At the Texas State Fair last year, I saw a good friend of mine who had lost an an amazing amount of weight and was singing the praises of Dr. McCarty and the Gastric Sleeve. He knew I had previous surgery that did not work for me long term and said I should have Dr. McCarty do a revision to the Sleeve. I said I absolutely was done with surgery and disappointment and I just could not do it. However I could not get the thought out of my head. December 5, 2014 I had a consult with Dr. McCarty and by the end of that same month, I found myself in surgery.
My previous surgery, a Vertical Banded Gastroplasty, had been an absolutely awful experience. The original surgery, being 16 years before, was fully open and very painful. That doctor did not follow up well or have good aftercare. I almost got pneumonia in the hospital back then. I did lose weight for a while, but gained it all back and then some. I had frequent stabbing pains in my gut, vomited many foods including healthy vegetables, and had constant heartburn. I had recently started a beta blocker for elevated heart rate after 2 emergency room visits and was on a high dose of blood pressure medicines.
Although I was dead set on never going through a gastric surgery again, I was back up to almost 380 lbs and having major health issues. I could not walk upstairs, my knees hurt, bad sleep apnea, blood pressure and more. When I met with Dr. McCarty, he spoke with confidence and understanding. In that life changing visit, he had put my mind at ease and I knew I was at the right place. I really felt like God guided me here at this point in my life.
If you are looking for a doctor that will be honest and straight forward about your weight and your health and show you great empathy and understanding while helping you make an informed decision, go see Dr. McCarty. If you want someone to sugar coat everything and tell you you’re pretty, go see a phycologist or your best friend. Dr. McCarty may seem blunt to some, but this is not a time for sugar coating, this is a time for a possible life and death decision. The person that had sworn off surgery found himself praying that he could do this ASAP. It was amazing how quickly things fell into place and I was scheduled to have surgery within 3 weeks of that first visit. Although I had scar tissue from the old Vertical Banded Gastroplasty and a plastic ring to be removed, he was able to still do this all laparoscopically. He removed the scar tissue, the plastic ring, and converted to a sleeve. I was sore when I woke up, but the surgery took way less time than expected and I was not hurting nearly like I expected. Had it been my first surgery I might have gone home the same day, but with a revision being more extensive I stayed overnight.
The weight came off quickly and within 7 months or less I had lost close to 100 lbs. I no longer have any stabbing pains or vomiting or heartburn that I had from my old surgery, it was all corrected. I am SO thankful for my friend telling my about Dr. McCarty and his amazing office staff and thankful that he gave me the courage to go through with this procedure. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I’m hoping to drop another 25 pounds or so still. So far I take 1/4 of the beta blocker I was taking and half the blood pressure medicine. I can walk up stairs no problem and work on house projects and go to outdoor events with my husband without always being out of breath. If you are thinking of having weight loss surgery, you are at the right place.*
