Results from Our Long Island Program — Weight Loss Surgery Testimonials and Photos

We know that the decision to undergo bariatric surgery is not easy. That is why we give you the information you need to decide if surgery is the right choice for you. The following stories and before-and-after images truly illustrate how weight loss surgery, such as gastric bypass and the LAP-BAND® System, has improved the lives of many people suffering from morbid obesity.

Contact our Long Island center to learn how weight loss surgery through the Winthrop Surgical Weight Loss Program can help improve your life.

• Testimonials
• Before and After Photo Gallery

Testimonials from Our Weight Loss Surgery Patients

Read about how Dr. Collin Brathwaite and Dr. Alex Barkan and their caring staff in Long Island have helped improve the lives of many weight loss surgery patients. In addition, we encourage anyone considering obesity surgery to attend our support group meetings where they can speak with some of our present and former patients.

"I wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Brathwaite and his exceptional team…"

The decision to undergo weight loss gastric by-pass surgery was not an easy one for me. So many stories circulate about bad and good experiences, I was apprehensive. After my doctor suggested I consider the surgery, I embarked on a one-year fact-finding mission to educate myself about the process.

Luckily I came across Dr. Collin Brathwaite's Center of Excellence and decided to attend his first orientation meeting. From that first meeting, I received professional, competent and compassionate assistance from Dr. Brathwaite and all his staff.

The surgery was quick and virtually painless, for me. I was back to work after a week. The staff at Winthrop Hospital were attentive and the stay was short. After the surgery, I rigidly followed all directions and guidelines for eating. I am pleased to say that the experience has been amazing! After five months, I have lost over 60 pounds. I feel wonderful! At 65 years of age, I am able to do so much that was becoming more and more difficult for me; walking, swimming, cleaning house and just enjoying the outdoors.

This surgery not a quick fix. It takes work and commitment. I wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Brathwaite and his exceptional team and thank them for giving me a new lease on life.

Diana W.

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"…it's the aftercare that truly matters."

I would very much like to attest as to the expertise of Dr. Brathwaite - not only to his surgical ability but to his ever so important follow-up care that he provides. We can all go in but it's the aftercare that truly matters.

Jackie M.

"I can not even begin to explain how wonderful I feel."

On a scale from 1 to 10, I rate Dr. Brathwaite and his staff a 15!! They saved my life.

Actually, they gave me a life. They go above and beyond! I am doing things today that I have never done or been able to do for most of my adult life. I have absolutely no regrets. Well maybe I regret not doing this sooner.

I walked into an Orientation meeting in April of 2007, weighing over 370 pounds. I made my decision that night to have the gastric bypass surgery. I immediately
started the first part of my journey. I joined Curves in May of 2007 and started to seek the help of a nutritionist. By the time I had completed all my tests and was ready for the surgery, I had taken off about 50 pounds. This I did so I would be in better shape for the surgery and to help shrink some of my organs for the surgery.

I had my surgery on September 4, 2007. This is sort of like my new birth date. The surgery was a complete success. I felt wonderful within days of the surgery and started the second part of my journey. I have taken off an additional 135+ pounds.

I have my blood tested every three months, and attend the support groups on a monthly basis. I had thought, years ago, that the surgery was the easy way out. I know today there is no such thing as the easy way out. This is a tool and not a cure. The surgery assists in getting the weight off. Along with the surgery, I must exercise, eat right, work through the feelings that drive me to the food (I see help through therapy for this), and follow the directions of Dr. Brathwaite and his staff.

I can not even begin to explain how wonderful I feel. I can not express the gratitude I have for Dr. Brathwaite and his staff. I believe Dr. Brathwaite is one of the most compassionate doctors I will even meet. He is a man that believes deeply in what he does and cares deeply for all of his patients. He is the man for the job.

