Laura B. Smith

I am four years out with the Lap-Band. I still remember the day I hit the 100-pound club. It was a moment of immense pride. I went from a size 28W to a size 14! It’s been a period of significant change, not only in how I look but in my career too as I joined Southern Surgical to contribute daily to the field of bariatrics. My journey has profoundly impacted my life, health, and outlook on the future.

In June of 2007, I started with the famous Southern Surgical Educational Class. August 6, 2007 was the first day of the rest of my life, my surgery day. The next two weeks were a mental battle and the reality of being addicted to food!

Alcoholics can stay away from the ABC store, smokers can take smoking cessation aids, drug addicts can go to rehab, but food is required to live. I understood that, like any addiction, overcoming it requires making healthy choices consistently. Poor food choices consistently lead to morbid obesity. In 2007, I finally saw myself. Morbidly Obese with BMI of 46. I truly hate the words Morbidly Obese!

If you know me, then you know cake icing is my demon! Wendy’s chili is my favorite fast food item (small, 200 calories, 17g protein at $1.29 = cheap date) and I love broiled seafood. I am the condiment queen and battle drinking fluids while eating everyday.

My lifelong struggle with weight has taught me the importance of diligently managing my diet and maintaining my weight. Undergoing bariatric surgery marked the beginning of my journey, serving as a vital tool in addressing my daily dietary challenges. However, my head remains the main obstacle in overcoming my food addiction. Sometimes, I find myself wishing that Southern Surgical had brain surgeons.

Gastric Banding requires maintenance and patience due to its slower pace of weight loss. This has worked well for me. The accountability provided by Southern Surgical, along with the slow pace of weight loss, has allowed me to keep my head in the game. Although I have yet to meet my personal weight loss target and have experienced fluctuations in my weight, I understand that this journey is a lifelong commitment.

Everyone asks if I am glad I chose Gastric Banding as my choice of weight loss surgery. My reply is, “I am just so glad I had the guts to do surgery!”

The Southern Surgical Support Group has helped me connect with others in my same world of Bariatrics. I believe we are here to help one another and to share our journeys. I would like to thank Southern Surgical and all the other patients that have touched my life.

When joining the bariatric world in June of 2007 I never dreamed how it would change my life. Weighing 301 pounds, my transformative journey began with surgery in August 2007, marking a new chapter. I remember in April of 2008, I had to get a revision surgery for my band and I begged the doctor not to take my band. I had never lost weight like this and kept it off. I was terrified of life without this tool to help control my weakness for food.

I never felt weight loss surgery was the only answer to the struggles and demons of what food means to me. It is a head game for me and a pleasure that makes the worries of the world just vanish. I am my own worst enemy when it comes to my weight. But I also have never felt my weight made me who I was, defined what I could do, or how people perceived me. I have always been full of life, a hard worker, raised by an incredible family, and I value the people in my life no matter the season of the relationship.

Life’s journey is very different for everyone. Mine has been a mixture of all the loves of my life: family, people, helping others, working on making a difference in a world that is very selfish. Southern Surgical has given me the opportunity to be a part of each patient’s remarkable transformation. It’s a journey from their old self into a renewed existence.

Being a part of the bariatric world as an employee, I felt the spotlight was on me to succeed with my weight journey. I have found that to be an impossible task. Especially when people have different goals and dreams. The thoughts of others cannot control or influence what is best for me.

My best is to be healthy, control my weight at a personal and comfortable place. Personally, I really love being a size 12/14 which is about 175 pounds for me. For others that is still obese and they would continue to loose weight. I have always battled my weight and being a big girl has been a part of my life. I really liked her and still do!

In 2011, I truly started struggling with tightness of my band: nausea, weight gain, difficulty swallowing. I changed my food intake to sliders and liquids to get food down. But even if I got it down, that didn’t mean it was going to stay down. I would come to the office for adjustments looking for relief. Sleeping sitting up and scared of the weight gain. I was miserable! The doctors ran test, tried everything they knew to do with no relief.

The battle with the insurance company began in February of 2013. It was tiring and at times I felt defeated. Six LONG months and several denials later, I was finally was approved for the conversion from Banding to Sleeve. I am so grateful to the staff at Southern Surgical and the patients that I call friends that stuck with me all the way!

