"Two days after my surgery, my diabetes was gone. A few months down the road my blood pressure was down to normal and there was no need for medication at all. In four months time after my surgery I was totally medication free. Imagine the savings at the pharmacy alone! My life has changed dramatically for the best." - Elihu
Surgical Type: Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass
Date: 11/2/2005
Weight Lost to Date: 125.7 lbs
 My name is Elihu. On November of 2005 I went to surgery with Dr. Jawad after carefully weighing out my life and health future at a few pounds short of 300 and only 5'5" tall, my waist was a tight 48", and my neck size if I wanted to buy a shirt had to be a 22". I suffered from extremely high blood pressure, diabetes type II and a number of issues with my joints and back due to my weight. It took eleven pills a day to keep me somewhat OK.
Finding clothes seating on an airplane, tying my own shoes, working on my yard, finding a seat with plenty of room in a restaurant or simply getting in my car had always been an issue. I felt tiered, out of breath, lethargic, and mostly frustrated with myself. I really never had to much of an issue with my self esteem, I knew I was capable in many aspects but my weight was literally holding me down.
Two days after my surgery, my diabetes was gone. A few months down the road my blood pressure was down to normal and there was no need for medication at all. In four months time after my surgery I was totally medication free. Imagine the savings at the pharmacy alone! My life has changed dramatically for the best. Today I am 150 pounds and have a 28 or 30 waist. My neck size went down to a 15 1/2 to 16, I am full of energy and fit almost anywhere. I am back inside my antique sports car and I feel terrific.
I always carry a picture of myself on my cell phone to remind myself how far I have come. It is a different life style as I can not eat or drink certain things because I know they will be bad for me and will eventually undo Dr. Jawad's masterpiece of a surgery and my hard work. I am very appreciative of his knowledge and professionalism and would recommend anyone with extreme obesity to consider this surgery.
Life is good and full of hope for my future. Thanks Doc.!
"Gastric Bypass Surgery has changed my life. I only wish I had the surgery sooner. I work on my NEW LIFE everyday. Do it again? Without a second thought. Thank you Dr. Jawad and everyone on your staff for giving both myself and my wife a new lease on life. You guys are the best!" - Michael
Surgical Type: Laparoscopic Gastric Banding
Surgical Date: 11/6/2006
Weight Lost to Date: 100 lbs
In November 2006, my life changed forever. I had finally made the decision to lose the excess weight I had been carrying around for years and regain my health. My stats at the time were: 5 ft. 6 inches tall, 267lbs, a BMI of 43% (obese), a waist line of 48 inches, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, high cholesterol and sleep apnea. My health was in bad shape and only getting worse.
Everything in my life has changed since the surgery. I'm eating a healthy diet. Taking my vitamins and protein supplements. I am now happily and habitually involved with regular exercise. To date I have lost 100lbs. My BMI is now 27% and I'm now wearing a size 30 inch waist (18 inches off my waist line). I feel great and I have so much energy now. My health has made a complete turn around. I no longer take ANY medications. My type II diabetes is resolved and all my labs are within the Normal ranges. I'm currently preparing for this year's 15k Gate River Run.
Gastric Bypass Surgery has changed my life. I only wish I had the surgery sooner. I work on my NEW LIFE everyday. Do it again? Without a second thought. Thank you Dr. Jawad and everyone on your staff for giving both myself and my wife a new lease on life. You guys are the best!
 "I am so thankful for Dr. Jawad and what he does. He does this surgery and has spent the time perfecting it because he cares for people and he wants to see them have a better life. I will forever be in debt to him." - Clara
Surgical Type: Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass
Date: 7/10/2002
Weight Lost to Date: 162.5 lbs
Where do I begin to say what having gastric bypass surgery has done for me. It has given me a whole new life. I am doing things now that I never in my life I would have thought that I would be doing. Before my surgery I could hardly walk around the house much less get out and go and do things. Shopping was pure torture. I had a bad knee and the doctors did not want to repair it because of my extreme obesity. Now it is a whole different story. I am so thankful for Dr. Jawad and what he does. He does this surgery and has spent the time perfecting it because he cares for people and he wants to see them have a better life. I will forever be in debt to him.
"I give back to Dr. Jawad and his practice because I'm so very grateful for the positive changes that I have experienced. I don't wonder about the road not taken and the only regret I have regarding my weight loss surgery is that I didn't take that path sooner! Thank you, Dr. Jawad and staff!! You are the best!" - Jan
Surgical Type: Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass
Date: 9/8/2004
Weight Lost to Date: 106.5 lbs
Have you ever made a momentous decision in your life – a really life-changing decision, and then wonder about the road not taken? I think we all have. I decided on a career path, a move to another state and lots of smaller decisions along the way and sometimes I daydream about what might have been and I let my imagination run wild. One decision I’ve made that really changed my life where I do NOT wonder about the road not taken is the one I made in 2004 when I had weight loss surgery under the caring and expert hands of Dr. Jawad.
Knowing that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect different results, I talked to my doctor about weight loss surgery because for me, dieting wasn’t a permanent solution to my morbid obesity. I chose Dr. Jawad as my surgeon because of his reputation, his skill, his very low complication rate and the entire program that he offers his patients. With Dr. Jawad, once you’re a patient, you’re a patient for life! Six month check-ups make sure that your labs are within normal limits for life, and not just during the initial weight loss phase. I wanted a surgeon and a hospital that met the Center of Excellence criteria and that’s exactly what I got with Dr. Jawad and Ocala Regional Medical Center.
