Patient Testimonials
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Dr. Averbach's ObesityHelp Testimonials - Click Here.
Paula - LAP-BAND
Tonya - Gastric Bypass
Niel - Gastric Bypass
Barbara - Gastric Bypass
Nancy - Gastric Bypass
Greg - LAP-BAND
Sonja - LAP-BAND
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This procedure has changed by life.
I made a life changing decision 14 months ago to take control of my life and get the help that I needed to sustain a healthy weight. After doing much research on-line and with some friends that had had the surgery I made the decision to begin a new journey and take control of my life. For me it all happened rather quickly once I made the decision to go forward with this and at every turn Dr. Averbach's name kept coming up. I found him on-line, one of my girlfriends had used him 6 years prior and my general doctor suggested him for the surgery once I had made the decision - it was fate! I was 100 lbs overweight, border line high blood pressure, border line diabetic, arthritis among other health issues and I did not want to end up in the health state that my mother was/is living. My ah-ha moment came while I was sitting in the hospital watching my mother struggle to breathe after her 2nd stroke and 3rd bout with Congestive heart failure - she is also blind due to the diabetes. I went to the seminar, asked many questions to make sure that I would qualify for this since I had some major medical issues of my own that were either directly or indirectly a result of me being overweight. Dr. Averbach assured me that the surgery could be preformed on me and made it very clear that it was mearly a tool to help me along in my journey and that I had to work hard to achieve my goals. I am so thankful to Dr. Averbach for taking the time to walk me through this life changing procedure and to help me on my next journey in life! He has given me the tools and the support all along the way and I am now healthy and off of all medications with the exception of a daily multi-vitamin, calcium and monthly B-12 injections! Dr. Averbach and his staff have been very informative, supportive and educational throughout my entire experience - I can't thank him enough! I have recommended many friends who have since had the surgery performed by Dr. Averbach and all are successfully living a much healthier life! I would (and have) recommend Dr. Averbach to all looking to achieve weight loss. Respectfully, Kim Abel WLS (gastric bypass) 10-5-2010
Well I am coming up on 9 months now since surgery. I could not be happier. I started this process weighing 365 lbs. 9 months later I weigh 235 lbs. I have run three 5k's in the last 2 months. I had no complications from the surgery other than the usual dumping in the beginning every once in a while. Its amazing to me that I can tell literally to the bite how much I can eat. One bite to many and I immediately start feeling sick. I am so glad I went through this process and do not regret it one bit. Dr. Averbach is soooo the man.
I have been overweight my entire life. When I hit the magic 300lb mark I had enough. I never had any problem losing weight, but always gained it back plus some. I decided to take the drastic step of WLS. Because of my Diabetes, I had done the diet portion, my sleep apnea proves I had sleep studies, so my 37.5 BMI plus two co-morbidities, I was approved three days after Dr Averbachs office submitted the paper work. My highest weight was 311, (before pic) pre-surgery weight was 305. Prior to surgery, I was taking, Humilog (fast insulin) at meals, Lantus (slow insulin) twice daily, Metformin (2,000mg daily, max dose) Diabeta (twice daily) Lipitor. I used an Bi-level APAP (automatic positive air pressure) for my OSA. Currently, 3-2010, I weigh 200lbs (goal weight) off all meds, off APAP. I did check two other programs, but decided to use Dr Averbach and St Agnes. I have ZERO regrets. Right now I need to INCREASE my calorie intake to halt my weight loss!
I wanted to thank Dr. Averbach for being the best surgeon you could ever want! he takes great care of you from the minute you meet him, after surgery care is the best, he is always available to answer questions, concerns, problems. thank you Dr. A! My before picture is waiting at Dr. A's old office for my first consult with him, my after is almost 8 months later!
Just 6 short months ago I was 233/234 pounds and now thanks to Dr. Averbach and this WLS tool I am now lighter then I have been my whole entire life, i still have about 30 pounds to get to goal but I am now officially 159.6 pounds! Thank you Dr. Averbach
I am so happy with myself and feel so healthy and energetic. I am happy that I was given the opportunity to extend my lifespan and enjoy life without health issues. Thanks Dr. Averbach and his very supportive staff.
About 3-1/2 years ago my cardiologist encouraged me to look into gastric bypass. As my age was getting "up there", he thought if I wanted to go ahead with it, I should at that point (at the time I was 52 years old). That was about 4 years ago. 3+ years after my surgery I'm happier, more active, able to do things most people take for granted that I could never do. I chose the above after picture for a reason . The first NASCAR race I've been to. 3 years ago I would not have been able to do it at all because of the walking involved. I was able not only to walk all day and deal with the heat, not once did I have any problems (I have cardiac disease as well). Dr. Averbach and his staff were wonderful. While I am not at "goal" per se, he tells me at this point I'm okay... that I shouldn't worry about the scale as much as how I feel and look. As long as I don't start gaining. I would like to lose a little more, but being more active, and feeling great, I am not complaining. To date I've lost approximately 170 or so pounds. I went from a 3XL shirt to a medium and jeans.. well I couldn't even wear jeans before and now I am very comfortable in them. I can't say enough about how this has changed my life. I no longer have to use seatbelt extenders in the car or on airplanes (and in fact, I don't mind flying now that I can actually get comfortable in the seats!). I walk my dog 3 times a day whereas I couldn't even think about walking outside before. I can't say enough about what this has done for me. I was on 15 different medications for my heart and diabetes. I am now down to an aspirin a day, one cholesterol medication and vitamins and supplements. That's it. It's amazing how good I feel not taking all those medications. My cardiologist and internist as well are amazed.
