Re: attachments: Re: Need 5 contacts!

December 28, 2006

Miriam Benmergui from Thornhill hopes this helps out.

NCGorgeous1963@... wrote:

12/28/2006, dick_michelle@... writes: << Hi, My name is ,

from Toronto and I'll be having my surgery in Las Vegas Jan 17/07 and i'm

trying to finish up my package within the next week or so. I'm looking to see

if

there are 5 people who wouldn't mind being my contact.>>

Hi ,

I'll be happy to help you in any way that I can. I'm attaching 2 " form

letters " that you can pick bits out of (sorry, they're kind of cookie cutter

because I get a lot of requests for contact info) - but in the event you have

any

other questions, please feel free to contact me at your leisure. We can even

talk on the phone if you'd like.

I have lots of photos of my journey from pre-MGB and through all my plastic

surgery stages. I only ask that if I send them, you have the courtesy to

acknowledge them, please. It is very personal and I take great offense to

people

I share them with and they never write back. I'm willing to do everything I

can to help people so it hurts when I open up and it's taken so casually.

Being overweight, WLS, and the " afterlife " are very life altering

circumstances - from the physical to the psyche. I don't think anyone is 100%

prepared

for all of the changes that can/will occur.

Here are the letters. I wish you the best in your decision making and the

changes about to happen in your life. I'm 3+ yrs out and am still going

through

metamorphosis!

Best regards,

Patty Arthur

5'3 " , 253/144/???

8/25/03, MGB, Stsvl, Drs. R & Chery

*** please choose your Plastic Surgeon wisely *** Avoid costly mistakes and

make sure that they SPECIALIZE in WLS patients !!! ***

12/2/04, TT & BA: 5/31/05, Arm tuck, donut lift, TT rev, Legs lipo: 8/25/05,

Thighs: Chlt, Dr.P.Tucker

8/16/06, *corrections* to legs, Mastopexy w/implant removal: Chlt, Dr. S. Don

11/6/06, *correction replacement* of breast implants (AWESOME JOB)!: Chlt,

Dr. S. Don

December 29, 2006

Hello Miriam, Here is a contact letter for you!

I am 53 years old and I weighed 316 lbs and felt awful mentally and

physically. When I began completing my packet for the MGB surgery, I also began

losing weight! I had given up all hope and felt like I would not live another

year. Doing the packet helped me to finalize in my mind what I needed to do for

myself. Two days before surgery I weighed 309 lbs. And the day of surgery I

weighed 307 lb. the day of surgery. At almost 5 months out, I weighed 234 lbs. I

weighed on November 13th, and weighed 228 lbs. I had the MGB on June 8th,2006,

Dr. Rutledge did a 7 ft. bypass in 37 minutes. They filmed my surgery via the

IPOD and seven minutes were lost because of a cable malfunction. I had no

physical complications as long as I took the medicine as prescribed. I walked

and moved about within an hour after surgery. The next morning I was very

dizzy…I NEEDED SALT, but a salt packet helped me feel much better. On the third

day, I walked 1 mile with a friend who encouraged me. The

next day I walked at least two miles in the Nevada sun. I was drinking, resting

and getting salt. I did fine!

The problem began to evolve about two months out. I grew sick of the all the

fruit flavors, the different taste were very upsetting to my system. I begin

backing off Pepto Bismol, then fruit flavor Tums…and well, you get the

picture…The routine got very tiring very fast! BEWARE… this so far, has been one

of the hardest parts! Just remember, the broth and medications are given for

specific reasons, and it helps keep things coated for your new stomach. The

changes are do-able…but difficult from time to time. You will have both positive

and negative changes to go through, and you will need to be mindful of the

possibility of depression rearing up. It may not seem so, but you will fare

better giving yourself time to adjust to everything. I have predisposition

toward depression so I monitor my emotions pretty closely anyway. Don’t expect

too much too soon! The weight is coming off, but I am adjusting in so many

different ways! I am just now, getting a clearer picture of how

one is suppose to feel with the MGB. I got an ulcer and have been extremely

nauseated and throwing up for about 3 months and finally called Dr. Rutledge.. I

have suffered needlessly, because I backed off on the medication too soon. The

last 5 days I have felt great! I just wished I would have called Dr. Rutledge

sooner! The way I am seeing it, is over the next few months-up to a year, I am

adjusting to a new life. The MGB is not a magic bullet, but our new tool must be

used wisely! It will be up to you to follow the rules. If something is unclear,

or you have symptoms which don’t feel right, let the staff know immediately so

they can help you! In spite of my “bumps in the road” I am very thankful I had

the opportunity to complete the packet and have the MGB surgery. My “story” is

like so many others, but it is my story.

I was the youngest of five children and I remember having basically the same

breakfasts until I left home. My mother fixed forty biscuits every morning, and

by that nightfall, these were gone! We survived on grits, eggs, fatback, bacon,

sausage, or ham for breakfast. We always had syrup and plenty of Blue Bonnet on

the table too. At lunch, we had pinto beans, or pinto bean soup, onion and

cornbread or whole-cakes. On school days, I would have the pinto beans for

supper. Our Sunday meals usually were fried chicken ,cubed steak, and sometimes

a roast. I also remember getting more vegetables in the spring and summer. My

father would also bring home all types of processed “goodies”. I remember him

bringing home wonderful cheese cakes in pie tins and I would eat most of them

all by myself! When I was older and could be left alone, my mother and father

would leave me at the house with a loaf of bread, mayonnaise, and bananas. I

would literally make myself sick on banana

sandwiches. I would follow it with a large Coke. It was also nothing for me to

down a whole container of ice cream and eat a Pepperidge Farm cake by myself. My

father was a big eater, and it was one way all of us children received attention

from him. I was forever having sugar lows and highs and once I found out about

dieting, I was on a perpetual diet. I binged and purged many times.

