Kathy I. "My life is better with each passing year!" Surgery Date: July 2000 Surgery:  Gastric Bypass My Life Before Bariatric Surgery My medications used to arrive in huge boxes delivered by UPS.  Now they arrive in an envelope and they are mostly vitamins.  I was an insulin dependent diabetic.  My blood pressure was sky high.  I suffered from depression and anxiety attacks.  My agoraphobia was so severe that I wouldn't leave the house at all--not even to get the mail.  I was 53 and felt my life slipping away.  I had always been thin until the birth  of my second child.  Then my weight ballooned to 311--almost overnight (or so it seemed).  Physical and emotional problems quickly followed my rapid weight gain.   My children really missed out on so much.  Making the Decision A close friend of mine had gastric bypass surgery and I watched her success.  Although I was thrilled for her, I was still afraid of having surgery.  I was intriged enough though to attend a support group and that is what finally helped me to make my decision.  Surrounded by so many people whom had found new lives--I scheduled a consultation.  The consultation was very informative and all of my questions were answered in a respectful and caring way.  I felt assured that this was the place to have my surgery.  After that, things went very quickly.  The consultation was in May, the insurance approved the surgery in June and I had surgery in July.  Making Success Happen I eat so much healthier.  I never really thought that I was eating "bad"--oh boy what a change.  I now realize how little I need to eat to be healthy.  Once I made the committment to this new way of eating, I found it to be oh so easy.  I have been active in my local support group since before my surgery.  Support groups help you to be accountable--both to yourself and to the other support group members.    How My Life Has Changed I have lost almost 160 pounds and have gone from a size 30/32 to a size 8/10.  I am no longer diabetic and my blood pressure is normal.  I am off all of the medications that I took for both of these.  I no longer suffer from panic attacks or agoraphobia.  It has been 9 years since my surgery and life just keeps getting better and grander with each passing year.  I am now 62 years old and this past summer, I spent three days at Kings Island and 3 days at Cedar Point as a member of the Central Ohio Roller Coaster Club.  I can do so many things that for years my life was closed to.  I have my life back again and I feel like I did at age 30.  I now work for with a national dog rescue organization, run a radio station with dj's from all over the world and am a support group leader for Barix Clinics.  All in all, my life at age 62 is better than it has been in 30 years.   Final Thoughts... I was so at peace on the day of surgery.  I knew deep down that this was going to give me back my life.  The care that I received at the hospital and for all of my follow ups was top notch.  I would not hesitate to recommend Barix Clinics to anyone.