Before & After Pictures &
Testimonials
The week of March 20, 2005 changed my life in
several ways. First, on March 20, my father
passed away. On March 23, I had lap band
surgery. It was important to my father that I
have this procedure. His ill health and
subsequent death was a result of years of being
obese. I was obese.
I
spent the first twenty years of my life on the
thin side. After having my first child at
twenty-one, I was never really thin again. I was
mildly overweight, or so I thought at about 140
pounds on my 5'6" frame. Gone were the days of
weighing 115. At age 30 I had my second child. I
gained a great deal of weight during this
difficult pregnancy and never lost it. I
continued to gain weight all through my forties.
By the time I was 50 I weighed 297 pounds and on
my way to eventual health problems.
I tried many different ways to lose weight over
the years. No need to recite the whole litany
here, we all now it by heart. I also tried to be
physically active and would succeed for awhile
until I would injure myself. Finally, at age 52
my father was in Stanford Hospital for a valve
replacement. Realization set in that his many
health problems all related back to his obesity.
I gave up carbs and in three or four months
dropped 25 pounds. I was able to keep these 25
pounds off for the next five years but never lost
anymore.
Basically I was healthy through all of these
years, no diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood
pressure. As I approached 58 things began to
change; the cholesterol was creeping up and so was
the blood pressure. I began to investigate weight
loss surgery. I knew many people who had gastric
bypass, some successfully, some with great
complications. Most of the people I knew who had
the bypass were in poor health and very
sedentary. That wasn't the case for me. The
thought of bypass really frightened me. I was not
willing to take the risks associated with it. I
had never had surgery and this frightened me,
also. Then I discovered Lap Band Surgery!
I searched the web to find everything I could
about this new procedure. Once I decided it was
for me, the next step was to find a doctor. Some
of the clinics and surgeons I contacted made
statements like, "you can eat what ever you want
after you have this done", or " We don't need to a
lot of medical examination or testing before you
have this done, come in the morning for a seminar
and we will operate that afternoon.". Then I
found Dr. Feng.
Everything Dr. Feng told me made good sound
medical sense. I felt confident in his ability.
He was comforting, friendly, approachable and
competent. March 23, 2005 at the age of 58, I
had surgery for the first time in my life. I was
not frightened or even apprehensive. I felt
completely at ease with Dr. Feng. I came through
the procedure well and was only in the hospital
overnight. In 11 months, I lost 101 pounds and
have kept them off. I went from a size 28 to a
size 14.
Lap Band surgery is not for everyone. If you are
looking for a quick simple fix, look elsewhere.
Lap Band is a tool to help you lose weight. You
still need to do the actual work. The band
enables you to be successful. You must eat
exactly as prescribed by Dr. Feng. You cannot go
back to eating the way you did before. You must
always watch what you eat to keep it off.
Exercise is also very important. I'm not talking
about going for a leisurely stroll, I mean a real
workout routine. I had started going to Curves
when I still weighed 275 pounds. It was very
difficult but I stuck with it. After seeing a
psychologist as part of my pre surgery workup, he
recommended that I go to a regular gym because
Curves would not be challenging enough after a
short while. I started at our local gym with a
personal trainer the month before my surgery..
The day I reached 20 minutes for a mile on the
treadmill was a milestone for me. I now can do
three miles on the elliptical in 24:25. I can
hike ten miles easily. I have no trace of
elevated blood sugar, cholesterol or blood
pressure. I have energy to spare. The gym is a
regular part of my day, I'm addicted to it. I
weigh everyday as that is the only way to stay on
top of any weight gain sneaking up. I travel to
Europe every summer and usually put on a few
pounds while I am there as I eat what I want. I
can take those few pounds off (5-7) when I get
home.
Through all of this Dr Feng has been not only
supportive,and helpful, but probably my biggest
cheerleader. He is there to point out how well I
did when I hit a plateau. He encouraged me to
keep trying and sticking to the program throughout
the plateau, that it would end soon. Dr. Feng is
also so accessible by phone and e-mail. Nearly
three years later I am still in contact with him
for support and good cheer.
I am now 60 and in better shape than I have ever
been in my whole life. I do not regret this for a
moment. Many surgeons offer this procedure but
few offer the support and competence of Dr. Feng.
If you are willing to work to lose weight, then
lap band is for you. If you are looking for a
magic pill, then look elsewhere.
Diane
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Dr. Feng was a very
personable, friendly, and extremely
knowledgeable doctor. He answered all my
questions thoroughly, and if I ever have
any other concerns a quick email to him
and he responds right away. Whenever I had
a question, I could either call or email,
if he was not in surgery, I would get a
response usually within 10 minutes. How
many of us can say that about any of our
doctors. Dr. Feng is top notch and the
support is before and after surgery is
beyond my wildest expectations!! I would
give Dr. Feng a rating of 10+++
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Dr. Feng was the sweetest, most informative
doctor and really cared about me and my concerns.
He responded to email questions within a couple of
hours. At my visit with him, he wasn’t in a
hurry, or checking his watch. He took as much time
as I needed. I would definitely recommend him to
anyone. He was great. Dr. Feng went over risks
very carefully. I was impressed. Dr. Feng is
awesome.
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Wow, Okay where do I
start? Dr. Feng is an AMAZING human being!
A very competent Doctor, kind man, and
there is an extremely compassionate energy
to him! When I went to my consultation he
was upbeat and positive about the
procedures that he did, but got across the
complications and risks involving surgery
very well. He explained how complications
could arise and the impact that it could
make on someone's life. He recommended the
Vertical (Sleeve) Gastrectomy as my best
choice, and I agreed... at the time LOL!
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I went along slowly
converting my thinking back to the
Duodenal switch, but then when I talked
with him again I remembered WHY the VG
(Vertical Gastrectomy, or sleeve
gastrectomy) was the surgery for me! He
has so much knowledge of the surgeries and
I am glad I didn't get the DS! I am even
more impressed with him now than.
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