At 25, Amanda S. was ready for a change. Despite cycles of dieting and trying all of the fat diets, where she would lose a little bit of weight and gain it all back, she was considerably overweight. And it was affecting everything from her energy and confidence to her health. She was already pre-diabetic and showing signs of heart disease. And then a friend recommended Dr. Sasse.
The First Step
Amanda had tried researching bariatric surgery. It didn’t go well. “It’s overwhelming with all the information you find or don’t,” she says. And then there’s the stigma surrounding weight loss surgery. Making the decision to get information and details specific to her health history and weight loss goals was an important first step, and it lead to Amanda’s gastric sleeve procedure being scheduled for March 2020 — just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down.
In the days leading up to her procedure, Amanda cycled through nerves and anxiety. “I almost chickened out, to be honest,” she says. “But I knew I was doing it for the right reasons. It wasn’t for ‘looks’ — it was for my health and my children.
Amanda describes the procedure itself as fairly quick. She say the recovery wasn’t bad, and she found the first few weeks post-procedure interesting. “You’re used to eating so much, and then you can’t.” But two years later, Amanda is embracing it all. “There are a few things that my stomach doesn’t like, but I can still find low-calorie options for all my favorite foods!”
Experienced Advice
Amanda has the benefit of experience, which makes her qualified to share helpful advice for anyone who find themselves in the same place she was just two years ago. Like other metabolic surgery patients, she’ll be the first to tell you that weight-loss surgery shouldn’t be considered a quick fix. “You really need to be ready to make changes in your life with exercise and finding low calorie options for your favorite foods,” she says. “It’s not something you do, then go back to your old ways and hope you don’t regain.”
A Personal Recommendation
Finding a surgeon you can trust is a huge contributor to a successful outcome. Amanda credits Dr. Sasse for calming her nerves before her procedure. “I think the weeks leading up to my surgery I called at least 10 times to get all the details,” she says. “Dr. Sasse will answer anything and everything — even half hour before my surgery he went over the whole procedure again.”
She describes Dr. Sasse and his team as amazing. “Even with follow ups, everyone in the office will answer questions and encourage you when you are discouraged and slip up because they realize everyone is human.”
