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2-16-01 My sister and my mother both had the surgery and are doing well. It's my turn. I'm doing so much research my eyes are getting fuzzy. Alittle about me. I'm turning 40 in April 2001. I weigh 246 at present and am 5'6" tall. BMI 40.9. I am a mother of two, a daughter 18 and a son 12. I LOVE horses and have 2 of my own. I plan on being able to ride again. 3-8-01 I've been so busy doing research. I am as ready as I'm going to be. I got an appointment with Dr. Snyder next Wednesday (3-13-01). I am sure he is the one who can help me. I went to his lecture at St Anthony's North here in Denver and was very impressed. My daughter, who is 18 years old, came with me. She asked if she could and I said "of course". I have sooooo much family support for this I just hope the insurance company (blue cross/blue shield) feels the same way. I'll update more later. 3-12-01 Over the weekend my mother and my sister wrote letters of support and personal testimonials for me to give to the dr.'s and to send to the insurance co. I would like to find a way to share these letters with all of you. They are very inspiring and eye opening letters. If anyone knows how I can do this please let me know. killerkellygirl@yahoo.com Thank you. 3-14-01 I had my first consult with Dr. Snyder today. All seemed to go well. Now it's time for insurance approval.Keep your fingers crossed. I did have a nice surprise while at Dr. Snyder's office. As I was waiting in the reception area, out walks Mark & Beth Culpepper. Mark had his surgery 1 week ago(March 7th). He looks great and says all is well. Beth has her surgery monday (March 20th). We've sent emails and I keep up on their profile for updates all the time. It was real nice to see them. Anyway, that's enough for now. I'll update soon. 3-20-01 I Talked to Mary Lou, She is sending my insurance info in. She says when she talked to them on the phone they sounded very positive. Please keep your fingers crossed for me. Maybe even toes too!!! My pulmonary appt. is April 10th. I'm still waiting for a date for my psych eval. I will keep you all informed. Thanks again for all your support. 3-26-01 Well I got my psych appt scheduled today. It's Thursday March 29th 2001. What a process this is. I respect the thoroughness of the Dr's. It makes me feel good. I went to Dr. Snyder's seminar last Thursday. Mark & Louann were there. Mark has lost 29lbs since his surgery on March 7th. Louann has lost 22lbs since her surgery the same day. Mark's wife, Beth, had her surgery last Monday, March 20th. I'm sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for insurance approval. I will be sooo happy to join them. Just think, I'll be off almost all of my meds!!!! That will be the best part of this whole process. 4-02-01 I had my phsych eval. That went very well. I called the insurance company and they say they still have no record of recieving my paperwork. I called Ursula and she said she just talked to someone there and that she needs to fax it again only this time send it attn: MEDICAL REVUE. The last time she was told to send it pre-certification. Funny thing is it's the same fax number. Ursula will call me when she talks to the same person at the insurance company that they recieved it and it is on the records and in the proper hands. Ursula has been great. I'll update more later... 4-04-01 I'M APROVED!!!!!!! WOW, what a feeling. I feel like i'm on a rollercoaster. Soooo much to do. I will have a surgery date hopefully by monday(4-9-01). My 40th birthday is the 11th. Happy birthday to me. I am not a very selfish person but i am so happy for me. I'll write more when I get calmed down. 4-12-01 I have a date!!!! April 24th 2001. WOW only 11 days. things are moving right along, although they feel like they're standing still. How am I supposed to feel? I,d love to hear from anyone that may have questions or comments. 4-19-01 Yesterday I had my pre-op appt with Dr. Snyder. What a guy. He had me feeling soooo comfortable and relaxed. He's great. I can't hardly believe, only 4 more days. Is this really happening. I'm really only nervous about the surgery itself. I'm not sure why. All will be well. Thanks to everyone who has been with me on my journey. I'll update soon. 4-23-01 Tomorrow is the day I've been waiting for. I'm scare and exxcited all at the same time. I'll see you on the other side. I'm going to go take my betadine shower now. God bless. 