To compound the problem, I had ADHD-undiagnosed and all the excess sugar gave

way to some explosive episodes at home. At school I couldn’t focus and had a

difficult time. The other children made horrendous fun of me. I weighed

one-hundred fifty pounds in the sixth grade. I remember because the teacher

yelled it across the room to a nurse recording the weights and the heights of

the children. I was voted the Halloween queen for my classroom and it was in

jest. The teacher couldn’t do a thing about the students making fun of me. It

was an awful thing to endure! Later in middle school and high school too, the

“popular” students would call my house and tell my mother they needed to speak

with me. My mother would give out my friend’s phone number and these people

would call my friend’s house to harass me. I was also made terrible fun of on

the bus and hated riding it to school. If I were walking on the side of the

road, people would yell awful things out of the window. I was

harassed and hated school. I had also been sexually molested by a friend’s

grandfather, the taunting reinforced an already very low self esteem. My

confidence was nil, but I had a silly, sense of humor that I have always loved

about myself. It has helped me endure many of life‘ storms.

In high school I went on a second major diet. I lost down to 160 lbs. The mini

diets were too numerous to count! The attention I received was overwhelming,

especially from the boys. I gained all the weight back because I lacked the

emotional security and nutritional knowledge to maintain it. I continued

resorting to all types of methods attempting to lose the excess weight. I

fasted, binged ate, and used laxatives. You name it, I have attempted it! About

3 years ago, I got down to 243, and I was very proud of my accomplishments. I

had seen several counselors and some of my work was beginning to pay off.

However, life happened and I gained the weight back. This effort to lose weight

wiped me out emotionally. I began researching weight loss surgery, but did so

only dreamingly. I never thought it would actually work out! When I hit fifty,

my body began not to cooperate. I almost couldn’t go. My years of yo-yo dieting,

mind games, and binge eating, caused me to be in an awful

mess. I couldn’t go through the process of losing the weight, only to gain it

back again. I knew of some friends that had the MGB surgery, and I spoke with

them in detail. It was amazing how things worked out! God can make a way when

there doesn’t seem to be a way.

By the time I decided to do the packet, I was at the end of my rope and had

ran out of options, I had heard all the horror stories about weight-loss

surgery, and one of my good friends had died from complications from the earlier

gastric bypass surgery. The risks of not having the surgery were just as real

for me! I knew my time was short without major interventions, so I chose the MGB

surgery. Once I began to work on my packet I had many scary thoughts. However,

the application process while frustrating, helped me somehow! The process

actually empowered me and I did the packet by myself with very little help from

anyone! The ADHD was alive and well during the process, so, if I can do the

packet, anyone can!

I was intimated to ask my doctor about a support letter. Much to my surprise,

he was extremely supportive. My family and friends have also been there for me

in spite of my difficulties with my taking the medication properly. I also felt

that Dr. Rutledge would turn me down, or I would be mistreated somehow. I had a

very pleasant surprise! I was treated like a queen! The staff or Dr. Rutledge

did not brow beat me at all…and I felt very comfortable with everyone! Dr.

Rutledge said in the pre-op meeting a hormone called ghrenlin was to blame for

obesity. This was one of the most important things I remembered. He helped me to

be more accepting of myself and present, temporary, circumstances.

I have learned you are not your weight. You are worthy of being saved and we

are all viable human beings who deserve a chance at life!

I can only tell you about my story. I cannot tell you what is best for you.

Only you and your gut feelings can make this decision. I didn’t have another

option. I did not feel I had another year left…and I definitely had no quality

of life. Any surgery you have can be risky, but my very life was in jeopardy

before the surgery anyway. The MGB gave me another chance at life, so I will be

forever, grateful!

I do advise you make yourself very familiar with the medicines and procedures

after the surgery. Read and reread the manual, in my opinion, it is impossible

to do this too much! It will always be of benefit to you. Also realize the MGB

is not a “cure all”. You will be required to make some choices you might not

like, and there can be some trade-offs. . You can even have some down times! Do

your part and maintain the agreement you will make to take your medicines and

choose your foods wisely. Don’t blame anyone, if you know you are not complying

with the directions given in the manual and the surgeon of your choice.

The surgeons who have trained with Dr. Rutledge and each staff member meets a

certain criteria of expertise. If you have any questions or concerns let someone

know. If you feel more ill than usual, let someone know this too! They will call

and check up on you the first week, but you have to talk with them about any

concerns you have. You have a responsibility in your own care! It is only fair

to say, if you know there is something you are not able to do, or you are not

doing, don’t blame the doctor. I quit some of the medicine too soon, and the

chances are great, it caused me to develop an ulcer. I went for months without

letting anyone know. I even questioned if I had made the right decision about

having the surgery. Any surgery involves risk, but in my opinion, Dr. Rutledge

and all the MGB surgeons, do not take their profession lightly, and are very

methodical. By all means, do not hesitate to try anything they suggest, and call

sooner than later, if you have a problem.

I know completing the packet can be trying, but I can assure you, the efforts

you make toward completing the packet, phone calls and your research will not be

in vain! May God bless you in your efforts and lead you in making the best

decision for your health. Love and Best Wishes from Ann -

Pt. Of Dr. Rutledge, June 8th,2006- Weight beginning packet-316. Wt. Day of

surgery-307 and on 11-13-06, I weighed 223lbs.

Robin Benmergui <rbenmergui@...> wrote: Miriam Benmergui from

Thornhill hopes this helps out.