Reading Eagle/Times
Nov 14, 1999
Schuylkill County woman
combats weight problem with surgery
By Eric Feick
Deborah of Schuylkill County, PA
once had to rent a wheelchair to get around Disney World because
her health condition caused unbearable pain in her feet. She had
to have three surgeries to repair abdominal hernias.
Deborah once burst into tears on an airplane because she had to
ask a flight attendant for an extension strap so she could fasten
her seat belt.
She was obese. At one time she weighed more than 300 pounds. She
is 5 feet 6 inches tall.
"I lived, for food," She said. "When I woke up,
the first thing I thought was, What could I eat today, and how
much could I eat?"
But her battle with obesity is history.
The 37 year-old administrative
assistant is down to 155 pounds thanks to a surgical procedure
done a year ago at the Reading Hospital Surgical Weight Loss
Center.
Deborah had gastric bypass surgery, a procedure in which the
stomach is stapled near the top, creating a small pouch that
accommodates less food. A piece of the small intestine is
attached to the pouch, allowing food to bypass the rest of the
stomach and the duodenum, areas where most calories are absorbed.
Click here for a graphic depicting the surgery.
The bypass was done by Dr. William A. Sweet, a surgeon who. has
worked with patients at the center since it was established last
year. Sweet has been performing surgery to prevent and relieve
obesity since 1981.
The morning before surgery, Deborah weighed in at 286 1/2 pounds,
and was wearing a size 28W. She has lost 131 1/2 pounds since
then.
Deborah's weight gain began in college, then she became less
active than she was in high school.
"I never really thought about how I looked," she said.
"I thought I looked OK, but I used to notice the way some
people looked at me and treated me, and I realized why."
She tried dieting, diet plls and exercise many times, but just
couldn't keep weight off. At one time, she lost almost 75 pounds
but gained it back. She tried again and lost about 40 pounds, and
gained it back.
"I watched my mother's weight yo-yo the same way my entire
life," She said.
Sweet said this is a common scenario for many obese people.
"It used to be that obesity
was considered curable with just diet and exercise," he
said, "If someone did not lose weight, it was believed that
it was because that person wasn't trying hard enough.
"We now know that genetics plays a major role with obesity,
and that some people, no matter how hard they try to lose weight,
are predisposed to be obese."
For these people, surgery is sometimes the only option, he said,
because it can alleviate other problems associated with obesity,
such as fatigue, respiratory problems, depression and social
limitations.
"As a society, we heap more scorn on people who are fat than
we do on alcoholics or drug addicts," Sweet said.
Deborah's success from the surgery has made her very aware of her
past eating habits, and how she can never return to the days of
stopping at McDonald's on her way home from work, then eating a
full dinner with her family.
"The surgery is a tool, not a miracle cure," Deborah
said. You can't have the surgery and eat the way you did
before."
A typical meal for her consists of about two cups of food.
Although she can still eat the same high-fat, high-calorie foods
she used to, she avoids them at all costs.
"I eat now like a thin person would eat," she said.
She also monitors her weight
daily.
Deborah had plastic surgery in August to remove excess skin
around her abdomen. She plans to join a health club and tone up
the rest of her body as soon as she has fully recovered from the
surgery.
Deborah is also part of a weight loss center support group of
about 80 people who meet once a month to discuss their
post-surgery progress and to offer each other encouragement.
People who are waiting to have the procedure also are included in
the group.
She has documented her experience with the surgery and the
aftermath on her web site http://www.sunlink.net/~debk and corresponds by e-mail with people around the world
who have had similar operations or who need help dealing with
obesity.
"You can't imagine what life is like for an obese
person," Deborah said. "It's embarrassing. It's
isolating. It's a part of me I'll never forget, but I'm glad it's
gone."
Surgery Will Limit Absorption of Calories Gastric Bypass is the most common
form of weight-loss surgery From our news staff The most common type of weight-loss surgery done at the Reading Hospital Surgical Weight Loss Center and in the United States is gastric bypass surgery. The procedure takes about three hours, according to Dr. William A. Sweet. A small pouch is formed by stapling a portion of the top of the stomach. This limits the amount of food that can be consumed at one time to about eight ounces or less. A 5 to 7 foot section of the small intestine is attached to the pouch to allow food to bypass the duodenum, the first segment of the small intestine at the base of the stomach. Food bypasses the stomach and upper intestines, and mixes with the body's digestive enzymes at a lower point in the intestines, resulting in less absorption of calories. Patients who have had the surgery must take calcium supplements daily to reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis, a degeneration of the spine. Calcium is asorbed by the duodenum, which receives no solid food after the surgery. Patients also must take high doses of vitamin B12, because food bypasses most of the stomach, where it is absorbed. Vitamin B12 is essential for the formation of red blood cells. If the patient is a woman of childbearing age, she must take daily iron supplements to combat anemia. Because the size of the stomach has been drastically reduced, food must be chewed carefully or vomiting may occur. Patients rarely experience bowel obstructions or diarrhea as a result of the surgery, Sweet said. As with any major surgery, there is a risk of death, Sweet said. The risk of death is less than 1 percent, he said. Sweet said about 75 percent of patients who have had
the procedure have lost weight. "The biggest predictor in losing weight after the surgery is exercise," Swet said. "You have to eat right, watch your fat intake, and exercise to the best of your ability at least four times a week." Another type of surgery used to promote weight loss is called vertical banded gastroplasty. For this procedure, staples are used to create a small pouch in the upper part of the stomach, limiting the amount of food that can be consumed at one time to about 8 ounces or less. The pouch empties slowly into the stomach, and patients will not feel the need to eat as often. Food and nutrients are digested normally by the stomach and the small intestines. Sweet said this procedure is mostly done in Europe. About 80 percent of Sweet's patients are women, and he as done the gastric bypass procedure on people ranging from their teens to as old as 62. He performs about 10 surgeries a month. More information is available on the surgical weight loss center web site at http://www.obesitysurgeryattherhmc.com |
Reasons for Surgery From our news staff Gastric bypass surgery is intended for people who are overweight by 100 pounds or more, or who have tried unsuccessfully to lose weight through diet and exercise. It is also done for people who may not be this overweight, but whose obesity is affecting other health problems such as high blood pressure, heart problems, hiatal hernia, arthritis, diabetes, fatigue and sleep apnea - temporary cessation of breathing while sleeping. Obese people also may experience social limitations or be considered a high risk by health insurance carriers. Physicals at the Reading Hospital Surgical Weight Loss Center perform an in-depth exam and consultation to determine if gastric bypass surgery or vertical banded gastroplasty is appropriate and necessary. Some insurance carriers consider a gastric bypass to be cosmetic surgery and will not cover the surgery, even if it is done for medical reasons |
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