4-24-01 Well, I'm leaving for the hospital now. I'll update more when I get home. Good luck to the future losers of the world. And God bless those who already are. 5-2-01 I got out of the hospital on Sunday(4-29-01). I would have updated sooner but I had a severe pain in my neck when I woke up in recovery and it only got worse. By the time I got home I couldn't even sleep. But, between hot pads and massages from my family I'm doing much better. I had my first post-op appointment today and I've already lost 13lbs. That's amazing to me. I feel really good. The pain in my stomach was nothing to the pain in my neck. I'll update more soon. 5-16-01 I went to Dr. Snyder's today. I'm down 33lbs. I feel good and am ready to go back to work tomorrow. My focus now is on my daughter who is graduating. I'm so busy I have a hard time remembering to eat. The water is with me all the time though. All of my relatives from California are coming out for her graduation. I'm busy, busy, busy... I'll update again after I see the Doc on June 12th when all of this is said and done. 6-4-01 Things are going well. My scale at home says I weight 206lbs. That would put me at 41 lbs lost. We'll see what the Docs scale says next Tuesday. I'm recovering from all of the excitement of the relatives and gradution. Thank goodness I don't have a problem remembering to take my vitamins twice daily. They have saved my life. 6-13-01 I saw the Doc yesterday. I've officially lost 43lbs in 7 weeks. Eating is getting easier. I've learned my lesson about not measuring 1oz meals and not cutting my food tiny before I eat it. Just taking small bites and chewing real well doesn't do a good enough job. I learned the hard way. The Doc said I can ride my horses.(Yea!!!) They miss me as much as I miss them. I'm just a smaller load to tow for them. I'll update soon. 7-02-01 Just an update. Things are going well. I do most of my walking while out with my horses. Dr. Snyder wants me doing some weight training 2-3 times a week. Well instead of going to the gym, I shovel horse manure! It takes about 2 hours 2-3 times a week. It involves raking, shoveling and pushing and dumping a wheel barrow. I couldn't do that kind of work before. There are soo many things I couldn't or wouldn't do out of embarrasement before my surgery. I feel fantastic!! I'm estimating my weight loss to date at about 55lbs. When I went below 200lbs I was very excited. I knew that I would never be there again.... I have 3month post-op labs on 7-5-01 and then an appointment with the Dr. on 7-16-01. 7-18-01 Hey all!!! My Drs. appt went great. I've officially lost 57lbs. Oh My Gosh!!!! (At home if I weigh naked I've lost 60lbs. but Dr.S says that doesn't count) I've gone from a size 24 to a size 16 in three months, my BMI is like 29 or 30. It's been quite a ride. I haven't felt this good in 15 years. My life has changed soooo much in just the last three months and I'm not finished yet. I have so much self esteem. I hadn't realized how much I didn't have before this miracle surgery. I will be at the next support meeting at St Anthony North on July 26th at 6pm. I would be happy to talk to anyone. I'll have some new pictures too. Hope to see you all there. 8-15-01 I just wanted to let you all know whats up. I'm almost 4 months post-op and my scale says i've lost 70 lbs. this is truely miraculous. I feel great. I know I keep saying it, but it's sooooo true. I can eat most anything. I haven't done salad. I want one but the last time I tried was about 6wks post-op and I got very sick. I'm afraid it'll happen again. I love pasta and tuna (not together). I like to eat chips of all kinds although I try to stay away from them. Cheese is quick and easy and very satisfying. I still have to listen to my body to know when to quit eating so I don't get sick. But it's nice not to have to weigh everything. once you get past the first three months it's a piece of cake (no pun intended).I'll try to update more often. Take care. Talk to you later 10-24-01 Well, I'm 6 months post-op and have lost 80lbs. Dr. Snyder says I have maybe 20 more lbs to lose. I'm looking for 32lbs more. That would put me at 135 lbs. What a dream that would be. I've gone from a size 24 to a 12 in six months!!!! My cholesterol was about 500 pre-op and my 6 month labs say it's 202. (yeah!!!!) I'm hoping to post some pictures soon. I'll update more soon. With the holidays just around the corner I'll let you know if it is difficult with all the food and goodies... 1-24-02 Well it's been 9 months and I've lost 97lbs. I'm now in a size 9. I can wear my 19 year old daughters clothes. Now I threaten to take whatever clothes I find on the floor if she doesn't keep her room clean. I feel great. Things are going well. I have to focus now on waiting to drink the alotted time after eating. It's really not that hard. I'm happier now than at any time I can reemember. Don't hesitate, get on the band wagon. It's GRRRREAT!!!!! 4-24-02 Well it's been a year since my surgery. I call it my first birthday of my new life. My weight now fluctuates between 151lbs and 147lbs. If I don't lose another pound I'm sooooo happy. This has been a miracle and a whirlwind of a ride. I wish you ALL the best in your pursute of this surgery. Weather it be just information or curiosity. There are no regrets here. 10-10-02 I was interviewed by the WB2 news channel today. Dr Snyder recommended me when they asked to do a spot on him and the surgery. As well as the comments of one of his patients. It was cool. They came out to the stables and interviewed me and my son while riding our horses. The spot will air on November 13th 2002 on the 9o'clock news. 12-16-02 It's been an interesting few months since my last update. I'm alittle upset with myself. I've gain about 12lbs back. The Doc says that's normal. I know I've been eating alot of the wrong things and not following the rules like I should be. I'm not afraid of gaining alot of weight