Success Stories

Before

After

Lynn Leone
Surgery Date: 6/5/2002
Weight Loss: 150 Lbs.

My
Journey

My story begins with numbers. In fact, it's an impossible story to try to tell, without them.
I had my Duodenal Switch surgery on June 5th, 2002, at forty-two years of age. Prior to that, I had been obese for eighteen years, and morbidly obese for fourteen of those eighteen years. During that time, I ran up and down the scale from 240 - 294 pounds. I'm pleased to say that; four years, two major surgeries, and one hundred fifty lost pounds later, I am today, the woman I knew I could always be...healthier, happier and normal sized.

Looking back, I'm still not exactly sure just how the weight came on, it just did. At any given time on any given day, I was dieting. Life was a blur of diets and Monday's were the days on which new diets began. Years went by and weight was lost and weight was regained. I began falling into a cycle of yo-yo dieting, and after years of this, all that was truly lost was self dignity, self respect and self confidence. Walking was the only form of exercise I did on a regular basis. I usually walked late in the evening, in the dark, when no one could see me, when no one could look and point and no one could see to judge me.

Fast forward to August 2001, one month before my daughters wedding. I was in the office at the reception hall where the wedding would be held, talking over details with the owner. We became friendly immediately, and before long we were talking about dresses. She asked me if I had found my own dress for the wedding, and I told her that trying to find a formal gown in a size 26 or 3-4X was not an easy task, and that, "No", I hadn't found one yet, even though the wedding was just weeks away.

She must have felt the pain in my answer, because she then began telling me about her own journey...that she herself had gone through bariatric surgery called the Duodenal Switch, and that I should look into it myself. She handed me her surgeon’s card, Dr. Mustafa Hares, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and told me she had tremendous results. I was immediately interested, but the upcoming wedding took precedence over everything else at this time.

I kept the card for two months before I made the call to Dr. Hares office. I was invited to sit in on a meeting that the office holds for its patients bi-weekly. I went and listened and sat among patients, pre and post-op, listening to what they had to say about the Duodenal Switch form of surgery. I asked questions, listened to the questions being asked by others, and most importantly, I spoke directly with post Duodenal Switch patients and was most comforted by their wonderful results and positive remarks.

I became a regular at the meetings and attended them for four months before I had gathered enough information to make the decision to have the Duodenal Switch myself. It took a lot of doing "homework" on my part, to talk myself into giving a doctor permission to alter my insides, new plumbing so to speak.
I was fortunate in that, once having made the decision, my insurance company, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, gave the go-ahead almost immediately. I believe they knew the cost of the surgery would not begin to compare with the amount of medical bills a morbidly obese person can accrue once disease sets in. I was a fortunate one. For the amount of weight on my 5'4" frame, I was overall fairly healthy, no hypertension and no diabetes...but a BMI (Body Measurement Index) that was off the scales, somewhere around a forty-four.
 
My decision to go with the Duodenal Switch had everything to do with "long term results".

I was looking to live a better life, not one filled with complications. The doctor and program director at Bloomfield Bariatrics make sure their patients are well educated with all aspects of the surgery. This includes diet, attitude, exercise, daily vitamin/mineral intake, regular blood work, the importance of protein and follow up care. These are all vital parts of great patient results.

After losing one hundred fifty pounds by March 2004, I went in for my second major surgery with Doctor Mune Gowda, M.D., F.A.C.S. I had an umbilical hernia fixed, a tummy tuck and a lower body lift. This surgery enabled me to come full circle with my body.

When I think about the long road I've been down, the process, the coming to terms, the healing of the mind and body and the second chance I've been given...it's overwhelming, and it gives me energy and a spirit for life that cannot be put into words.
I am forever changed, and I am forever grateful.