Hello, my name is April, and I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about my lifetime struggle with weight and the toll it had taken on my life.

I was a small-framed and lightweight child until the time I was around 6 years old. At that time, I started to gain weight each year. By the time I was in the 6th grade I was a large child, and by today’s standard, I would have been considered obese. The onslaught of weight continued through my school years. This made my childhood and teenage years very difficult in some respects such as the kidding I received from my classmates, being unable to keep up in sporting activities, and just general, normal adolescent behavior. My mother tried to keep me involved in activities such as Flag Line, but even this amount of exercise did not decrease my weight or weight gain.

As I matured, my adolescent obesity condition developed into Adult Obesity. I had tried so many diet and exercise programs over the years, it is mind boggling. I did have moderate success for limited amounts of time with each program I tried. But, in the end, I would gain back all of the initial weight I had lost plus an additional 10, 15, or 20 pounds. It became very depressing to even attempt weight loss due to these factors.

By the time I was 25 years old I had become morbidly obese and started developing obesity-related diseases such as Hypertension, Type II Diabetes, Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome, High Triglycerides, High Cholesterol, Severe Joint Pain and difficulty with day-to-day living. I was unable to do simple tasks such as crossing my legs or tying my shoes. Even cleaning my home had become a very difficult chore. I was at the end of my rope. I had come to terms with the fact that I would be obese for the rest of my life until it killed me.

At the age of 31 I was introduced to a surgical procedure for weight loss that would change my life, the Lap-Band System. Dr. Jeffrey L. Caylor introduced me to the idea of a surgery that did not require stapling of my stomach or re-routing of my intestines. He told me about a procedure that simply placed a silicone band around the stomach, providing a smaller stomach pouch and helping keep me from feeling hungry. The idea was amazing to me. On February 23, 2003, I underwent the Lap-Band surgery at South Baldwin Regional Medical Center in Foley, Alabama. I was only in the hospital overnight and went home the next morning feeling wonderful about the decision I had made and the journey I had embarked on.

I was eating soft foods within 48 hours and feeling thinner than I did when I went into the hospital. By the end of the first month I was down 20lbs and feeling better about myself than I had in years. Every month after that I lost an average of 10 pounds a month for 8 months, giving me a total of 100lbs of weight loss in 9 months. I had reached my weight loss goal of 90lbs plus 10 more. I was thrilled with my new life and my new appearance.

It is now 2 years later and I have maintained my weight loss and am enjoying my life as a thinner, healthier person. I owe it all to Dr. Jeffrey Caylor and the Lap-Band System. Due to my new lifestyle, which includes better eating habits and exercise, I no longer have any of the obesity-related disease and conditions I had before my Lap-Band surgery. I feel that I have added countless years to my life.