Improving the Quality of Life
OVERCOMING THE WEIGHT Defeating obesity with medically assisted weight loss .
by BRIT CREW
See Deana ’ s video story at BestDocsNetwork . com
Around age 40 , Deana had enough . She had been overweight majority of her life and finally decided it was time to change .
“ I felt like my quality of life was slowly starting to deteriorate ,” said Deana , who is identified by first name only to protect her privacy . “ I was starting to have other medical problems and it was just one thing after another . I felt as though I have too many more years to live . I didn ’ t want to deal with those problems the rest of my life .”
During that time , Deana experienced migraine headaches , which she believed the excess weight caused .
After further research , Deana decided to consult with Dr . Philip Swanson , a general and bariatric surgeon with Swanson Surgical Center in Southlake , about her options to get rid of the weight and improve the quality of her life .
Upon her appointment , Dr . Swanson told Deana she had a BMI of 41 , which is in the obese category .
A person ’ s BMI is calculated by a mathematical formula using their weight and height .
Photos Courtesy of Deana
BMI categories are identified as underweight with a BMI less than 18 , normal weight with a BMI between 18.5 to 24.9 , overweight with a BMI between 25 to 29.9 , and obese with a BMI of 30 or greater .
After discussing all of her options with Dr . Swanson , Deana decided to have the gastric sleeve procedure to assist her with losing the weight .
According to Gastric Sleeve Patient Resource Center ’ s website , the gastric sleeve procedure limits food ingestion and controls hunger sensation . Seventy-five to 80 percent of the stomach is removed from the body , leaving the small intestine and pyloric valve intact . The average recovery time for a gastric sleeve procedure is about three weeks versus a gastric bypass procedure taking up to three months to recover .
“ I liked the fact that the sleeve procedure not only removed a portion of my stomach ,” said Deana , “ but it also removed some of the hormones that trigger your hunger and appetite .”
Deana said she chose the sleeve procedure because she believed the removal of the
hormones would relieve the migraines she was having . The hormone she is referring to is Ghrelin , the hunger hormone , which is in the portion of the stomach that is removed during the procedure .
A few advantages to the sleeve procedure include a safer and less complex surgery , your digestion occurs naturally and there are few problematic foods post recovery . On the flip side , the sleeve procedure is not reversible and some insurance companies will not cover the procedure .
Also found on Gastric Sleeve Patient Resource Center ’ s website , studies show greater than 60 percent of excess weight is lost in about 12 months after surgery .
“ She lost her weight within a year to two years ,” said Dr . Swanson . “ She now has a pretty normal BMI and she ’ s keeping the weight off . Interestingly enough , she no longer has migraines , either .”
After healing from her procedure , Deana made several lifestyle changes .
“ I changed my eating habits ,” she said , “ and I joined a gym to really increase my physical activity .”
Deana before her gastric sleeve procedure .
A year before her surgery , Deana participated in a 1-mile fun run , and she couldn ’ t even finish the one mile . A year later after her surgery , she decided to participate in the 5K of that same race .
“ I was going to do the 5k race ,” she said , “ just to prove to myself where I ’ d been and where I ’ d gotten to and what I ’ d achieved .”
Deana arrived the morning of the race , completely prepared to finish it . She was shocked when she not only finished the race , but placed 3rd in her age group .
“ That was a wonderful feeling ,” she said . “ I had taken advantage of the second chance that I got to change my life .”
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