Pam
My name is Pam Whitmire and I had battled weight problems for most of my life. It felt like I had tried every diet on the market, every workout fad, and every pill known to man to try and lose and maintain a healthy weight but I am sure that I had missed a few. Almost all of these would provide a period of short term success, but I always gained the weight back plus a few extra pounds. This became the norm for me....a continuous, never-ending struggle between me and my weight with me always on the losing end.
In October of 2007 I received the wonderful news that I was to be a grandmother for the first time. I had never been so excited. The update the following January was that my grandson was to be born in June. This was touching news to me as I am the mother to a son who is my only child. As I looked back on all the activities that my son and I did together as he was growing up, I realized that my weight would restrict what I would actually be able to do with my grandson. This revelation was very disheartening to me. My son and his family lived in Idaho and due to the distance between us I wanted what limited time that I would get to spend with my grandson to be of the highest quality. I wanted him to be able to look back and remember his “Mimi” running and playing with him. Not just watching him because she was too big. I wanted him to know that when he was with me that we would play and have fun and not have to be limited by what I could and could not do due to my weight.
In February of 2008 during a routine doctors visit I consulted with my primary care physician about my constant weight struggles. The option of surgery for my weight problem came up and he confirmed that it was a very viable option and that I was a great candidate. He highly recommended that I contact Dr. Kureshi to answer more questions that I might have. I called Dr. Kureshi's office and made an appointment as soon as I could. In my first visit and initial consultation with Dr. Kureshi he answered all of my questions and he made me feel very at ease. We discussed ALL of my options and he made recommendations but it was always my decision as to what was best for me. He was very personable and for the first time ever, I felt like I had someone in my corner and on my side that could help me beat my weight problems. The thing that still to this day sticks out to me was one of the first questions Dr. Kureshi asked. He asked me how much weight I wanted to lose. My reply was that the actual pounds didn’t matter, that my sustained health was much more important than just losing the weight. I wanted to be able to play with my grandson for years to come.
Sam was born June 1, 2008 and I had my weight loss surgery on August 19, roughly three months later. It's been almost 3 years now since my surgery and to date I have lost 130 pounds!!! Wow!! I have gone from a size 20 pants to a size 5, and gone from a 3X tee shirt to a medium blouse. The most amazing part is that I have been able to keep the weight off, not gained any back AND I continue to still lose weight. Besides the weight loss the additional health benefits have been incredible. I have been able to stop taking all my blood pressure medication as well as other medications related to my excessive weight. I suffered greatly from sleep apnea and had to use a CPAP device while I slept. Now I have no problems with sleep apnea and my CPAP machine sits in my closet.
Thank you Dr. Kureshi for giving me my life back and thank you Sam for giving me a reason to finally get healthy for good.
Sam is 3 years old now and we run and play constantly. We have incredible amounts of fun. I also have another grandson now Corbin who was born on December 16, 2010. He and Sam keep their Mimi very busy. We look forward to many more active years together and hopefully a granddaughter in the future. I have achieved my ultimate goal........I can play with my grandbabies. I am truly BLESSED!!!