back because I still can't eat much when I eat it's just that I can eat almost anything. Which makes it hard to eat right sometimes. The bad things are so quick and easy in my busy days. Also, in the winter months here in Colorado, I (as others do) become less active. If I can keep my weight at bay til spring I feel that I can lose what I've gained. I'll let you know. Surgery Date 04-24-01: 247lbs 05-13-01: 214lbs lost 33lbs 06-13-01: 206lbs lost 41lbs 07-18-01: 190lbs lost 57lbs 08-15-01: 177lbs lost 70lbs 09-30-01: 169lbs lost 78lbs 10-24-01: 167lbs lost 80lbs 01-24-02: 150lbs lost 97lbs 04-24-02: 148lbs lost 99lbs 1st anniversary 12-16-02: 160lbs gained 12 lbs, total loss 87lbs Surgeon Info: Michael A. Snyder MD (Denver, CO) 2-21-01 I went to a meeting with Dr. Snyder and was quite impressed. He seems very passionate about the plight of the obese. When I got there they weigh (me 246lbs) and take your height (me5'6"). Everyone was great. Dr. Snyder is starting his WLS practice here after being in Oregon & Virginia. His first Colorado surgery will be March 7th. I met the 2 lucky patients. They were soooo excited. Good luck to them. I will update more later. 3-8-01 I have my first consult with Dr. Snyder on wednesday 3-13-01. Wish me luck. I'm lopoking forward to meeting him in his office. 3-14-01I had my appt with Dr. Snyder today. Things went well. I really like him. He made me feel very comfortable. 4-19-01 I had my pre-op with Dr. Snyder yesterday. He has done nothing to make me feel uncomfortable. He is the GREATEST!!!! 4 more days. 5-2-01 When Dr. Snyder was finished with my surgery and was testing my new pouch for leaks he realized it was too big. He could have left it like that and all would have been fine. But he decided because I put all of my faith in him he spent another hour and a half making it the right size. He went that extra step for me. I appreciate him more than he'll ever know. He is really committed to his work. THANK YOU! DR. SNYDER 7-02-01 Dr Snyders follow-up care is incredible. I have heard alot of bad things about post-op care with other Dr's. I feel very fortunate and thankful to have Dr. Snyder as my Dr. He has become a big part of my life. 8-15-01 Everything Dr Snyder has told me has been on the up and up. He hasn't led me astray in the slightest. I've never felt lost or forgotten. I have no fear for my health when it comes to Dr. S.... Insurer Info: blue cross/blue shield so far everyone i've spoken to is very helpful. no one seems to be stalling. they do seem to want to help. they have told me to call back and check the statis. 4-04-01 dealing with them was great. It was no problem. I was approved on 4-04-01. I would advise anyone with this insurance to keep on them. For no other reason than to keep yourself busy. I do feel it helped move things along. Not that they gave me any trouble anyway.

Before	After

We are creating this as a profile for my wife and I who are both having surgery and going through this together. We just realized that when we went a different route to post things to this site we lost our entire history that we started. We will try and remember some of what we had written so that it gives you a sense of our journey. 12-28-2000 Mark met with our family Dr. today and was told that he has a genetic problem with his lower back and the vertebrae sliding forward and this is made worse by the weight that he is carrying and pulling on his back. Our family Dr. Recommended that Mark consider gastric by-pass surgery to help lose the needed amount of weight and possibly avoid miserable back surgery. 12-30-2000 Mark found obesity help.com. Beth is not in favor of this as a solution to their problems. 1-1-2001 Mark and Beth take measurements and pictures and continue the dialogue on WLS. Mark is a BMI of 49.6 and Beth is a BMI of 56.3 something has to be done. 1-15-01 Mark begins a dialogue with Dr. Michael Snyder over email and is invited to a seminar given by Dr. Snyder to learn more about this procedure. Mark is very encouraged as he has called the other recommended doctors and is told a minimum of a 9 month wait. 1-20-01 Mark & Beth attend the seminar and boy are a lot of questions answered Dr. Snyder is friendly and easy to talk to and his office staff and much of the hospital staff are in attendance at the seminar. Beth's mother and grandmother and one of her sister's attend to get all the facts for themselves as they are supportive of Mark & Beth. 1-22-01 Mark & Beth have their first appointment with Dr. Snyder. We can't believe it is finally coming together. After today's meeting we have appointments scheduled with Melinda Smith and Denver North Pulmonologist. Dr. Snyder does not cut corners. 2-12-01 We have confirmation that insurance has approved both of us. Now awaiting a surgical date. 2-20-01 We have a surgical date for Mark. March 7th. We are counting the hours!!! 