My story is not unlike most, but is quite unique to me because each of us lives our lives personally dealing each day with the effects of our weight. The years of telling ourselves we are fine the way we are... loving myself because my husband loved me, so that was enough... laughing at meself before anyone else could had served a purpose for awhile. But, my health continued to remind me that all the lies in the world wouldn't prolong my life. With a mixed connective tissue disease and fibromyalgia the weight was compounding the pain to the point of existing, not living. I worked to have insurance and would get home from work on Friday and medicate, go to bed Friday evening just to make it back to work on Monday morning. My sister was the first to have the surgery with Dr. Averbach and I was overjoyed for her, and secretly bitter as I felt like the "white elephant" in the room at every family function. I started to entertain the idea of having the bypass also. Though I had insurance to cover my illness, they would not cover the surgery, even though my doctors recommended it due to my health. I, of course, felt defeated, which didn't help my health any. After being sick for so long, you get sick and tired of being sick and tired. My quality and quantity of life were beginning to feel limited. In life we need to have a support system around us and I have been greatly blessed with a wonderful family who has always wanted to see me succeed. My parents approached me and asked if I would have the surgery if they paid for it. I hesitated because of the cost, but my dad said consider it part of my inheritance... one they knew I would live to see. That gift from them I believe saved my life. On June 15, 2007, I went in to St. Agnes to have my complete bypass and since then my life has improved tremendously. To date I have lost 134 lbs total and have gone from a size 26 to an 8/10. I joke with people and tell them I was born a 6x, went to a 16 then a 26! I have never been a single number size or a single letter. I can buy a Med and Large shirts, which has never happened. Besides the bonus of how I look, (which I still haven't gotten used to), my quality of life has changed dramatically. Now, when we go on family vacations, I participate with my family, not stay in the room medicated. My children aren't looking at me sad, now they are a little frustrated because mom can be more involved in what they do (and don't do... I can keep up on the chores and school work:). My life with my husband has been enriched beautifully with my new health (and new body!) Dr. Averbach and his office has been great through all of it. If I have ever had a question or problem they have been available immediately. Never once have I felt I was just a patient, or a nuisance. Last July I had to travel out of state for a funeral and had a stomach problem that landed me in a small town ER. Without much knowledge of gastric bypass they were ready to do exploratory surgery on me. I was blessed that my sister was with me, who then called Dr. Averbach, who in turn spoke with the Dr. there and saved me unneccesary surgery, got me home and he took care of everything. Since having the surgery I have moved to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia and I have traveled back for all my visits. He is worth it. I am thankful to God for the blessing of having this surgery and having the chance to have a future with my family.
February 20, 2009: Hello. I am not sure that what I have to say is important but I think you should know something about me and how Dr. Averbach has helped to change my life. I am one year out from my Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG). I am eight (9) pounds BELOW my revised goal. At first, I thought 120 lbs. would be ideal for me. As I lost weight, I saw that the original goal was too little. I discussed it with Dr. Averbach and we decided to revise it upward by 5 lbs. to 125. This morning (3/20/09), I was 116.6 lbs. By the time I was 8 mths out from surgery (November 2008), I was below 125 lbs. This was not intentional; it was just my body doing it's own thing. I feel so good about myself especially when I am wearing new (very small) clothing. I am 5'2" tall and so I wear petites. I am now in a 6P from a 22W. Whoever thought I would see that kind of number again in my life? More importantly, I am healthier than I have been in a very long time. Feeling good about me is new. This is in reference to weight. There are other things/times in my life when I have achieved some very difficult goals but could never lose (and KEEP IT OFF) the weight, which plagued me forever. I was born fat, 9.5 pounds. My poor mother...for a while they thought she was going to have twins. But no, it was just me. There are, of course, other things in my life that I have accomplished. I went from being a high school drop out to earning a PhD in psychology. While this is the most glaring example of tenacity and success, there was always AN INABILITY to do something that others think is so easy if "I only ate less and exercised". That, of course, was the inability to lose and maintain the weight loss. I researched for over a year and found out about the VSG. I didn't want a Lapland as I heard too many horror stories. I didn't want an RnY as I have Multiple Sclerosis and take a zillion meds/day and could not risk malabsorption. The VSG was my salvation and my dream. For those of you who are not familiar with the VSG, it is a weight loss surgery technique where part of your stomach is permanently removed but your intestines are not touched (thus, no chance of malabsorption) and nothing is inserted (as is with a Band). So, on March 21, 2008 I had my surgery. Dr. Averbach was my surgeon. Working with him and his staff over this past year has been a wonderful experience. He was most willing to thoroughly discuss all my options with me and clearly understood and supported me choosing the WLS technique that did. Dr. Averbach is an excellent surgeon but perhaps more importantly, he is a fine human being. I believe he takes his oath quite seriously (first do no harm) and has ALWAYS been available when I needed him to either answer a question or aid me in avoiding a potential medical problem. He has worked WITH me in this endeavor and has been a partner along this journey. Truly, this is a life journey. Almost everything you know or think you know about yourself in relation to food changes. You change on the outside but the deeper change must come on the inside, too. Interestingly, when my husband saw my beginning success and watched the changes taking place, he too, had a VSG with Dr. Averbach. That was three (3) months after my surgery. He is now at the 9 mth. mark and has lost about 80 lbs. So, we traverse this journey together. Thank you Dr. Averbach (and the rest of your staff) for aiding us in making such a tremendous difference in our lives. Susan Lerner