I have never looked back after my surgery and within 6 months, I became an “angel” which means I visit new post-op patients at ORMC on the day after their surgery to show them what a successful post-op patient looks like and to show them that there is light at the end of the tunnel following the initial post-surgery discomfort that is normal. I also have been speaking with Dr. Jawad at the monthly informational seminars to answer questions from a patient perspective so folks who are considering weight loss surgery understand that in the hands of an expert, this does not have to be a dangerous surgery and that it is the best weight loss tool available to date for the morbidly obese.
I give back to Dr. Jawad and his practice because I’m so very grateful for the positive changes that I have experienced. I don’t wonder about the road not taken and the only regret I have regarding my weight loss surgery is that I didn’t take that path sooner!
Thank you, Dr. Jawad and staff!! You are the best!
"I no longer have severe knee and lower back pain. I fit in several sized from 6-10 and I fit in any pew or movie theater isle. I love the image in the mirror more and more everyday and yes even with the skin. My husband has a new woman and my daughter has a mom who will be around for a long time." - Jobi
Surgical Type: Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass
Surgical Date: 11/28/2005
Weight Lost to Date: 99.2 lbs
How can I possibly share my life's journey with you? How do I tell someone that my life consisted of heartache, depression, and self-mental torment? I guess the only way to tell you is to be vulnerable and brutally honest. I can remember my journey starting at five years old. I was 80 pounds in kindergarten. I was 180 pounds at twelve years old and by the time I was 23 years old I was 253 pounds. It's never easy being different than other kids. However, being obese as a child only lead to jokes, cruelty and very low self-esteem. I tried everything like so many of you have. Some of the programs I have tried are Weight Watchers, Metabolic Research, and the famous low carbohydrate diet. However, the pattern was always the same lose/gain and so the cycle went on. I felt like a failure most of the time and depression tagged right along with it. I dealt with sever self-anger. I hated me because I had a belief that since I wasn't skinny that I wasn't loveable.
I remember thinking that surgery was a cop-out and made for those who couldn't do it on their own. I believed that if I got surgery that it mean that I was even more of a failure and that my faith in Jesus wasn't strong enough. It meant I couldn't conquer this on my own. After numerous attempts of weight loss I threw my hand and my heart up to God and said, "That's it! I am sick of battling gluttony and the worship of food." However, I was incapable of change on my own and ready to be overweight the rest of my life.
Well, in the midst of those moments a familiar peace flooded my heart. I was though God was waiting for me to finally give up. Prior to this I had sought surgery just to see what would happen. Well, low and behold my insurance just opened up a Bariatric unit and Dr. Jawad was the closest surgeon to Jacksonville, Florida. I remember calling the office not knowing what to expect. To my surprise everyone was pleasant, helpful, and supportive. So, off to Ocala my husband and I went. It was pretty scary at first but it looked like a door was opening and Gastric Bypass Surgery was now in motion. I remember praying God if this is your will for my life than open every door. Well … He did! The doors flew open from Dr Jawad to my primary doctor, to the approval of my insurance company. WOW!
As my surgery date approached quickly, I was a wreck. I wondered if I would succeed, if I was going to die, or if I would have severe medical problems because of the aftermath of surgery and so on. So the day arrived it was November 28th 2005 weighing in at 231.5 pounds on my 5'2 frame at age 31. I was 100pounds obese and miserable. I blamed my weight for everything. I believe it was the source of all my problems. Yet it was just a symptom. Well, from surgery day until now I know that being overweight and miserable are just symptoms of an emotional imbalance that was hidden by a consumption of huge amounts of food.
Now here I am one year and 3 months later. I am now 127 pounds wearing a size 8!!!! The outside has changed almost overnight but the inside and who I am has been a process. Who I am on the inside and how I handle my emotions is what really needed to change all along. The weight was a symptom, the inside change a solution! What I ma trying to say in a nut shell is that you can be thin and miserable or obese and miserable. Here is the difference. It is what you do in the midst of your addiction being stripped away though surgery that will make you a success or failure. This surgery has been a tool, no doubt about it, but my lasting success will depend on my management of what life throws my way.
My success had been rooted in several areas. First and foremost is prayer. Prayer to God through Jesus Christ my Lord. I need help and strength everyday and it is in Him that I receive it. Second, has been the support of my husband, daughter and my family and friends. Without them I would not have had a shoulder to cry on and a place to vent my fears and frustrations. Third, is substitution? For every good dessert out there in the world there is a substitute. It is up to me to bake it with splenda myself or buy it. Finally it is remembering to keep the portions small.
Life now is not a box of protein bars. However it is much better than it use to be. In my career as a hairdresser, I no longer have severe knee and lower back pain. I fit in several sized from 6-10 and I fit in any pew or movie theater isle. I love the image in the mirror more and more everyday and yes even with the skin. My husband has a new woman and my daughter has a mom who will be around for a long time. I like to go to the gym now because I am not the big girl anymore. I have energy and feel good about life and what the future holds.
If I could tell anyone of you the ultimate key to success it would be to never go back to the wrong thinking of worthlessness, despair, and no hopelessness. When the thoughts come remind yourself that you have come this far, that your not a failure, and always remember Jesus will help you anytime you ask. Thanks for reading my testimony.
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