Testimonials

Stacey Martin

Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass

Beginning Weight: 270

Current Weight: 128

Like most obese people, I have been overweight my whole adult life and most of my childhood. I was about to turn 30 and weighed over 270 pounds and knew it was time to do something. I was having to take medicines for diabetes. I was missing out on so much of my son's life. He was so active and I wasn't able to be. I went to his school one day and his friends told him his mom was fat. He got so upset. That day I started my research on weight loss surgery. .

I went to my second seminar in October of 2004 with my mother and Dr. Spaw spoke. I knew immediately he was the surgeon for me. He is a expert in laparoscopic surgery. He was so approachable and when he saw my mother's apprehension he took her hand and said, "I will treat her as if she's mine". My insurance approved my surgery in 4 days and I was on my way. My surgery was 11-4-04.

I had laproscopic gastric bypass and honestly can say I have never looked back. Dr Spaw took extra time in the surgery because of scar adhesions I had from a previous surgery that he had to clean up to proceed lap. He could have given up and made me a open procedure but he persisted which made my recovery so much easier. I had made a promise to my husband to make myself walk as much and as soon as possible. The minute they rolled me back from recovery I started walking the halls. I can say I was sore but never in severe pain. I was able to go home the very next day! My blood pressure and glucose levels were normal by the time I left the hospital. NO longer dependent on medications.

I was Very Very blessed with the easy insurance approval and with the easy recovery and I am so thankful. I never have had any major complications. It was as if God had sent these wonderful people my way. Dr. Spaw and the staff at Baptist were wonderful to me. Dr. Spaw is very patient and answers every question very thorough yet in a down to earth manner. He calls you back immediately when you page him. He couldn't have treated me any better or more personal which means a lot to me. I never felt like a number but truly cared about.

At my 2 month check up I had already lost 48 pounds from 270 pounds to 222 pounds and I had lost 72 pounds at my 4 month checkup. At my six month checkup I had lost 91 pounds and at my yearly check up I was down 135 pounds. I was amazed at how fast the weight came off. I was half the woman I used to be, literally. Never in my life did I ever expect to be under 150 pounds with a normal BMI. I am so excited to buy clothes. I am wearing size 4 pants, but a size or two bigger tops. I stay CLEAR of sleeveless shirts and short shorts because of my batwings, but other then that wearing things I never could before. But more amazing then what I can wear is what I am able to do. The energy level is unreal, my activity level has tripled. Such little things bring joy nowadays. Having the energy to do more things with my son and keeping up with him. Having him wrap his arms around me telling me how proud he is of me. Him bragging to his friends that I am HIS mom. Sleeping through the night without having to get up 10 times to visit the bathroom because of the weight on my bladder. Being able to walk and breathe at the same time. :)

Having this surgery was the best thing I could have ever done for myself, my son and husband. Not only has it improved my quality of life but theirs also. Having a wife and mom that feels like going places and doing things. I will never be able to express my gratitude enough. Thank you so very much Dr. Spaw, for your expert hands and your caring heart.

I have never regretted my surgery. I just regret waiting so long to do it. LIFE IS SWEEEEEEET!!!

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Wendy Dulin

Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass

I was a 36 year old mother of two young children, heading down a deep, dark path of denial, when it suddenly dawned on me that I might not live long enough to watch them grow up and have families of their own. I had type II diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol, all of which were progressively getting worse.

I had done my homework on weight loss surgery and in February of 2005 I attended an informational seminar with Dr. Spaw, who came highly recommended by my PCP, Sally Burbank, MD. I left the seminar feeling extremely hopeful and prayed that my insurance would cover the cost of surgery. Unfortunately, my insurance company wanted me to travel to Memphis to a doctor “in network”. After three appeals in front of a state judge, a lawyer and a doctor for the insurance company, the judge ruled in my favor and I was allowed to have surgery with Dr. Spaw at Baptist Hospital.

I truly believe that God was on my side from the beginning of this long journey. I cannot say enough about the generosity of Dr. Spaw and his staff. You will never find a more compassionate or caring surgeon!

I had laparoscopic Gastric-Bypass surgery on June 29, 2005. The date I now call the first day of the rest of my life. I was quite nervous the day of surgery, but Dr. Spaw quickly put me at ease. Perhaps it was the Valium, but I was very calm and relaxed when I entered the operating room. Unlike most, mine was not an easy road to recovery. Over the course of the next few months I had several small complications ranging from wound infections to dehydration caused by strictures. Dr. Spaw and his staff were always there to calm my fears and heal my wounds – even seeing me in the office on a Saturday in order to avoid a hospital visit. I can say with tremendous confidence that you will not find a better team of surgeons, nurses and support staff than those at the Metabolic Surgery Center at Baptist.

It has been 10 months since my surgery and I have gone from 271 pounds down to 156 pounds. That’s 115 pounds and counting! I have gone from a size 22 to a size 8. I no longer take medication other than nutritional supplements; in fact, I quit taking all of my medications immediately following surgery. My blood work is all in the normal range and my BMI is now under 25 and in the normal range for the first time in my life.

Even with the complications and the long journey I’ve traveled, I have no regrets and continue to thank God daily for blessing me with Dr. Spaw, his staff and this life-saving surgery!!
 

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Dr. Spaw,

As I told you recently, I truly believe that you saved my life when you installed my Lap-Band. I was under weight until I hit the age of 21, and for most of the past 40 years, have been over weight. I’ve gone on hundreds of diets and have lost more than 100 lbs. on four different occasions. My problem was that I always gained it back and more.

