High Point Regional Health System would like to share the following thoughts and opinions of patients who have undergone MGB. In some cases, the comments may have been edited for length and to remove identifying details.

Patient 1
I reached my two-year anniversary on March 21. I am doing extremely well. I started my journey out at 376 lbs… It has been a long road but as of this morning I weigh 146 lbs. I have since graduated from RN school and I am working in an ICU in FL. I can't even imagine working 12 hr shifts weighing 376 lbs.

I have very few problems with eating. There are still a few things that don't sit well with me. Pork is one of them. I also can't eat Chinese food, as soon as I eat a few bites my stomach hurts. I take my vitamins and have my blood work done every 6 months now. So far so good.

This surgery has changed my life so much for the better. I hope all of you have the same outcomes.


Patient 2
I had a primary physician who wasn't too supportive. In fact, he disapproved. I supplied him with the manual and…he agreed to at least look at it. To my surprise, he was not only supportive but very impressed with the education that is required of each prospective patient. To date (27 weeks post op) I've lost 93 pounds, am doing great and my doctor could not be more impressed and thrilled with my results. My diabetes is gone, my asthma is gone and my joint pains are gone.


Patient 3
I'm home and feeling much better. I was amazed at how much better I felt the day after surgery and even more how much better I feel today. My surgery took 39 minutes and I was third in line. I went right to sleep with no troubles and barely remember the recovery room or arriving in my patient room. The gentlemen who were prepping me for surgery were very nice. The staff at the hospital was great and took good care of me. I was released Saturday morning to go home.

My sisters were with me and they were awesome. I didn't get up to walk until after 7 p.m. I think I ended up taking three to four walks throughout the night. I felt so much better Saturday morning I walked by myself and finally ate something. A few sips of broth and two nibbles of Jell-O. I only had ice chips the first day.

I used the morphine pump a little after surgery and didn't use it again until 1 a.m. so I could get some sleep. The most painful part was the air bubbles inside. I'm still working on getting them out. My tummy feels sensitive and tender. The ride home on the bumpy road yesterday was not so pleasant, but I was glad to be home. I had a low grade fever last night but it was gone when I woke up this morning. I took a couple walks yesterday and have ventured out today as well. I got all my Citrucel in and some broth and crackers, plus a little Gatorade. It’s hard to get everything in when you can only have 3 sips at a time.


Patient 4
Well, one year ago tonight I was as nervous as a long-tail cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I was hours away from having my surgery. I was a miserable 373 lbs and ready for a new beginning.

One year later, I weigh 218 lbs—a loss of 155 lbs—and am no longer miserable. I am off all medications, can walk miles without stopping to rest, can go up stairs without running out of breath, don't get stared at everywhere I go (especially restaurants), don't think about the next meal, can sleep like a baby, buy clothes off the rack and not from catalogs, and have a new outlook on life.

For those who want to know if there have been any complications or downside to the surgery, sure, a few minor bumps along the way. H. Pylori about a month after, but with the prev-pac prescribed, all was cleared up in a couple weeks. Reflux several times the first few weeks, but now it is very rare and usually follows eating too much or the wrong food and usually eating too late at night. I have never "dumped" and am very happy to say that.

The first 2 weeks was liquids, yogurts, mashed potato, etc. The next 3 weeks was soft food and phase 3 almost anything I want, just in small amounts. I do not drink milk, liquor, carbonated beverages, coffee, but do have a cup of tea occasionally to treat myself. (I use "coffee tamer" which reduces the tannic acid in coffee and tea.) I do get dehydrated if I don't drink Gatorade regularly. I almost always have a bottle of the clear Gatorade within reach and sip on it all day long. If I forget, I get light headed or dizzy, a sign of dehydration.

It was about month 8 before I tried steak or roast beef. I can eat these now but must chew them well. I find a high protein breakfast (2 poached or scrambled eggs) or oatmeal are favorites. Usually soup or salad for lunch, and whatever the wife cooks for supper. It is difficult to go more than 4 hours between meals and sometimes a small snack is necessary. I find that I can still eat sweets but just in small amounts. (As I sit and write this, I have been snacking on some butter cookies.)

Well, in conclusion, I thank God every day that I was lead to MGB. I would not change a thing that has happened. I have added years to my life because of the procedure. I have met some incredible people and enjoy the ability to assist those seeking what I have found.