3-6-01 Well here we are the night before surgery and let's say it is very real. Mark just took a betadine shower.. Yuck! and can't sleep so we decided to update our profile. We have shared some really good last meals, including all you can eat crab legs and a Admiral's Feast at Red Lobster. Mark has filled up on his last doughnuts and candy bars and is ready for this new commitment. Meanwhile back at the house.... Beth now has a surgical date of March 20th. It will be the first day of spring.. What better day for a new beginning. We just thought you would all want to know. We will update the site after Mark is out of surgery. Thank you all for all of the kind cards and notes. Each one has been special. 3-7-01 This is it... Mark says his first thought in the recovery room was OH MY GOD... What have I done... He was brought to his room by 2pm and his rapid recovery began. LuAnn was in the same hospital and just 3 rooms away and it was so very nice to have her there. It was Mark's first walk to go and check on her. She was able to do the same for her first walk.. Go and visit Mark. Let's say it was wonderful to have some one from the site for support. We felt the love and support of her family too. 3-11-01 5 Days in the hospital and Mark was allowed to go home. He is very sore and not at all hungry. He had his NG tube removed the 2nd day after surgery. He was off the IV yesterday and released today. He is allowed watered down juice and Ensure. Mark says..."Scary going in.. Hurts coming out but it is totally worth it." Beth's surgery is the 20th.. Nerves high. But determination strong. Thank you all for the kind words and prayers. 3-15-01 Today is Mark's Birthday and the first of his new life. Only 4 days till the beginning of Beth's new life. Mark is able to have a sugar free juice popsicle, and sugar free fudgesicle, along with his Ensure and protein powder. Beth's friend Tracy will be taking her to Red Lobster for a last "FEAST". Tracy doesn't even like seafood, now that is a friend!! Beth's mother brought her cute Bunny slippers to take to the hospital to start wearing the soles out.. Ha Ha. We will update just before. This has been a really tough week with Mark home recovering and Beth getting ready. 3-17-01 Well we had a little set back. Mark got an infection deep within his incision and it got pretty bad. Lots of oozing. We called the dr. right away and he recommended that go back in the hospital for wound care. He spent Friday night and Saturday night back in the hospital but as soon as it started draining he felt better. My surgery is Tuesday and I had my afore mentioned feast with Tracy tonight. It was good. I don't think I will have the need to eat like that any more. Worried about Mark and ready to focus on myself a little. The lesson that we learned about wound care is to call as soon as something looked different regarding the gauze and the wound. Don't be afraid to call the Doctor. I will continue when Mark get's home and before Beth Goes in. 3-18-01 Well Crisis averted.. Mark is home and doing well. It seems that after the wound was draining that Mark just suddenly began to drop weight so much that his wedding ring just fell off. He is feeling so much better. I am nervous but so glad that Mark is much better. He looks better he feels better and he is glad to be home. 3-19-01 The night before my procedure and I have taken the 1st of the Betadine showers.. yuck.. but better to be overly safe than sorry. Lots of worries on my mind but none of them seem to be about the surgery specifically. The worries seem to be more around how Mark will do with the long hours at the hospital while he is still at a crucial point in his recovery. I have packed my bag and made sure he will have his protein drink with him and written a list of phone number he is supposed to call to let every one know that I am fine. My sister will be sending updates on email. So nice to have some one to do that. I highly recommend it. The house is not as clean as I hoped. The bills are pretty much paid and should be fine till the 1st. I think I have covered all the bases now I just need to calm down and sleep. I will have Mark update this after my surgery. Good Night. I will see you all on the other side. Beth 3-28-01 Well I am home!!! Not only home but feeling well enough to update my profile. This is Beth typing. My surgery was the 20th of March. It didn't go smooth as punch, much to my disappointment, I developed some bleeding and had to go in for a follow-up surgery that same night and woke up in the ICU Wednesday morning. I stayed in the ICU till Friday and while in the ICU had a morphine crisis. Just all kinds of things to keep my family on their toes. I got to be out of ICU on Friday and moved to a regular room. It was so nice to have my mother and husband be with me. Needless to say I was begging to go home and had a lot of work to accomplish to be allowed to go home. I had to be able to get at least 20oz of water down in a 8 hour shift and at least 3 doses of the "Ensure" stuff. I was finally released. Now home there is a lot to say I was not prepared for: For example waves of emotion ranging from anger to depression to just general sadness. I am putting this on the site so that others might know that they are feeling things that others feel too.. Well I am signing off for now got to get ready for the Dr.'s appt. 4-16-01 Sorry we haven't updated in a while but thought you would want to know that as of 5 weeks out Mark has lost 60lbs he no longer snores