Patients Talk

 

"I Lost It All And Gained Everything."

Being extremely overweight was damaging Stephanie Rhyner’s self esteem and keeping her from living the active life of a single 26-year-old woman. Since turning 15, she had been battling her weight. Year after year she exercised and tried one diet plan after another. But despite these efforts, the 5’ 4” blonde’s weight had climbed to 287 pounds.

Despite working as an emergency medical technician, her life wasn’t enjoyable. “I was depressed and frustrated with not losing weight. I wasn’t dating and really didn’t like myself. Shopping for clothes was a chore. I knew I had to do something more about my weight.”

After considering other surgical weight loss programs, Stephanie chose the Carondelet program. “My mother heard it advertised on the radio. We met the staff and liked them. They were very supportive.” Stephanie’s parents also encouraged her to proceed with the surgery before her weight began to seriously affect her health.

Following the surgery, Stephanie didn’t work for six weeks and avoided heavy lifting to allow her body time to heal. “It took awhile for me to adjust to the new diet, but now I am okay with it. I attended support group meetings and that helped.”

With her weight down to 160 pounds, very close to her goal of 130 to 140 pounds, Stephanie says, “My life has changed dramatically. I feel better both physically and emotionally. I am much more self-confident, have more energy, and am much more active. I go out more and now shopping for clothes – not just shoes – is fun.”

 

Download Stephanie’s story