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Janel Lamb
Janel Lamb
Arizona
-53lbs
I had been relatively fit and thin as a child, I was a dancer all through my youth and teen years. I got married young and had 5 babies, and was able to keep my weight under control just fine, up until about 15 years ago. I moved to a new area, and dealt with some depression and a very busy life, and while neglecting myself the pounds started creeping on. I would lose a little here and there, and it would come right back. I ruined my metabolism with diet pills, and as my muscle decreased, my metabolism and hormones really got out of whack. I found myself in a place where all of my usual tactics and strategies to keep weight off weren’t working any more. I felt like such a failure after so many unsuccessful weight loss and fitness attempts, and to add to my misery, my sciatic nerve put me bedridden with acute piriformis syndrome. That’s where the deep muscle under my gluteus was actually inflamed and pinching my sciatic nerve. It was extremely painful. Once I recovered months later, I was unable to exercise, any strain at all would re-injure me and I’d be back in bed and in pain. My inflammation throughout my body was out of control, and I just couldn’t get a handle on what was happening to my body.
I tried intermittent fasting, keto, low carb, eating small meals every 2 hours, you name it, but the pounds kept packing on. Finally at 5’4 and 205 pounds, I attempted 75 hard, and the exercise put me back into physical therapy for my poor back and hips.
I had discussed weight loss surgery with my sister, we both knew multiple people who had done it with great success, so she got a referral from another family member about OCC, so we started looking into it as something we would do together. As it turns out, she was pregnant so has to wait, but I was already on the OCC train. I spent about 2 months watching YouTube, talking to friends, listening to podcasts, and reading everything I could. It all was starting to line up for me in my heart, and I knew it was time, so I called. I filled everything out online, and the next thing I knew, I was scheduled for September 1, 2021. My husband was skeptical yet supportive, he knew how I struggled and was behind me the entire way. However, now that I’ve done it and it’s been such a great thing for me, he’s a big cheerleader for weight loss surgery as well. I did very well on the pre-op diet, I went into surgery at about 187 lbs, and today, 4 months later, I’m 139 pounds. I went from size 14 and XL clothes to size 4 and SM clothes. It’s been truly miraculous for me, and Dr. Ortiz and his team made the entire process from the time I first pulled up the website and filled out the paperwork till I was on the plane home from San Diego and these last 4 months an amazing experience. I’ve been a pretty low maintenance patient, but I’ve felt supported and encouraged the entire way. I’m still in contact with my “ sleeve sisters” who I had surgery with, we really leaned on each other thru the first weeks of our journey together.
I plan to continue my weight loss and fitness journey, now that I can eat a little more protein my goal is to build my body back to a strong, healthy state, free of the crippling inflammation that was keeping me in pain, and be able to run around with my kids and grand babies for years to come.