and he has no back pain. He is on the tail end of our doctor's pureed diet. I am only 3 weeks out but I have lost 42lbs. I am still in the middle of the 6 week pureed diet. When I first came home as mentioned above I was hungry all the time. I am no longer hungry. I do need to exercise more. Mark is back at work and doing well. He has been back for 2 weeks. I am in the process of looking for work as my job laid me off while I was on medical leave. Great secrets to getting through this for me are V8 splash fruit juice and pizza flavored Goldfish crackers. The crackers are baked and I am allowed 5 with a protein meal. They are great. I will write more later. Beth 05/02/01 Hi guys, it's Mark this time. Well I have always hated to go into a profile and see no updates so I thought that I should do a quick one. I am almost three months post now and I am down 70 pounds at my last weigh in. I feel great and I have noticed that my energy levels are gettng back to normal, I even go fishing a lot of days after work and Beth and I took a nice long walk on a nature trail the other day. The only bad side to this is that I am still having to deal with wound care after my infection and I am getting really sick of packing this wound with gauze everyday. For those of you who wonder about clothing size, the jeans I wore to the hospital were a 64 inch waist and I am now in a very lose pair of 54's, I have also put three new holes in my belt and I am going to add three more tonight. My only real problem is food, I have absolutely no desire to eat and most day's it is real work to get in my protien. I have an appointment with my plastic surgeon/wound care doc on Friday, maybe it is finally time to let this wound close. And for those of you that got nervous when I mentioned the wound infection, you have to realize that it is a very real risk and a common complication but it is a small price to pay for the overall benefit. Gotta go for now. Mark 5/27/01 Well folks it's me again (Mark) I had my surgery on 3/7/01 and I am now down 99 pounds. My infection is gone and the incision is closed so I am finally getting back to life as normal (well as normal as possible anyway). I have had to learn a whole new way of life, I never realised how much Beth and I did that revolved around food. We decided to go out and have a good day yesterday but once we got in the car and on the road, we realised that we could not think of any of our "fun" places to go because they were all food oriented. We did go to Lakeside amusement park and had a great time. We road the small train around the park and were actually able to fit in the same seat (we got to make out all the way around the place WOOHOOOOO!!!). I will try to get on again soon for another update. OH I FORGOT!! On the day I had my surgery the jeans I wore to the hospital were a 64" waist, last night Beth and I were in Walmart and just for the fun of it I tried on the largest pair of shorts I could find (48") and THEY FIT!!!!!!! :) 6-8-01 Hi it is Beth writing this time. I have lost 67lbs and Mark is now over 100 lbs. It is incredible. Mark looks incredible. We are keeping a photo journal so that we can see the difference and I am writing to say that on the days that I don't see any real difference in myself that it is the pictures I look at that tell the story. So take a lot of BEFORE and After pics. It will really tell your story. I have to exercise more. I had 2 kidney stones that passed last Saturday and found out from our support group that it is not unusual to get these stones after surgery. Dr. Snyder is out of town and I need to get with him on this. Well that is about all I have to say today. But I hope this encourages many others. 6-29-01 Hi it is Beth writing again. We helped Dr. Snyder do 2 inservice lectures at St. Anthony's hospital yesterday and it was incredible. We got to see a bunch of the nurses who took care of us in the operating room and the recovery room and some that took care of us on the floor. We got to see tech's and doctors who were also a part of our care. It was incredible for them to see us too. They say they never get to see patients afterward to know how they were helped. Mark has lost 118lbs as of yesterday and I have lost 81lbs. Our lives are definately different. I just thought you should have an update. Because Mark will be 4 months out on the 7th of July and I just passed our 3 month mark. According to the bmi chart of Obesity help Mark would no longer qualify for surgery as he has gone from a 50 BMI to now a 36. I have gone from a 56 BMI to a 44. It is pretty exciting. Be encouraged all who read this. Beth 8/30/01 Well I have received so many requests to update this information that I have decided to update for you. I officially have lost 100 lbs. I think at least 5 lbs of it is hair. AFter my three months, date my hair started coming out by the handfuls, so I have cut my hair off to look similar to the picture on this site. Mark, has lost 133lbs he broke the 300 lb mark he weighs, 299lbs. He is very excited. Well that is about all for now. More to come later. Beth 11-26-01 Thought you should know we are now pregnant and approximately 5 months along. I have lost 117 lbs, and