Meet Amanda

What was life like before bariatric surgery?
Being 297 pounds and 5’0″ made it hard to enjoy day-to-day activities with my kids and granddaughter. I was always tired and out of breath and couldn’t walk very far without my whole body hurting. I suffered from knee and ankle problems from the weight.

If you put off the decision to come in for a long time, why was that? What kept you from booking a consultation?
I have struggled my whole adult life with my weight and looked many times into weight loss surgery, and I always backed out or was told by people in my life it was the lazy way out. So I decided that 2022 was the year I took back my life and had surgery.

What was it like to work with the team from the start of your journey to today?
The team at Panhandle has been amazing from my first call till today!! There has not been a time or question that they have made me feel like it was bothering them. They have been some of my biggest support in my journey to a healthier me. One of the biggest memories of my surgery was the day of my surgery. They were having a hard time getting my IV in. I had five amazing nurses try every trick they knew to get my vein. All I could do was cry, and around the corner walked Dr. Bo and the first words out of his mouth were let’s pray over you and our team. At that very moment, I knew I was exactly where I needed to be and had God’s hand on the Team and me.

What is your life like now? What’s the #1 thing you love being able to do now?
Eight months post-op, I can go to the park and hike with my family. I can walk the dogs and do everyday tasks without feeling I have to sit down and catch my breath.