Jennifer Shemet of Lindenhurst had been overweight most of her life and had tried “everything that I could possibly imagine” to lose weight. “My family all have passed away from morbid obesity. I had just got married and wanted to start a family and I wasn’t able conceive because of my weight,” she said.
Having witnessed what she called the “phenomenal transformation” of one of her colleagues who was a patient of Dr. Arif Ahmad and Mather Hospital’s Center of Excellence in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery™, she decided to attend one of his bariatric surgery information seminars.
“I absolutely fell in love with Dr. Ahmad and his kind manner,” she said. “I actually told my husband it felt like I was sitting on a comfy couch during the seminar.”
She scheduled an appointment with Dr. Ahmad and they decided on the gastric sleeve procedure. “I knew I didn’t want to go totally invasive. I leaned toward the sleeve,” she said. “He asked about my eating habits and made me realize it was more of a portion control issue rather than an emotional issue. I was still working out and going to the gym, but my portion control was not in line.”
Jennifer, 37, had the surgery on May 22, 2019. “I didn’t lift finger. His staff told me what I had to do, when I had to be there. It was just a great experience.” Since then, her weight has gone from 305 to 210.
“I feel amazing. I am now off all of my meds – blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, Xanex, Lexapro. Everything except my vitamins,” she said. “I feel mentally healthier than I have ever been as well as physically healthier.”
She also appreciates the little things she can do now that were so difficult at her higher weight – “Tying my shoes, crossing my legs, putting sneakers on, picking stuff up off the floor, playing with my dog.”
Jennifer attends Dr. Ahmad’s bariatric support group meetings and speaks at some of his seminars. “I really try to be a support person for them because they all helped me,” she said. “I feel I should be a stand-up person and give back.”