Mark has lost 156 lbs. We are doing great. We thought you would all want to know that we know she is a baby girl and is doing well. I would not however, recommend that any one do get pregnant this quickly. It is very difficult to eat enough to make sure that the baby gets enough. Thank you for all the prayers and thoughts. Beth 01/25/01 A new update, I am now 31 weeks pregnant and the baby is due in March on the 26th just a little after my 1 year surgery anniversary. I have lost 124 lbs and Mark has lost 156 lbs. The most exciting thing is that our baby girl is doing well and growing nicely. I have gone from a 4x or size 32 to a size 12/14 in maternity pants. I am soooooo excited. Mark has gone from a size 64 pants to a size 40. And Boy does he look good in those 40's. Just thought we would put an update in for those who have been following us. Beth 7/18/01 Well I would be you would like to have an update. We had a healthy baby girl on March 26, 2002. She is Kathryn Anne and she weighed in at a healthy 8 lbs 6 oz and was 21 inches long. I did have to have her via C-section as I developed a large distal hernia that kept her from being able to come naturally. This is what you get when you get pregnant to soon after surgery. Now I have just had my 1 year post op visit, had to wait till the baby was born etc. I have lost 145 lbs and weigh in at 193. Mark is down to 275 and looking great. Dr. Snyder wants me down to 145 so I have another 48 lbs to go. He wants Mark down to 225 so 50 lbs for him. I am going to have to have the hernia repaired and want a panniculectomy as well. I will be looking forward to information from others out there that are at this stage of the game. Hope all is going well. I hope to send a follow-up picture to post soon. Beth 09-18-03 Well it has been a while since we updated. I currently run the support group for Dr. Michael Snyder in Westminster Colorado. I am due to have my second baby since bypass surgery and she will be here October 28, 2003. Then I hope to loose my baby weight and get back on track. I just thought for those of you who were interested in having children after bypass surgery it would be encouraging to meet some one who has successfully had two. Maybe we can post their pictures too. Beth 02-05-04 Well we had a beautiful baby girl our second on October 23, 2003. Then on November 20th I had my hernia repaired and my excess skin removed. Wow what a difference that makes. I am now wearing a size 12. Who knew it could feel like this. I just thought you would all want to know that my second baby girl weighed in at 6lbs 14 oz. She is absolutely beautiful and healthy. But any one who wants to know what it is like to have a baby after bariatric surgery should know there is a lot involved. Both Mentally and Physically. Beth Michael A. Snyder MD (Denver, CO) Our first impression of Dr. Snyder was one of professionalism and compassion. We learned very quickly one of the best ways to speak with him was via email. He is really good about responding to email. Dr. Snyder's office staff is friendly and informative and they have been cheering us on from the very 1st phone call. Future patients should know that Dr. Snyder is very thorough and he does not cut corners or take any chances with his patients care. Don't try to get him to short cut his system he JUST WON'T DO IT. Dr. Snyder is very concerned with Aftercare. He is developing a support group and he schedules regular return visits for life. He says once you are his patient you are his patient for Life! Dr. Snyder does not sugar coat anything he answers all questions and is honest about the risks of surgery. We Rate Him as THE BEST. We can't say which is better surgical competence, bedside etc but so far we think he is great. 7-15-01 I wanted to update you on our surgeon. All that was written above was written prior to surgery. I wanted to tell you a little about him at the hospital and after surgery. In the hospital we saw Dr. Snyder everyday as well as his team of North Denver Pulmonary who checked on us as well. Dr. Snyder was very available if we needed him. He provided us with beeper number and made sure the nurses knew there was no concern to small to have him contacted about. He was very sure to keep our pain management a priority. As for after care we have worked with Dr. Snyder to start a support group and it is growing rapidly. We are anticipating speakers with special expertise in Exercise, behavior modification, Wound care, and nutrition as well as members of other support groups in the area to speak about their experience. He is always available for questions and concerns. Insurer Info: Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO THey have been very easy to deal with. They approved our surgeries the same day they were faxed the doctors recommendations. However, we do want to note that we didn't submit our request until we had already had thorough work ups pre-operatively and had seen The psychologist and the pulmonologist and had good referrals from our family physician. Dr. Snyder was so very thorough in his initial request to the Insurance company it didn't leave a lot of room for them to question the medical necessity.

