Battling both excess weight and PCOS, Aliyah chose bariatric surgery at the Bariatric & Metabolic Institute at Arkansas Heart Hospital to create a brighter, happier future for her family. Read her story.

Fed Up With the Fight

The main reason I wanted to lose weight was because it was affecting my life. I remember going to an amusement park with my family and having a hard time getting on a ride. I had lunch and tried to get on the same ride again with my sister and I couldn’t fit. I had to have that walk of shame off the ride, which was really hard.

I was also diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) when I was 18 and was told that I could possibly never have children. I fell into a deep depression and food became my coping mechanism.

Easy Choice

I did a lot of research on bariatric surgery and found that AHH had a brand new, state-of-the-art hospital with the best doctors in the state. It wasn’t a hard choice; I knew that this is where I wanted to go.

My first step was doing an online seminar, which wasn’t hard. I made a consultation appointment where I met my dietitian and Dr. Oscar Talledo. At that appointment we discussed my different options and what route I wanted to go, and ultimately, we decided on the gastric bypass.

Happy Tears

Since surgery, I have lost about 125 pounds and my PCOS symptoms are non-existent. My doctor said I would have no problems at all having children. I kid you not, I cried happy tears. I was just so happy to hear that because I want to have a family.

After losing around 125 pounds, my quality of life back and I can do things I was not able to before. I would walk up a flight of stairs and I would be out of breath. Now I’m walking six to seven miles every day.

Before I couldn’t even think about furthering my education. Now that I have my health under control, I’m able to work full-time and go to school, which I never thought I would be able to accomplish.

I have learned how to take care of my body & I’ve learned to love myself in my own skin.

All Worth It

It was the best decision I could have ever made for myself and my family. The first month or so was hard, but now I know without a doubt that it was all worth it. I would 100 percent do it all again because I know I’m going to live a longer, happier life.

I want to thank Dr. Talledo, doctors and staff at BMI because they went above and beyond through my entire process. I genuinely felt how much they care about their patients. You guys are awesome!

To someone considering surgery, I would tell them 100 percent to do it.

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