There isn't a day that goes by that my husband doesn't hug me and say, "You look incredible." - Pam I., Bariatric Treatment Centers Patient.
After: 140 lbs.

Once an athlete and outdoors woman, the most Pam could do was watch sports. At 37, she weighed 275 pounds. Her lifelong passions -- karate and deer hunting -- had become burdens. She hoped her karate students didn't notice that instead of demonstrating the moves, she had resorted talking about them. Although she tried to maintain a fairly active lifestyle, she could not keep from steadily gaining weight. She was constantly tired and frequently sick. "I couldn't walk in the woods without having chest pains and being short of breath."

The other side of Pam's tragedy was how being overweight affected her relationship with her family. "I made up excuses for not doing the easiest of things, even carrying the laundry up the stairs. Sometimes I'd be unbearably nasty so my family wouldn't want me around. It was my way of getting out of going somewhere." Pam couldn't admit to her husband and teenagers that her weight was the real reason for not participating.

"When I heard about the surgical treatment offered at Bariatric Treatment Centers, I knew I was going to do it. For me, it was the only option. I would encourage anyone thinking about this surgery to go ahead with it. Bariatric Treatment Centers gave me the life I've been looking for and deserve to have.

Now, at 140 pounds, Pam is once again an active, positive woman.

She remembers, "Last summer, I slid into second base and skinned myself pretty badly. But I truly didn't feel the pain. I was so happy to be playing softball."