Having my surgery 6/25/01. This surgery may be a God send because of getting the ultra sound on my gall bladder an abnormality was found on my left kidney that may be repaired at the same time as the gastric bypass. Had surgery 6/25/01. Came home morning of 6/29/01. I was so fortunate to have another patient of my doctors have the same surgery just hours before me. We were able to compare notes and health throughout the experience. 7/10/01 Doctors decided not to do anything with my non functioning kidney. Am doing fine. Energy tends to comes in waves and I never know when my energy is going to leave. Had hoped to return part time to work this week, but have not due to lack of energy. Also could be the heat. We are having extremely hot weather here in Dever. Comments About Dr. Michael A. Snyder: My first impression of Dr. Snyder was good. He is extemely thorough in his delivery at the seminar my husband and I attended. He speaks very very fast and admits to it, but is willing to try to slow down and he does answer all your questions. He has actually written a small booklet about this surgery and before the surgery you are tested, via a written test, to make sure you understand what you are getting into. I was impressed with this. The items you miss, he goes over with you and makes you initial that you understand the correct answer. (He is probably covering his back as well with this, but I appreciated this creative idea). He has a structured aftercare program and strongly emphasises aftercare. He has a group of patients starting their own support group of which I will attend the first one this week. Fortuantely, I have attended classes and support group of a much larger scope in Denver which have been extremely helpful. Dr. Snyder recomended this group foremost. After the surgery, I will expound more on his bedside manner. Dr. Snyder was a good doctor. He is a very busy man but will give you the time you need, you just need to ask. He actually emailed me and asked me to go on obesityhelp.com and continue my information on him and my progress with the results of the surgery. That impressed me. A group of Dr. Snyder's patients have formed quite a large support group. At the last meeting there were probably 25+ postop and preop patients. I learned a lot at the support group, especially about wound care. I have been fortunate in that so far I have not had any problems with an infection. Dr. Snyder's staff is very professional. They went out of their way to make you feel welcomed and cared for. I feel Dr. Snyder's surgical competence was better than his bedside manner. But according to people in the support group that had problems, he was great to work with through the problems. I just have not had any problems requiring this type of attention yet.

I was looking to possiblily having this surgery done for health reasons. I am 4'11" and 270 pound. Other concerns are how to handle food allergies on such a restricted diet.I am now one year post-op. Have lost 115# have 35 more to go to reach goal. Feeling great. No longer on 5 of my asthma meds. No longer on high blood pressure meds. No longer on pain meds. Am struggling with this last 35. Comments About Dr. Michael A. Snyder: Met with Dr. Snyder on the 22 of March. His staff-Brenda in particular was wonderful in scheduling all my appointments with the pulmonary and psch all on one day so I would not have to make several trips as I live out of state. I found Dr. Snyder very fast paced. My husband was very imopressed with both Dr. Snyder and his lecture. He was also very surprised as to the number of people who attended his seminar. The worst possible thing about Dr. Snyder is you feel as if you have been run over by a train as he is non stop. He is very determined about after care and stresses that highly. Do not know at this point what his bedside manner is. Overall I would say he is an excellent Dr. Have found Dr. S. to be an excellent doctor and would recommend him to anyone giving serious thought to this operation. Would also strongly advise anyone considering this surgury to attend his seminars and to gather as much information as possible by net, person, lit. etc. He is very strong on after care and does not stint on talking to you when every YOU need to speak with him. He is avaible most of the time and has immense patience with his patients. He addressed all the risks of the surgury including some you would not think of. Overall I rate him par excellence and has a great bedside manner. His is also willing to go to bat for his patients when they are not treated right in the hospital. As long as you are open and honest with him he is willing to give his best shot for you. WARNING WARNING he is the roadrunner and YOU are the wily coyote!!!!

I used to scuba dive before I broke my leg. I hope to get back to that. I am a teacher now and my biggest concern is not having the surgery in time to heal appropriately before returning to the classrooms. (First Graders do not care if you have had surgery, just that you give good hugs.) I am using my sisters email address and phone number because I am tring to move here and will be here all summer. Comments About Dr. Michael A. Snyder: 6/16 I have been taking some of the necessary test for the surgery. Brenda is so cool! She works very hard to get me appointments. Pat is also cool. I like the fact that the staff have experience in some way, with this surgery. 6/26 I have been to a seminar and today I met with Dr. Snyder. He was wonderful. I still don't have a date yet and I was depressed about it. I am a teacher and I have to have enough healing time before school. However, my school begins the 3rd week in August so I only have the first two weeks which is not enough time to get ready for 6 and 7 year olds. When I first came into the office Brenda began talking with me about maybe having to put the surgery off until August. Bless her heart!! She and Pat are so very helpful and work so hard. I embarrassed myself by almost crying and letting them know that I could not have the surgery if it had to be in August. Brenda was so sweet trying to think of other options. I enjoyed my talk with Dr. Snyder. He is very sympathetic about your needs. I used to be a scrub nurse and assisted in the earlier operations of this type so I really understand what they are going to do and how it works etc. so we spent a lot of time going over my tests results. I feel bad about causing so much trouble.

