From desperation to hope: A Gastric Sleeve Patient’s testimony
“Oh man, when I look at my face in this photo I just want to reach in and tell her that everything is going to get better!”
That’s how it all started for Catherine Vandas, a brave patient of VGS (Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy) back in 2016, when she decided to get bariatric surgery in an effort to save her life. Her decision was made out of desperation, fear and urgency to get her mental and physical health back.
“In an act of desperation, I had gastric sleeve surgery, which basically means I had 80% of my stomach removed. And I was so embarrassed that other than my family and closest friends I didn’t tell ANYONE! (Isolation=Bad) It was this or go back to the treatment centre for help, and guys, I was in a bad place, the shame, depression and guilt was beyond me.”
Medical care that exceeded expectations
When Catherine first arrived at LIMARP, she wasn’t expecting the cleaness, professionalism and care she received…
“Where I live, the waiting list for this surgery was 7 years. I knew I would be dead in 7 years. So my husband and I made the decision to do it privately and we flew to Mexico for the surgery. You may think this is crazy but let me tell you, the hospital in Mexico was like no other I have ever experienced (and I’ve been in a lot of hospitals). You could have eaten off the floor. It was so clean and I was constantly surrounded by doctors and nurses.”
The importance of comprehensive treatment
As Catherine herself acknowledges, losing weight is not the solution for everything, you have to break the unhealthy habits that untreated emotions and psychological issues can cause.
“As hard as that surgery was, the vsg was the first step in saving my life – it helped me lose a lot of weight, but the problem was, since I had never heard of food addiction I was still eating all my “drug” foods and before long I started to figure out how to “beat the system”. If I had known about #food addiction and had been treated for that at the same time as the VSG my story would have looked a lot different. I hovered for the next several years between 230 lbs – 240lbs. Then the pandemic hit.”
Multidisciplinary approach for long-term results
Our experienced team of bariatric and plastic surgeons, nutritionists, psychologists, and physical therapists at LIMARP, collaborate to design fully personalized, comprehensive weight loss plans that reflect your individual goals and needs. We take a whole-person approach—supporting not just your physical health, but also your emotional and mental well-being—so you feel guided and cared for every step of the way, before, during, and after your procedure. This multidisciplinary approach not only helps you achieve meaningful weight loss, but also empowers you to sustain those results long term.
If you have any questions about the weight loss methods we offer, please contact us. Fill out our contact form, reach out through any of our social media platforms or call us at (619) 270-8823 or (306) 500-6618.