I had a heart attack at 39 and a quadruple by-pass at 55. I had also developed diabetes. Then I read about the Lap-Band in the Wall Street Journal, began doing some research, and found you. I weight 374 lbs when I started your pre-surgery diet. Two weeks later, on the day of surgery, I believe I weighed 353 lbs. I had problems walking one block.

It has now been a couple of days past 7 months since surgery and I weigh 289. I’m in D.C. this week with an associate and he talked me into walking from Union Station to our hotel, which he thought was only a couple of blocks away. 28 blocks later, we finally made it to the hotel with our luggage. That would have killed me 7 months ago.

The surgery was out patient. I had virtually no pain and only missed one and ½ days of work. I don’t count calories, fat grams, etc. I’m not on a diet. I try to eat healthier food, but the great thing is that I get full faster and stay full for 4 to 6 hours. I’m not sure I ever got full before the surgery. Now if I eat after feeling full, it comes back up, so I have learned to eat slowly and to quit as soon as I feel full.

The hardest part for me was the pre-surgery diet. After that, it has been great. No diet and losing weight. My wife says the most amazing thing is how much energy I now have.

Thank you so much for saving my life.

John

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I was lucky in that I did not get fat until after I started having my children. I was 30 years old when I had my first baby. I was VERY active as a child and I established eating habits that went with all that activity.

That is not a good thing when things change and you have to stay in with the kids, you are getting older, and your metabolism slows down. I ate like I did when I was twelve and gained lots of weight. I did exercise, but  not enough to keep up with my eating. As I gained weight the exercise got harder to do, so I sat alot and you know the rest--more weight!! I had the operation (lap gastric bypass) nine months ago (August 30, 2004), and I have lost 98 pounds. I  can get around so much better and I feel great. I was diabetic for eleven years and I still am, but my blood sugar numbers keep getting lower and lower as the weight goes down. Hopefully, I will soon be off all diabetic medicine.

This operation has changed my life. I stay up later, work harder and longer, and feel like a kid. I cannot say enough good things about Dr. Spaw. I still have to do my part, but without his help I would not have this opportunity to live a more normal life. God gave us good bodies, but for some reason some of us end up with a food addiction that is nearly as destructive as other addictions. I feel like I have been in detox. I can now function without the drug of enormous amounts of food. This freedom is something that cannot be described. I thank God that I got this chance to change. It is worth all that I went through to have the operation. I would do it again.

Update: July 13, 2006 23 months from surgery date
I have lost 120 pounds. I am off all diabetic medicine. I just cannot express the gratitude that I feel that I was able to have this operation. It changes every area of your life. Dr Spaw is a wonderful doctor and a nice person. All I can say is “Go For It!!” You have only GOOD things to look forward to!!!!

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Name: Billie
Age: 43
Date of surgery: June 05
Type of surgery: lap gastric bypass
Surgeon: Spaw
Any complications?: 1 Stricture

Briefly describe how you came to the decision to have surgery:
I had applied a couple of times to have Duodenal Switch and was denied because my BMI wasn't high enough for my insurance company to approve it. A friend of mine who'd had the DS strongly urged (basically begged) for me to inquire about gastric bypass and I began to consider that it as a possibility. I had initially consulted with Dr. Spaw's partner at the time and decided to check out Dr. Spaw instead because he does the surgery laparoscopically, and I was immediately impressed with Dr. Spaw's character and sincerity. He came highly recommended by my colleagues, who have worked with him in surgery before. The could not speak highly enough of his reputation as a surgeon and as a person. Pretty lofty words. I was impressed, because I have a lot of respect for my colleagues, and I know they had my best interest at heart. For this, and many other reasons, I believe this was the right path for me. And over a year later, I still think I made the right decision.

Briefly describe how surgery has affected your life:
Oh my gosh. Well, how long do you have? The list is long. But, I guess if I had to nail it down to a few things, I'd say...restoration of health. Recaptured and enhanced beauty, inside and out. Most of all, rediscovering the person I allowed myself to die to a long time ago. But the things contained in all these categories are many and have been a major adjustment. It's all good, though. Absolutely no regrets, except that I wish I had some years back, but...better now than never. I am so very extremely thankful. Words are not adequate to express the thankfulness that I have for being given back my life.

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Dr Spaw,

Like so many of the other letters I have read, I had been overweight most of my life. I had lost many pounds and gained many more. Diet never seemed to work. I weighed 320 pounds, yet I was blessed with good health. I did not have diabetes, high blood pressure or any of the other typical obesity problems, but I knew they would come. What I did have was an unwillingness to socialize with anyone outside of my own home. It was bad enough that my weight destroyed all of our furniture; I certainly didn’t want the embarrassment of ruining someone else’s. I new and could readily tell all the fat jokes, they’re funny. OK they’re not funny, but at least I could laugh rather than cry, on the outside anyway.

On August 4 2005 I had a duodenal switch. As with your other patients I came to a seminar, I truly didn’t come for information. My mind was made up; I knew I had to do the surgery. What I got was great information most of which showed me how ignorant I was about the surgery and about the after care as well. I also had the occasion to hear you speak and I knew with in seconds after you started that you were my doctor. I also had occasion to meet an unbelievable office staff, who made every step from insurance to post operative care easy.

I have encountered a procedure that works and an office staff who by their drive dedication and total professionalism intend that it will work for me. I certainly wanted this, I wanted to be slim again I did this for me, but it would break my heart to let the staff at the clinic down, and that also keeps me going. Less than a year after surgery I am down to 205 pounds and feeling great. It is hard even for me to believe that a year ago I wore size 54 pants and now 38’s are loose. My shirts looked like a walking advertisement for porno XXXX. Now they say M. I used to love one size fits all, it beat XXXX, today I refuse to wear it I wear M and I want M.

Mike