
My Journey to Choose Weight Loss Surgery
I love the new me — thanks to the help of Dr. Holder-Haynes and her staff! —Sherry M.
I started to have severe pain on my left side, lower back area. The pain would resonate down my left leg and cause me to experience poor equilibrium and numbness. The pain had gotten so bad, I had to balance/brace myself, when standing up or else I would fall.
I went to three doctors looking for answers and relief for the disabling pain. People say that the third time's a charm, and they were right! I went through three MRIs and plenty of pain medications. I had two bulging disks in my back and two centimeters of my spine had collapsed and were pressing against each other.
My doctor told me that being overweight was causing the bulk of the problems with my pain and suggested three options: lose 100 pounds on your own, have back surgery, or have bariatric (weight loss) surgery. At this point, with the excruciating pain I was experiencing, I just wanted to stop hurting and release the agony. As you can see, I chose option three: the charm number!
Weight Loss Surgery at Baylor Medicine
I met with Dr. Juliet Holder-Haynes to discuss weight loss surgery. After reviewing my case and my options, she recommended gastric sleeve surgery as the best option for me. She really took the time to look at my specific issues and recommended what would work best for me.
Results
I had surgery in August 2014 and following surgery, I have lost 115 pounds and I feel and look GREAT!
My life has been so different since surgery. I no longer suffer with back pain, leg pain, and numbness in my leg, being off balance, and the misery of carrying around 268 pounds of weight. I love the new me, thanks to the help of Dr. Holder-Haynes and her staff. Thanks you for letting me tell my story to help others overcome their weight-related challenges and share the hope I found in a new life!
Kimberly's Story
Kimberly Craig was active and played many sports growing up —football, hockey, basketball, and more. In fact, she lettered in high school and college for sports. But when she was 27, she got pregnant and gained 150 pounds.
After many years of trying various diets and exercises to lose weight, Craig knew she needed more help. And so, she went to the Weight Loss and Metabolic Center at Baylor Medicine.
“I want to be a grandmother who plays on the ground with her grandkids,” Craig says. “And I want to retire and hike mountains.”
After losing 85 pounds on her own, she had weight loss surgery on December 8, 2021. Since then, she has gone from 255 pounds to 164 and from a size 24 to a size 10. After weight loss surgery, Kimberly is enjoying life so much more. She has started sailing with friends, completed a few 5k races, went on a rope swing and swung to the other side without falling, goes mountain biking on the weekends, and says she is happier.
“I do my hair and makeup more,” she says. “I smile more. I do more. I don’t stay inside like I used to.”
Lindsay’s Story
I was always bigger than my friends when I was a little kid and very self-conscious about it. In high school I thinned out and learned to be confident and comfortable in my appearance. I was happy and didn’t stress over my weight for several years. In my mid twenties I accepted a job that had very long hours and often I was called in to work in the middle of the night. I started eating a lot of fast food and was using soda to keep going during the day to make up for the lack of sleep. It resulted in almost a 100-pound weight gain in one year. As my career changed my eating habits did not. I continued to gain weight into my thirties. Eventually, I developed hypertension then polycystic ovaries. Significant depression followed.
I tried to lose weight. I did every fad diet that was popular, and even some that were normally successful for long term weight loss. I could lose 30 pounds max. No matter what I did I could not break that 30-pound barrier. I was so frustrated I went to my doctor and was started on medications to help get the weight off. One year, multiple drugs, and a new diagnosis of prediabetes later, I was at my heaviest of 272 pounds.
I did very well at hiding exactly how depressed I had become. Only those closest to me knew I was depressed, but I don’t think they even knew how bad it had become. It seemed like I had lost control of my life and just didn’t care anymore.
I realized one day that I needed more help than diets and medications. I was 38 years old, morbidly obese, and taking 6 medications to control my chronic medical conditions. I was no longer willing to accept this for my life. One Monday morning I called the Weight Loss & Metabolic Center at Baylor St. Luke’s and made an appointment. They had an opening that week and they invited me to attend one of their bariatric information seminars that were scheduled for the next day. I left the information seminar knowing I was making the best decision of my life. I was going to take my life back.
The information session was on October 2, 2018. I had gastric bypass on February 5, 2019, at 268 pounds. One year after surgery I was 165 pounds with a 37-inch waist. That is 103 pounds lighter and 16 inches off my waist. I had gone from a size 22 to a 12. I can’t even put into words how I felt that day when I added up my losses. Another huge achievement is my A1C went from 6.2 to 4.9. My blood pressure is controlled without any medications. My hormones leveled out. My depression is gone.
I’m proud of myself, but I cannot begin to express how thankful I am for my surgeon.
Elita’s Story
When I came to Dr. Holder-Haynes, I was in the worst possible condition. I was not able to talk without hearing me huffing and puffing as if I just ran a marathon. I would fall asleep when talking to people. I decided that this is my life and I have to give myself a second chance.
After my gastric sleeve procedure, the hardest part was during the beginning. I did everything the doctor’s instructed and have lost a lot of weight. In fact, I wasn’t expecting to lose this much in such a short amount of time. I started at 383 pounds and I’m now down to 241.
My mentality has changed drastically. I see another perspective of life, with other colors. I go the extra mile every day and am enjoying every step and change during this process.
Former NFL Super Bowl Champ tackles his health with transplant and bariatric surgery
Featured on Fox26, Gaylon Hyder shares how Dr. Holder-Haynes helped him lose 125-pounds and reverse his painful condition.