Fear of not passing her insurance health screening, Dawn chose weight loss surgery to improve her health.
After many failed attempts at losing weight, Dawn York, of Lowden, Iowa, spoke a hard truth to herself, “I am not able to live the life I want to live.”
Dawn’s health journey was a long one, 24 years of battling her weight, as well as struggling with a list of related medical problems. “I was in a surgical boot four different times for ankle and foot injuries, and I was routinely getting injections for pain in my knee. I had acid reflux and high cholesterol even with being on prescription medicine for both issues. Migraine headaches plagued me, as well as chronic pain throughout my body, which negatively impacted my sleep and daily life. The pain was so bad that I didn’t have any ambition to play with my grandchildren,” said Dawn.
With all her health issues getting worse, Dawn was afraid she would not pass her health screening for insurance, and she could not afford higher premiums. She knew she had to make a life-changing decision, which for her meant weight-loss surgery.
In November of 2022, Dawn had Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass surgery with David J. Aanestad, MD at Genesis Center for Weight Management, “At the time of surgery, I weighed 255 pounds and my post-surgery goal weight was 175. As of today, I weigh 147 pounds, and I feel amazing! I wish I would have had the surgery 10 years earlier. If my pre-surgery story sounds like yours, I highly recommend this procedure as a solution.”
Dawn is now off her medications for acid reflux and cholesterol because she no longer has these issues. Her pain is gone, and she has only had to get one injection in her knee since the surgery. She no longer suffers from migraine headaches, and she is sleeping well at night. Along with feeling great, Dawn says, “I passed every part of my health screening for insurance, and I no longer have to worry about my premiums going up because of my weight and poor health.”
In addition to feeling and looking great, Dawn now has the energy and mobility to play with her grandchildren every weekend, “I am able to play on park equipment, jump on our trampoline, and even go roller skating with them.” Dawn says that now she can do countless activities she could not do before the surgery, including having no trouble getting up and down off the floor, walking with ease, and generally living her best life.
“The team at the Genesis Center for Weight Management are just amazing and so supportive. I am a very lucky person to have found them and change not only my life but also my family’s life. The team at Genesis gave me the tools I needed to live the life I wanted to live.”
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