August 19, 2013 was the next stepping-stone in my life journey. I woke from surgery with no reflux, no tightness in my chest and little to no pain. People ask me all the time if I regret getting the Band instead of Bypass. My honest answer is NO WAY! I am so proud of the transformation that bariatric surgery has had on my life and the health benefits I have gained through this journey.

Why choose Sleeve over Bypass? The decision was made after thorough discussions with my medical team—including doctors, a nutritionist, a PA-C/Bariatric Coordinator, and a psychologist—about my overall health, personality, strengths, weaknesses, previous experiences with the band, and my desire to never be a size 2. I also needed a gradual journey towards health once more. Conversion patients have less weight to lose because of the original surgery and weight loss is slower than the original surgery. I had no co morbidities, not a lot of extra weight to lose, and the doctor felt it was the right choice for me and my health.

It not about being a skinny girl for me, it’s all about being healthy and living life to its fullest. I just hit the two-month mark from my conversion and I am down 30 pounds. I am feeling great and once again so grateful to Southern Surgical for believing and supporting me in this life long journey.

August 6, 2017 makes ten years as a Bariatric patient. I never want to see 301 pounds again! As I look back, I’m overjoyed by this journey. Firstly, the courage it took to admit I needed help with my weight. Secondly, I was blessed to join the team at Southern Surgical. Thirdly, I’ve come to understand that surgery is merely a tool, and its success lies in my hands.

All journeys have a beginning, middle, and end. I consider this the middle of my journey. As I continue to learn, struggle, brush myself off and try again. The ongoing battle to manage my food choices, the accountability of the scales each week, the frustration knowing exercise has to be a part of my lifestyle, and that I’m a healthier person because of the choices I make. I have been blessed by the support of thousands that I have had the pleasure of meeting through the years in classes, clinic, and support groups.

No one knows their end and I am no different. I am blessed to enjoy life everyday and try to continue to better myself. I have learned so much from my journey and look forward to continuing to fight for myself, health, family, and future. No matter what life throws us, I believe it’s all about how we handle it. I am committed to doing my best always, picking myself up when I fall, and always having time for others.

Iron sharpens iron and I am here to help you in any way.

Thank you for reading and continuing to follow my journey. I’ve had bumps in the road, but it has been so worth it!

It is so overwhelming to have always battled with your weight, for most is affects their health, and some their lifestyle, career, marriage, and so on…we all have a story to tell. For me it has been my entire life struggle and my reality. To choose surgery was huge for me. However, facing the need for a second felt like failure. As an employee of Southern Surgical, I wholeheartedly believe Bariatric Surgery transformed my life. But I felt so embarrassed that I had started to gain weight back and then had to have another surgery. Even though it was not my fault, or my plan, it is still part of my journey.

I have now been a bariatric patient for eleven years and I am five years out from sleeve surgery! Three to five years out of surgery is the danger zone in the bariatric world. I find myself struggling. It is the first time in my life that I only want to lose 10 pounds. That has never been a goal of mine.

I have finally found my personal comfort zone with my weight and clothing size . It took being over ten years out to figure it out. With help from my doctor, I understand it is ok not to be a twig and that I need to feel comfortable in my own skin. My goal is to keep my weight in the 165-175 range, not under or over, which for my body type has me in a healthy size 10 pants. I am like most people where 10 pounds equal a size change. My 10’s are tight! It’s time to refocus, get in with the nutritionist, and get 10 pounds off!

This is the most incredible feeling and goal for me. Usually it’s a 100 or 75 pounds. So 10 pounds is not overwhelming and for the first time I feel it is doable. It just has to be done!

I am throwing out a challenge to our patients! I encourage others facing similar struggles to remain engaged with their healthcare providers, nutritionists, and support groups. Together, we can maintain our achievements and continue to strive for health and happiness. Southern Surgical has always taught us that surgery is a tool, this is a life long journey, and together we will fight for a healthier lifestyle.

Schedule Now:
Follow Up with Your Provider
See your Nutritionist
Talk with Psych
GET TO A MONTHLY SUPPORT GROUP!
Set your own life goal and let’s work together to stay in that place for a lifetime.

Sincerely,
Laura B Smith