• Name: Carolyn Odien
• Age: 50
• Surgery: Gastric Sleeve
• Surgery date: October 11th, 2011
• Testimonial date: February 9th, 2013
• Surgeon: Dr. Almanza

I fought the battle of yoyo dieting for about 30 years, from the time I started college to my late 40's. I could lose weight, but I always gained it all back and more. The most I was ever able to lose at a time was about 25 lbs through strenuous exercise and strict dieting. Over the years I put on about 5 lbs a year, until I was 260 lbs. I tried not to be overly concerned about it, because I thought I would be hopelessly obese for the rest of my life. I truly didn't want to succumb to weight loss surgery, as I thought it was too drastic. When I finally decided I MIGHT get a lap band (NEVER wanted a gastric bypass, that was just too invasive...and I really didn't want a lap band either, I didn't like the idea of having plastic foreign parts in me and having to get fills). I did some online research and came upon VSG, something I had never heard of before. The more I read, the more excited I got about it. Take away part of my stomach? YAY, I was insatiable! Remove the Ghrelin hormone? YES PLEASE! My insurance wouldn't pay for any WLS, but I had a friend who had done lap band in Mexico. I decided to check that out and because my finances were tight, I opted to go to Dr. Mario Almanza. I talked to other patients of his through gastricsleeve.com and felt very comfortable about my decision.

The day of surgery we all met at San Diego Airport and were picked up and taken to Mexico in a van. Dr. Almanza's clinic is in a strip mall in Tijuana. The facilities are clean and modern. I felt well cared for there. The surgery was over before I knew it, and I had no complications. I felt absolutely fine the next day and even went shopping in TJ! The following day was the leak test, and we had to drink some nasty liquid and have an xray of our stomachs, but it wasn't really horrible.

I would say the hardest part of it all was the pre-op diet, but it's been very easy for me ever since. I have lost 85 lbs. so far. (In 16 months). Most of it came off the first 4 months, but I have slowly trickled down. I am still hoping to make it to 100 lbs lost, but if I don't, I still consider myself a success story. I haven't gained any weight back, and my sleeve is still restrictive. There are things you will be able to eat more of, but if you stick to the rules of protein first, usually you just get "Thanksgiving day Full" with just a little bit of food.

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* This is an actual testimonial, however, your results may vary. For more information, please read our Testimonial Disclaimer and Risks of Surgery.