“No feet swelling, no seatbelt extensions, no stares, I can shop in regular stores, no snoring/apnea, no huffing & puffing and sweating when I walk, no embarrassment at all thanks to my band! I’ve even gotten whistled at a few times this last couple of months!!!”

I come from a family of obese people. I was always a chubby kid, and then thinned out when I was a teenager but once I hit my mid-30\’s something happened and I put on 100 lbs within an 8 month period of time! I was completely out of control and had basically given up. I did the yo-yo diets, tried the pills, tried starving myself, and would lose a little but would always put it all back on plus more. By the time I scheduled my surgery I was a whopping 354 lbs! I was at a BMI of 54, which put me at a very high risk of co-morbidities, and with cancer, heart disease, diabetes (you name it) running in my family, I was desperate.

I did about 6 months worth of research online and found a local Lap Band seminar here in the states. I felt I had hope for the very first time in a long time, but that hope was soon dashed when I found out that the procedure was a whopping $18,500 dollars. There was no way I could afford to have it done. Once again, I went back online and saw Dr. Kuri’s name everywhere I looked. I researched his practice, researched his patients success stories, and even tried to find negative blogging regarding him and never found any, which is unheard of these days, so I chose him as my surgeon. His prices made it affordable for me to get the Lap Band.

I decided to contact his office and before I knew it, their friendly staff had scheduled me for surgery Sept. 2, 2005! I couldn’t believe it, I was finally going to start a newer, healthier life!

The flight out was the usual embarrassing ordeal. The tray wouldn’t unfold all the way so I could sit my drink down. I needed a seatbelt extender, everyone looking at me as I huffed & puffed, sweating all the way through the airports. I even had one gentleman on the plane get up & move out of the seat next to me to give me more room. I was mortified, and even though he meant it as a polite gesture, I was still embarrassed. I was so unhappy, unhealthy and depressed, and only by the grace of God did I not have any co-morbidities other than slight apnea and very swollen feet & ankles. I was in a size 28 (probably could have done a 30), and almost couldn’t find clothes in the big woman’s shops anymore. But as soon as I stepped outside of the airport in San Diego, something inside me told me I was getting my life back! Miguel the driver met us and was so courteous and friendly. I got to meet others just like me, and didn’t feel out of place at all.

My surgery went off without a hitch. No complications, no problems (other than my own stubbornness to refuse to let go of old eating habits!), but with my band, I have been trained to enforce portion control, as well as quality control on all the food I eat. And I’ve discovered I’m NOT allergic to exercise after all!!!

I am down just about 100 lbs now, and feel fantastic! I’m in a size 18, and my scales are starting to dip just a little more. No feet swelling, no seatbelt extensions, no stares, I can shop in regular stores, no snoring/apnea, no huffing & puffing and sweating when I walk, no embarrassment at all thanks to my band! I’ve even gotten whistled at a few times this last couple of months!!! Even if I didn’t lose another ounce, I wouldn’t trade my band for anything in this world! Thank you, Dr. Kuri for giving me my LIFE back!!!