Meet The Team
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Kristina
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Adjustable Gastric Band Surgery with Dr Tiffany Jessee 1/19/2011 Pre op weight: 223
I am the most recent banded staff member, still in my weight loss progress, currently down 35 lbs.
The realization I was obese came during a seminar that I was attending for “moral support” for a friend who was getting ready to have gastric band surgery. I knew at that time I was overweight and struggled with the 15 pound up and 10 pound down dieting, but never really thought I was “that” heavy. I read the BMI circle they give out at the seminar and could not believe what I was reading….Morbidly Obese! MORBIDLY! I was MORBIDLY OBESE!
After that I began the dieting and for every 5 pounds I lost I gained 10 back. At one point I started to accept the fact that for the rest of my life, I was just going to be fat.
I starting working with Dr Jessee in 2009, seeing the weight loss success of her patients inspired me. I had been obese my entire life, missing out on activities because of my weight, depressed because I did not have nice clothes to wear or nothing fit so I stayed home all weekend and missed out on activities not only as a child but as an adult as well.
I had been diagnosed with P.C.O.S. (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) at age 25. P.C.O.S. causes weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, infertility, excessive hair growth and acne. I was also diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis and the onset of Rheumatoid Arthritis. I couldn’t walk long distances because my legs would hurt, I was out of breath just trying to put my shoes on and don’t even think about stairs!
The day I decided to have surgery, my brother who is thin and healthy, ended up in the emergency room with chest pain and had to have 2 stents put in. I was in shock! Here I am the MORBIDLY OBESE sibling and he, the thin, in great shape and healthy one, in the E.R. I decided at that moment I needed to make a change in my life if I wanted to live. I’m young, I want children, not only do I have the P.C.O.S. making that difficult but if I do have children I want to LIVE with them, I don’t want to come home tired and exerted and miss out on their lives like I had mine for so many years.
Today I FEEL 100lbs lighter. I’m not tired all the time, I have a ton of energy, a lot of my P.C.O.S. symptoms are gone, my body doesn’t ache all day like it did before and it’s actually nice to walk into a clothing store and not have to shop in the “plus size” section. I have gone from a size 20 to a 14 and even lost a shoe size!
I am so happy I made the decision to have surgery, I think of a quote I saw “The longest journey began with one single step”. I have made the first step and I know my “tool” isn’t a quick fix, it’s a lifelong partnership. Thank you Dr Jessee.
Pat makes herself available to each patient from visits in the office to pre and post operative nutrition classes. Pat also oversees our weight management classes to help patients meet insurance requirements. Post operatively Pat offers her support and continued education with Special Events like “Eat This Not That” and “Supermarket Shopping with Pat”.
Pat enjoys her rewarding career and building lifelong partnerships with her patients who are trying to lose weight to achieve a better quality of life. She is proud to be a part of the Sun Coast Bariatrics team.
Tricia
As we know, adult obesity poses many problems to our physical and mental health. For a child that’s still growing and developing, obesity becomes more detrimental to its well-being. I can remember as far back as six years old, my other classmates calling me cruel nicknames and teasing throughout my school days. Physicians ran every test on me that they possibly could to find a diagnosis for my obesity, with all results being normal; I ended up on my first diet at age nine. After over twenty years of dieting, I came to the conclusion that I needed weight loss surgery. In my years of dieting I lost a significant amount of weight on several occasions, but I ended up gaining it all back in addition to what I originally lost. I knew I could lose the weight. The problem was keeping it off. My decision to have bariatric surgery at age thirty was the best decision I’ve ever made. I suffered from hypertension, borderline diabetes, sleep apnea, and severe back pain. I can’t imagine what my health would be like now if I never had weight loss surgery. Bariatric surgery has given me a tool to lose 107 pounds over the past six years, and I have kept it off the whole time. When I made my decision, I preferred to have the adjustable gastric band versus gastric bypass surgery. At that time, insurance companies were not approving the band, even though it’s much less invasive and you have an adjustable tool for the rest of your life. I’ve been asked on several occasions if I would do it all over again if I had a chance. My answer is yes one hundred times over. I think if patients have a chance in life to get healthy they should make the most of the opportunity and embrace it.
Dawn
Hi, my name is Dawn......When I was told about this opportunity to share my story with you, I was soooooooooo excited. I'm excited because I know that my story is truly an amazing story of how the Lap-Band surgery has transformed my life in just 10 short months.
In 2010, Palms of Pasadena hospital in St Petersburg Fl sponsored a "Free Lap-Band" contest. At the time of the contest, I had been out of work for over 3 years due to severe back issues. I had been diagnosed with severe scoliosis as a child and had a Herrington rod in my back. As my weight climbed to 346 lbs my back felt as though it was just crumbling underneath me. I was 38 years old and had days where I used a walker to get around. I had a shower chair to finish my showers and was in physical therapy and pain management. I was taking around the clock pain medication as well as anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxers.
My husband told me about the contest and I entered because of my husband's persistence, even though I never imagined that I had a chance knowing that thousands of people would be interested in a "Free lap-band". Well, much to my surprise, I was chosen as one of 5 finalists and in April of 2010 went on to win the contest.
It has been only 10 months since surgery and my life has changed so much it is almost UNRECOGNIZABLE!!!! I have lost 124 lbs already and feel like a new person. I have already completed three 5ks, and am currently training for my first "Mini" triathlon. I went from being un-employed to working full-time for Dr. Jessee as a patient service representative. I also work part time as a bariatric surgery seminar representative for Palms of Pasadena hospital.
Life is great............People often make comments to me about how different I look, but what is more important to me is how different I feel. I know that I have been given a second chance at life and I am trying to take every opportunity to live it to its fullest. I feel so blessed, and in addition to the weight loss, I have been put in a position to share with and encourage others that are starting their journey.
There are definitely some life changes that come with this surgery, as well as some retraining of the mind. But anything that appears slightly difficult for that moment has been over-shadowed by the joy, and excitement of knowing that the new me is so much healthier and happier than before.