Patient Success Stories

Here you’ll meet others who are on the same journey for a healthier life. Their insights, support, and encouragement help pave the way to weight-loss success.

Sheila

Before

After

Hello! My name is Sheila. I am 56 years old and a musician. My starting weight was 218 lbs and I have lost 42 lbs. Though I still have another 40 lbs to go, my current weight loss success has changed my life tremendously!!

Prior to the age of 30, weight was never an issue, but after some illnesses and surgeries, my weight climbed from 115 lbs to 218 lbs. During those years of weight gain, I became a yo-yo dieter, attempting almost all of the diets out there. After losing a few pounds, I would always gain it back and more. Needless to say, it affected my health even more. My blood pressure went up, my joints became an issue, acid reflux appeared and my asthma became more difficult to handle. Within the first month of weight loss, I was able to come off of my High Blood Pressure medication as well as the medication for Acid Reflux and joint pain. My lungs are back to full capacity and my stage performances are effortless.

JourneyLite has given me the support and belief I needed in myself again. With the help of Dr. Curry and his team, I have lost 42 lbs in 8 months and reclaimed my self-confidence and self esteem. I workout with my Personal Trainer on a weekly basis and perform aerobic workouts with my very supportive husband. Good nutrition, exercise and team support!!! Thank you JourneyLite for assisting me in getting my health back. I’m looking forward to the next 40lb lost!!!

Before weight 218 lbs.
Current weight 176 lbs.

Marcy

Before

After

Whether it be overeating, skipping meals or attempting to stay on the latest diet and exercise routine, the battle to lose weight, and the hopelessness and defeat I experienced when I failed consumed my life.
I would step on the scale each day to see if I would be rewarded for following some diet (you name it, I tried it) or to see if I got away with overeating the day before. The number on the scale dictated what kind of day I would have.

I struggled making the decision to have LAP-BAND surgery for many reasons, one being, I had five teenagers at home and felt selfish paying for surgery when the money could go toward paying for college, home improvements, etc. I was sure that I would fail at this, too, and that this would be another sacrifice my family would make supporting my many weight loss attempts. Years of doctor’s appointments, diet pills, home exercise equipment and gym memberships add up. Having surgery was my last hope to be free from the cycle of eating, guilt, self-hate, dieting, hopelessness, eating, guilt, self-hating …

I have been liberated from the ever-present control food had over my life!

I have I have maintained an 85lb weight loss and have consistently lost weight or stayed the same for over 6 ½ years now. I no longer need to weigh myself every day because I already know “I didn’t blow it.” Food is no longer a priority in my life, and I feel in control. I am free!

The LAP-BAND really is a tool that you have to use for it to work … the difference with it and diets is that it truly does work if you use it the right way. On diet programs, I could have a bad day and sabotage myself. With my band adjusted properly, I can’t and I don’t.

People ask me if I would do it again, and my answer is always, “In a heartbeat!” My only regret is not doing it sooner.

Lisa

Before

After

I am a member of the clean plate club and I always clean my plate. In today’s society, MORE is always better. More in this case, was not better. I was consuming probably three times the amount of food that I probably should have consumed at a meal. This pattern of over eating had taken my 5’4”small boned body to a high of 256 pounds. My BMI was close to a 44.

I am an intelligent woman. I know the rules. But, at 41 years of age I found myself being a very unhealthy person. I was tired and had become less confident in myself. Obesity!! Ughhh, what a word! It just sounds so…..UGLY! With high cholesterol, burning GERD, pre-hypertension and a very achy back I knew my weight had reached a number that was over the limit and I had to get my life back.

DIET…again??? I just couldn’t do it again. I am a great dieter. I have lost weight on Diet Workshop, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Redux, cabbage soup diet and the list goes on and on. I can lose weight. I just couldn’t maintain my loss. You know the drill lose 50, gain 60 and so on. This time I wanted something FOREVER! I had heard about a procedure called LapBand and researched the idea. This was it! This was my answer. I visited Dr. Curry for the first time in August of 2005. He and his staff were compassionate and seemed to have a sincere understanding of my need. He had developed a program with an aftercare program, which provides the support I knew I needed to finally maintain the weight I was going to lose.

