Jessica Dias' Story

One night, roughly five years ago, while lying on my favorite but not so good position---my belly---I felt a rush of food flow back from my stomach to my throat in a split second. It was an awful sensation. Putting it down to mere indigestion, I carried on for a little bit. On a routine physical examination, my primary healthcare physician heard a dry cough coming from me and said instantly that I had acid reflux---a symptom of reflux. I felt confounded at this pronunciation of my state to which I was a total stranger, at least in knowledge of it.

Over the next few years, acid reflux and I pretty much became bedfellows as even the high dosage medication that I took did little to alleviate my condition. I started to explore the option of surgery that I had been dissuaded from doing earlier by my then specialist. Finally I went online and Dr. Nick Gabriel’s name surfaced again and again. I called his office and asked for a consult with him. In my first meeting, I felt content that there might be a remedy for me pending some tests. The tests confirmed that I, indeed, had reflux and was also a good candidate for surgery at the same time.

Well its been a little over a month since the surgery. Needless to say that it was extremely successful. I have some discomfort while eating which will go away soon, but I feel as strong as I did to prior to the surgery, and am happy to see my normal high levels of energy resurface in such a short time. Minimally invasive surgery is really minimally invasive----I hardly feel I have had any surgery at all! May be a little too freaky, but modern technology is awesome.

And finally thank you Dr. Gabriel for giving me back the power to eat delicious meals again and for your support this whole time. I’d also like to thank your staff Helen Rodriguez and Jessica Vargas, and your surgical team for the procedure, and most of all for the caring. I really didn’t feel like an object in any sense as people sometimes say about surgeons, doctors and their team! So thanks for getting rid of that myth for me and for curing me!

Jessica Dias

...surgery performed (2004)