Roger A. de la Torre, MD

i was 16 and out of options i started then going to the dr and bugging the crap out of insurance. insurance denied me twice the third time was a charm i found a wonderful dr and to my luck my mom was the surgercal nurse sister best friend.

here is my story~

i was 18 weighed 310 pounds every day was a chore just getting out of bed and going to school and work. i was depressed and almost sucidal but i keep on going. people needed me even tho i was fat and couldnt hardly move around i was digusting and i wasnt like i didnt try every diet or weight loss program out there a gastric bypass was my only chance at life. so i go to the dr and i weigh in every month i slowly gain weight even tho i am keeping a very strict food diary to show what i eat and all my foods was healthy why was i gaining weight? it all came down to a synrome called syndrome x it was scary it keep me from losing weight even tho i ate very healthy. i also had polycystic ovarian syndrome (pcos) what in the world i am 18 i thought i have all these major health problems i should not have i got to do some thing. a gastric bypass was my only option. so insurance finally approved after seeing all my problems. i had many more pre diabetic and so much more.

so on dec 29 of 2004 i go ito the er to have my gastric bypass. i have just 6 small scars im so glad that i dont have a huge scar my scars are basically invisble now almost 7 yrs out. the only problem i had was i had a stricture shortly after the gastric bypass and that is where the scar tissue closed the opening to ur intenses al small procedure like getting a balloon ran down u to blow it back up works wonders on that i had to get that done twice. withing a month. not a big deal. i am so thankful i got it done with out it i may not be here today. 7 yrs out i usually eat what i want drink what i want. but i walk consitantly!

 the draw backs since u really cant eat. and for emotional eaters u dont get the same effects. i smoke ciggarettes now and occasionally drink hard alcohol. (no beer it will make u sick) and at one point and time i turned to drugs cause i was not able to eat. but i over came all the drugs.i replaced one habbit with others

i get asked if i would ever do it again and i reply with a big yes. there are its draw backs i feel its worth it if there is nothing else that will help u lose weight.

i am 24 now and looking to have a tummy tuck. i am really happy with the out come i havent really gained weight back but i do want yall to know that i go from 140 to 165 that is a huge weight gain but i never get over 165 and i usually dont get that big except in the winter. when i cant really walk outside and im stuck inside!

 walking and fluids r the key to a good surgery! even no matter how far out u are!

I had the full ruin en y gastric bypass done by Dr. DeLa Torre and his pretty amazing staff in 2011. Seven years ago. They work with Medicaid which is awesome. They do their best to get you in there and get the surgery done for you if you are a good candidate. The only problem is that Columbia Missouri is the only location that they have with no other satellite locations or any other affiliates . This was a huge problem for me when it comes to follow up , post care, specialty care, group sessions , any of that. Especially when I moved further away it’s just not feesible to drive hundreds of miles to go in there for an appointment or to even try to make reoccurring appointments for anything afterwards. Hence that is a big problem. And please make sure that you consider all of your options before you go through such a major painful and life altering surgery. The repercussions of it r not always good. The complications can be so much worse and outweigh the benefits by far. I have been constantly sick. Horribly sick. Then had an ulcer that perforated and a blockage and other complications which created other emergency surgeries that were extremely painful and took a long time to recuperate from. Very traumatizing. And if you can’t get back up there to Columbia to see him then you’re pretty much on your own. And whenever you end up in the emergency room those doctors just don’t understand. I was misdiagnosed so many times and sent home just out of their ignorance of my situation.So my advice is if you do see him make sure that you have a specialist near you that knows every bit about it and all of the follow up care and everything necessary for afterwards that you can continuously see you for the next several years of your life

I'm so glad I had Gastric Bypass surgery it changed my life! Looking back if I was to do it over again I would not use the same doctor. I went to Columbia Mo it's a teaching hospital. I only got to see my surgeon twice once in a group meeting then again in the surgery room. Seeing a different doctor everytime I went in was frustrating.

Updated on 17 May 2015:


Updated on 17 May 2015:


Updated on 18 May 2015:
Even after all the years I look at my before pictures & think that wasn't me! I was never that overweight. Oh yes you were the proof is not only in the pictures it's also a constant reminder every time I take my clothes off or put on a swimsuit. Since I made bad choices when it came to my health I now have to live in a thin body covered in lose skin & stretch marks. I love being out door and at the lake. I can't tell you how many times I get asked why I'm not in a swimsuit your so skinny what are you worried about? Yes I'm now a size 3 with lose skin in the inner thighs, lower tummy, & back of my arms. I hoped with me being in the gym 5 days a week & hot yoga I would be able to he happy in my skin. It has tightened but is still gross.

Updated on 18 May 2015:
So most of the time when you see a bigger female they have a full chest. NOT THIS GIRL! Even at 250lbs I had small boobs. I became a mom before my surgery and nothing didn't grow or get milk. So going from 250lbs to 135lbs you can only imagine what happened. They got even smaller. Think of a nice round ballon now start letting out the air more more almost there yep. So now I'm stuck with lose skin and deflated balloons. Ever women has one good quality right?

Updated on 22 May 2015:


Updated on 23 May 2015: