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Judy G.
"I have now become a PARTICIPANT in life!"



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Surgery Date: August 2001
Surgery: Gastric Bypass

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What was life like before your surgery?

At 292 pounds, my hurting, swollen, lumbering legs barely worked. I spent $850.00 on orthotics to enable me to walk. It was hard to move around and I had no energy. My back killed me, and I could hardly breathe. I was always tired. I took 600 mg of Ibuprofen 4 times a day for five years, just to deal with the arthritis in my spine.  

I only went to church, to the store, to work and out to eat with my husband. I wasn’t involved with my 10-year-old son’s life because I was in pain. I stayed in “safe places” because of my physical limitations. Every time I looked in the mirror I saw failure. I would try, lose, regain, try, lose, regain – over and over and over – until I surrendered to fat. I hated myself and was ashamed.

In all I recall some 35 attempts at weight loss. Looking back, the amount of weight I needed to lose seemed insurmountable!  I knew that even if I lost 40 pounds I’d still be left with 80 pounds extra. I would never be successful just dieting to health.

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What led to your decision to have the surgery?

My son is the reason I began this journey. He rented a movie about a severely obese mother who dies in her bed. And rather than have a crane lift her out, the children burned down the house to save her from humiliation. I wept. I thought he was trying to tell me something but didn’t want to hurt me.

That Sunday the paper came and a Barix ad was in it. I read and re-read and re-read, but I was afraid to call. Then a Barix TV commercial caught my eye. I was sitting in a recliner taking a nap and I woke up just as it came on. Tears welled up in my eyes, my heart raced. I reached for the phone and called Barix right then. I chose Barix because it looked so professional & the ads SAID what I FELT!

The rest is history… the rest is Future!

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How was your experience with Barix?

From the consultation to the surgery, everything about my experience was A-plus.  I believed I was trusting my body, my health, my very life into very capable hands.

I was treated with compassion. They guided me through the entire process with professional courtesy, honor and respect. I cannot thank Barix enough for the new life they so capably handed over to me. 

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How has your life changed?

On September 6, 2001 my life changed forever. It was given back to me in the form of a Roux-en-Y procedure at the Barix Clinics in Belvidere, IL. 
 
 
Losing 130 pounds has given me NEW LIFE!    

While on a hike with my 10-year-old son, he hurt his ankle. With a half mile of trail left, I carried his 105 pounds piggy-back. Each step was a struggle. My legs felt like concrete walking through tar. My back and feet ached with each step. I was breathing hard, and my heart was pounding. Then I had a “light bulb” moment. I realized that before the surgery I carried my son’s weight plus 20 more pounds every day of my life for 20 years!
 

I am so alive! I breathe strongly. I am active, vibrant, and full of energy!  I have not taken a single ibuprofen tablet since surgery. I don’t take anything for the arthritis in my spine! Since losing the excess weight I have no pain!  I sleep 6-8 hours with no back pain! No foot pain! I am so healthy!  

Bariatric surgery is the tool that gave me back my self-esteem. It gave me back my life.  Now I share MY life for others!  

Why, you ask, would a 51 year old mother and grandmother walk 60 miles in 3 days? Because now I can!  This is my 4th year walking the Breast Cancer 3-Day. My body is a walking machine!   

I no longer sit on the sidelines as an obese "observer” and cheerleader" for others. I've become a PARTICIPANT in life! I cannot fully express in words the enormous gift I live every day. I do not take this for granted. I am free to participate. Free to breathe.  I am FREE! 

  

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