I had LapBand surgery on October 5th, 2005. Since that time I have successfully lost 85 pounds and kept it off for 5 ½ years. This is the first time that I have ever maintained a weight loss. My cholesterol, blood pressure and GERD are GONE! My back feels great. Living with a LapBand is liberating. A Lapband is a tool that reminds me of what a portion size really is. I eat a high protein, low carb diet. I never feel deprived because living with a LapBand is a way of life, not a diet.

Three years after I was banded, my 18-year-old daughter was also LapBanded. Agreeing with her decision to have a LapBand was tough. I living with the guilt that maybe it was my fault she had a weight issue. I was also nervous for her to have this type of surgical intervention at such a young age. The deciding factor for me to accept her decision was that I did not want her to live through her 20’s and 30’s yo-yo dieting just like I did. She did have surgery and has done really well. Now when we go out for dinner, we share a meal. It’s plenty, for both of us. Sometimes, we even have leftovers. She is happy and healthier. I am guilt free. You can read Lindsey’s story for all of her great details.

Lindsey

Before

After

Hi, my name is Lindsey. Since the first grade I have had problems with my weight, and since first grade I have been the “big” girl with the pretty face. I went from a size 6 in children’s clothes to a size 12 in one year. All throughout my childhood I was the “bigger” child, student and friend. In the sixth grade I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism, thinking that my problems were solved I realized that taking a pill would not help the weight come off. Being a three-time member of Weight Watchers, and failing all three times it really took a toll on my emotional and psychological love of food. I knew that no matter how many times I failed as a person, not just at Weight Watchers, and let myself down I knew that I had food to help me and that it would always be there. It was my only friend that would never leave me.

As an overweight child, I always felt different, like I was missing out on all the latest boyfriends, fashions and activities. I was always active however I was always the slowest and biggest. No matter my size, I always tried my hardest to not let my weight define who I was as a person. Sitting next to my fast and thin sister always made me self conscious, she was good at sports and even when we swam together just for the fun of it I always had a towel at the end of the pool waiting for me because I didn’t want people to see me and my body. Even through my teenage years I battled with my weight. A constant weight roller coaster always reminded me of my failures. Throughout high school I was everyone’s friend – not anything more. It was very hard for me to always be the girl that never had a date to a dance but with the great parents I have, they raised me to be a confident and beautiful young woman. So I knew that with all my girlfriends I would and could have a good time. I was not going to let a boy define me.

In December of my senior year I was diagnosed with hypertension. At this point, I knew that I couldn’t let my body destroy itself anymore than it already had at 18. At a constant weight gain cycle I topped at 243.6. I was the heaviest I had ever been at my senior prom. Two months before I bought my beautiful dress that was filled with sequins and beads, I was so ready to end my senior year feeling beautiful in my dress, but with my weight gain, the day of prom was not what I thought it was going to be. I put my dress on and it was so tight that when I took it off later that night the dress was imprinted into my skin. I felt unconfident, ugly and fat. My parents and I decided that my struggle with my weight was not going to ever be under control. I was going always have problems and would most likely not be getting any smaller as I got older.

As my mother was a patient of Dr. Curry’s, my parents and I decided that it was best for me to get a LapBand. Having hypothyroidism from a young age and hypertension as a senior in high school it was time for me to retake control of my life and lose this weight not only for my confidence but also for my health. I knew that it was not going to be easy but I knew that the future was bright. I had seen my mom lose 85 lbs. I knew that I was totally capable of losing this weight with the help of a LapBand. I received my LapBand on June 3rd of 2008 and I am very happy to say that I am 90 lbs lighter!! I feel more confident, excited and ready to take on new challenges in my life that I would have never wanted to before. Losing 90 lbs is very exciting but it is the little things that make losing the weight so much more meaningful. Little things like sitting in a chair and crossing my legs without being in pain, squatting on the ground, being able to feel my knee bones touch when I lay down at night; these are the small things that make it even more exciting for me.

I am going to be a senior at Ball State University & am on my way to graduating with my Bachelors of Science in Nursing. I would have never imagined taking this career path with the previous weight that I was. My graduation date is set for May of 2012 and I cannot wait for the new and exciting experiences that I will be able to have not only with my personal growth, but also being able to help children and teens just like myself that were not able to control their weight with just diet and exercise. If it was not for Dr. Curry and his amazing staff, there is no doubt in my mind that I would not be where I am today.