I had lost weight hundreds of times in my life, but I was never able to keep it off. I would get a certain amount of weight off and then I would lose my momentum and start to gain back the weight I lost, plus more. I began to think I was never going to lose the excess weight. As out of shape as I was, I knew in my heart that was only going to get worse. I had to do something and I had to do it now!

Since the Surgery, I am experiencing life, rather than being a spectator for those who experience it. I can play with my daughter and not get out of breath and have to sit down after five minutes. I recently rode on a Go-Cart for the first time in my life. What a thrill. We have plans on going to a water park this summer and I will actually be on the rides, rather that holding everyone’s towels waiting at the end of each ride. There is a pretty good chance I will be around to see my daughter grow up. I did not really have much of a chance of that happening at the rate I was going.

I have flown on a plane and did not need the seatbelt extension. I sat in the seat on the plane and did not flow over into the seat next to me. I no longer have to look around the room for a chair large enough and strong enough for me to sit in. There are no more X’s in my clothing sizes. There are not enough hours in the day for me to use up the energy and zest I have for life.

I am 50-year-old and I feel like I am 15. I could go on and on. The bottom line is that I wake up in the morning saying “Thank God for another day” rather than “Oh God, not another day."

I am a satisfied customer. I am truly blessed.

Kelly G.

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"…I've put my life in his hands several times and would recommend him to everyone."

I have been a patient of Dr. Brathwaites' since January 2005. After joining Weight Watchers and losing 60 pounds, I couldn't lose any more and was becoming dangerously unhealthy so I did some research and decided to have a roux-en-y gastric bypass.

My surgery was on May 5, 2005. I was impressed with Dr. Brathwaite from the first time I met him. He is such a knowledgeable, caring doctor and person. He pulls no punches and makes everything you need to know very clear and understandable.

Before my bypass surgery, I underwent a series of tests and consultations which included some of the following: Nutrition Consultation, Psychiatric Consultation, Cardiology Consultation, Pulmonology Consultation, and a Sleep Study. I also had to undergo an upper endoscopy, gallbladder ultrasound, and lab work. I also attended an educational seminar with Dr. Brathwaite and some of his staff, which was very informational. Then I attended two support group meetings.

Yes, it seems to be an awful lot to do just to have a gastric bypass but it is so very important to have all the facts and to make sure that you are prepared mentally and physically for such a drastic lifestyle change.

The staff at Dr. Brathwaites' office is always cordial and ready to help in any way they can. It is such a pleasure to be a patient in his office.

My weight loss in the first year was very dramatic. I attended many support group meetings, which helped me very much. I learned that everyone that has the gastric bypass or banding is very different. I found myself comparing my weight loss to others which is not the thing to do. Everyone's body is so different.

When I started on this venture of changing my life I weighed in at 343 pounds and wore a size 32-34 -- uncomfortably at that. Today I weigh 170 pounds and am wearing a size 14. It is truly amazing at how different my life is thanks to Dr. Brathwaite and myself, of course.

I must tell you that Dr. Brathwaite has also operated on me on three other occasions. In November 2006 he repaired an umbilical hernia alongside Dr. Aurora, who at the same time performed a tummy tuck. Then I was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on my left kidney and had it removed in April 2007, but developed a huge hernia on my left flank which Dr. Brathwaite also repaired. And, because the hernia was so big, it reoccurred and in May of this year Dr. Brathwaite, alongside a plastic surgeon, repaired it again. So you see I've put my life in his hands several times and would recommend him to everyone who needs his services. He is truly a fantastic surgeon and a wonderful human being.

Carmen B.

Contact the Winthrop Surgical Weight Loss Program in Long Island to learn how weight loss surgery can help you achieve your health and weight loss goals.

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Patient Photo Gallery — Before and After Weight Loss Surgery

Through weight loss surgery, our patients have achieved significant weight loss and gained the confidence and motivation they needed to start healthy new lives. View some of their transformation in images both before and after surgery.

Contact our Long Island bariatric surgery center to learn more about weight loss surgery and the many benefits it provides.

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