Innovative weight loss procedure gives nurse a new lease on life
October 27, 2004
By Lisa Waterman Gray
In February, Marianne Sullivan, RN, became the second patient to undergo a LAP-BAND® procedure performed by Stephen Malley, MD, at the Mid-West Institute of Bariatric Surgery (MIBS). It was the beginning of a whole new way of life for Sullivan.
"I had thought about surgical intervention for several years, but gastric bypass surgery seemed too scary and my husband thought it was too dangerous," Sullivan said.
Since the procedure, the pounds have melted away and Sullivan, who works for Hospital Management Corporation, the management company for MIBS, is enjoying her new lease on life.
Before it all, she was trying to maintain her weight through diet and exercise, but after surgery on her sciatic nerve in May 1996, Sullivan had significant pain. The more she walked the more it hurt, she said.
"I grazed constantly and I found that food was more my friend than my enemy," she said. "I put on more and more weight and went from 130ish pounds to 265 pounds."
Then, in 2000, Sullivan was diagnosed as a diabetic and was told by an endocrinologist that she needed to exercise and eat less. She also had hypertension.
"I saw an anesthesiologist about pain control so I could exercise more and tried going to the gym," she said. "I tried Weight Watchers and even considered (a weight-loss supplement), although the idea of putting chemicals in my body didn't thrill me."
Then one day she was watching "The Oprah Winfrey Show," and Oprah was in the room of a patient who was discussing the possibility of having the LAP-BAND® procedure, Sullivan said.
"I began researching it and Dr. Malley said he was going to be certified in doing the procedure," Sullivan said.
Like an adjustable wristwatch band, the saline-filled silicone BioEnterics(r) LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Banding System is fastened around the upper stomach to create a new, tiny stomach pouch. As a result, patients experience an earlier sensation of fullness and are satisfied when they eat smaller amounts of food.
The surgeon makes several tiny incisions and uses long, slender instruments to implant the device. Later adjustments of the LAP-BAND® System are performed during simple outpatient visits. They are guided by the patient's weight loss, the amount of food that can be comfortably eaten, the patient's exercise regimen and other issues surrounding her health, as well as the amount of fluid already in the patient's band.
Since there is no cutting, stapling, or stomach rerouting involved with the LAP-BAND® System, it is considered the least traumatic of all weight loss surgeries. Unlike gastric bypass surgery, the procedure is also reversible. The LAP-BAND® System can be removed at any time, such as in the case of pregnancy or serious illness.
A LAP-BAND® System patient generally experiences less pain and scarring than she does when her incision is considerably larger as a result of a more extensive procedure. In addition, her hospital stay is shortened to less than 24 hours and she can typically resume normal activities within one week.
"In the first week my only complaint was the gas underneath my ribs, related to post-laparoscopic surgery," Sullivan said. "One week after surgery I had lost 10 pounds and I never felt weak or hungry. I could have solid foods one to two weeks after surgery, but my plate is now the size of a plate underneath a coffee cup and I have to make better choices about what I eat."
Since then she has lost 52 pounds, she no longer takes her diabetic medication and her cholesterol has dropped from 179 to 128. Sullivan wore a size 24 to 26 before surgery and is now a size 14 to 16. She also walks 30 minutes a day and still has energy left after a day at work.
"It's slower weight loss than with gastric bypass surgery, but it also took me 10 years to get this heavy," Sullivan said. "And that's not going to change overnight."
Source:www.zwire.com
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