Testimonial
Well I am scheduled to have my surgery on May 12 and I couldn't be more excited.

I am 36 and have a life long history of congenital heart disease. I had my first surgery at 18 months old and since have had three (3) additional open heart procedures, seven (7) pacemakers, two (2) strokes and numerous hospitalizations for congestive heart failure.

In February of 2000 I was hospitalized to await a heart transplant and I spent a total of twenty-six (26) months in the hospital. Twenty-four (24) of those were spent at St. Thomas Hospital here in Nashville and the other two (2) were spent at Emory University in Atlanta.

To make a long story short I was approached by some doctors from Vanderbilt University about a procedure that might postpone my need for a transplant. I went to Emory and had the surgery and have been out of the hospital since.

Recovering from that surgery and the 2 1/2 years that I have spent in the hospital has been slow at times, but I am and have recovered a great deal. But one of my biggest problems now is the weight gain I have suffered which was due to a huge dose of steroids and antibiotics that the doctors had to put me on to fight a serious infection after my surgery in Atlanta. I put on 50+ pounds in one week in the hospital and my weight continued to climb until about 3 months after surgery when I reached an astonishing 307 pounds. Now I am in sort of a catch 22 situation....my heart is stronger than it has ever been, thanks to God, but this excess weight is killing it all over again. I have tried to shed this weight traditionally but because of the limitations of my heart, I can not exercise adequately enough to shed the weight and I need to lose the weight in order for my heart to completely heal.

My cardiologist came to me about 1 1/2 years ago with the idea of Gastric Bypass surgery and I said absolutely not!! I said I should be able to do this on my own. Well, I have had to swallow my pride and accept that even though my heart is stronger than it has ever been, it is still not a normal heart and it is still very limited as to how much pressure it can handle. I have done a lot of research about the different Gastric procedures and have resigned myself to the fact that this is the most viable way for me to shed the 110+ pounds that I need to shed to get to optimal health. Losing this weight is the key to my complete recovery and to long term good health and well-being.

Well here I am today standing on the threshold of a new life and a new me. I will keep you updated as I make this journey.