I have been battling the fat monster all of my life. I have been up to 280 (now) and down to 132 but unable to hold the lower weights. I took pills and shot in the 60's to lose weight amoungst many other things. My father was morbidly obese he weighed almost 400lbs at his death. I feel that I'm on the same track on the train that won't stop and let me off. No matter what I do or try it doesn't want to leave. I am now at the point where my back, feet and hips are killing me. I have a very hard time walking and keeping my heart from pounding out of my chest. It doesn't seem to matter what I eat or what I don't eat my weight will not stabilize. I have just begun to explore this type of help...it does seem like the last resort..but at least it seem to be an opening in a very small hole. Well I have completed all my pre-op tests. Had the Gallbladder scan, psych evalutation and met with the Pulmanary Doc. So now the wait begins. I have been thinking about the types of food that I will be ... Click here to read more Comments About Dr. Michael A. Snyder: I met with Dr. Snyder on Monday the 28th of May. I have been to several of his seminars and have been very impressed. He is so commited to this and to making this a success for you too. Brenda, his right arm, is there for you also. He lets you know what to expect and what he expects from you. The after care is routed out so that there is no confusion as to what you need to do. I am excited to get moving on the procedure and get on with my new life. I am so looking forward to tying my shoes and hiking/walking with out it being something that I remembered doing once upon a time.

12/31/00 To count my previous attempts at weight loss are endless so I won't even try. I feel my weight is only getting higher and I don't want to feel like this anymore. I have read and read about this surgery and truly want to explore if this is my last resort or not. 1/18/01 I e-mailed a fellow subscriber from my area and found a surgeon that is covered by AETNA. I am attending a lecture/seminar tonight to cover questions regarding the procedure. I have MANY questions. 6/18/01 Haven't updated in a long while. Many of the people at the informational lecture seminar that I met, have already had their surgeries. I still have many questions. Dr Snyders assistants are digging up information on the effects of hypoglycemia and this surgery. I've had many people tell me as well as I have read about people with diabetes that have gone off insulin. Yet, hypoglycemia is the opposite of diabetes so that information doesn't help me much. I'm still very much considering surgery bu... Click here to read more Comments About Dr. Michael A. Snyder: LOVE HIM! Very nice man without the stereotypical condescending tone. His office staff is wonderful and their compassion and care is fabulous. Now how many doctors are known to either call you or e-mail you? Not many but he will. AMAZING!

Hi,Well here it is 16 months since my surgery and I have now lost 154 pounds. I can't begin to tell you the differences in my life. I returned to work after 4 long years on disability. I am so excited about being able to work again it is a joy. I work at a bowling alley and bowl 3 times a week. I had to give that up many years ago and thought I would never be able to do it again. I ride horses again and the horse doesn't look at me in pure agony. One of the very best things is to here my Grandson say this is my little grammie. Yehaaaaaaaaa I love it. My niece tells me it is a good thing cause now I have a lap she can sit on. It hasn't all been fun. I developed ulcers in my pouch from dry heaves. But with meds and time it has gotten much better and will eventually clear up. Would I do it again? Yes, in a heartbeat but, I can assure you I will never have to walk this road again. This past Christmas I was able to shop the Malls again and it was a dream come true. I can w... Click here to read more Comments About Dr. Michael A. Snyder: Met Dr. Snyder May 24, 2001, what an amazing person. This Dr. truly cares for his patients. His support group is great and he is there to answer all questions. He has encouraging words for all. My husband was skeptical until he talked with and listened to Dr. Snyder. His lecture is in depth and knowledgable. Glad I found him and his great staff on the internet. Waiting for my surgery with great excitment. He is fast paced but caring and will help you if you need it. He stresses after care very much. He wants all of his patients to be successful.

I really liked Dr Snyder. No-Nonsense attitude about the surgery. The information seminars are very good.

I was highly impressed with Dr. Snyder. He is a very kind and strong personality. The more I talked with him the more I came to respect his attitude about obesity. He is a very dedicated Dr. with a very dedicated staff. Every time I had to call the office for information or questions they were always willing to give or get what ever information you required. Dr. Snyder is very much in to after care and followup. Once you have this surgery you are as he states a part of his family and he definately takes care of his family. I like the idea that I can call him or email him and he never seems put out. He is always available to you. He is very thorough with his lecture expalining every aspect of the surgical proceedure, the hospital care, the surgery itself and the aftercare. He goes over all the pros and cons and lets you make the decision. He in no way tries to influence your decission. He is a A-1 Doctor. His bedside manner is outstanding and his surgical competence goes beyond compare.