My name is Kera Melancon. I am 34 years old with an amazing husband and three beautiful children. I was diagnosed with diabetes at 31 years old. When I found out that I was a diabetic, I wasn’t very educated and thought “ok I’ll just not eat as much sugar”. Little did I know there was way more to it than just not eating sugar! My life was about to change forever. My doctor put me on medications to help with diabetes and it made me very sick! I could not function and would throw up at least 15 times a day. Needless to say, my diabetes continued to get worse and worse. At the age of 32 I found out that my liver was shutting down and my kidneys were not working properly. At this point I was on 5 insulin shots and 18 pills a day. My life revolved around my medications. I could not go anywhere without my box of insulin and pills. My kids knew I was sick, and it affected them and my husband so much! I knew I had so much support from them but at the same time I would watch them cry because they knew they were watching me die. Every night my husband would wake me up throughout the night to make sure I was still breathing. I felt like I failed as a wife and a mother because I was never there for them. I would miss so many events because I was in the bed and couldn’t get out. My sugars were always in the 800 range and many times a month I would be hospitalized. My A1C was 11.5 and everything we tried, it would not come down. It became so bad that my kids would always ask me if I took my meds. My daughter, who was only 12 at the time, would come to me crying asking me not to die. I knew in my heart that I don’t want to leave my family! They needed me but more importantly, I needed them! I went to many doctors asking and pleading for help. All they would ever tell me is to lose weight. They just didn’t get it. I’ve been trying to lose weight and nothing I did would ever work!
I decided to go see Dr. Lavin and little did I know that my life was about to change forever! Dr. Lavin proceeded to explain to me that no matter what I did, I wouldn’t be able to lose weight because the insulin would constantly make me gain weight. He told me that I’m way too young to be this sick. I knew it but I felt I had no other option but death. I looked him in the face and told him that I didn’t want to die. We both cried and he told me that he could help me and he could save my life. I didn’t believe him because I felt if that was true, then why hasn’t anyone told me that I had the option. Not once did a doctor recommend me to have surgery. When I would talk to a doctor about my option of gastric sleeve surgery, they would tell me that I wouldn’t make it through surgery because my A1C was too high. When I told Dr. Lavin that, he looked at me and said I am your doctor now and I WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE!
I went into surgery with an A1C of 11.5 and my sugar was 600 the morning of
surgery. I had surgery on July 24, 2018. Little did I know this was the
beginning of the rest of my life! When I came out of surgery my sugar was 204!
I was in shock! Since the day of surgery, I am no longer on insulin or
medication! My A1C is now 4.3 and I feel like a whole new person. I am so
healthy, and I am able to be the wife and mother that God wants me to be.
Without a doubt I can say that Dr. Lavin absolutely saved my life!
