, they remembered my name.”
Her surgery went very well, and three weeks later, she had an appointment with her regular family doctor. It was the first visit in years when her doctor didn’t say, “See you in three months for another checkup.”
Paula was ecstatic about her immediate results; before surgery, Paula was taking five different prescriptions for health conditions and problems. After surgery, she was not taking anything, and her diabetes was in remission- in just three weeks after surgery! Paula decided the best way to celebrate her personal success and help others, was to begin working with the Fresh Stat Bariatrics seminars.
“I do three seminars a month with Dr. Myers, to help interested patients, answer questions and help with paperwork,” Paula explained. “Surgery changed my life and that program was part of that change. If I can help one person decide to do this program, or not to do this, then that’s what I feel my purpose is.”
In addition to helping with the seminars, Paula is much more actively involved in her 16-year-old son’s life. Now, Paula and her son go to the gym together, which is a great way for them to spend time together and stay active.
“I always thought people judged me for what I looked like, but now I realize that I’m the one who judged myself,” Paula said. “I let it limit me more than anyone else limited me. Now, I’m starting to love the person that everyone else already did.”
Paula credits her support system for a lot of her new-found confidence. She said that as a Christian, she didn’t go in to the process alone, and this gave her a little bit more peace.
“I know most of Dr. Myers staff was religious, too, and it was nice to know that support was there if I needed a prayer,” Paula said. “That’s one of the reasons I picked Dr. Myers to begin with.”
Without hesitation, Paula would recommend Fresh Start Bariatrics to anyone considering surgery. Now that she’s gone through the program, and seen amazing results in her own life, she is dedicated to helping others- as she says, “just paying it forward.”
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