Carol was thin as a child and managed to keep her weight down even after two childbirths. She noticed that her weight started to creep up when she was in her thirties. By following a strict diet and exercise regime, she managed to lose the weight.
She then underwent foot surgery and with the lack of exercise, not only did she gain weight, but she developed a variety of medical problems; including high blood pressure, asthma, high cholesterol, and joint pain.
Over the years, Carol tried several popular commercial diet programs without long term success. She worked with several people who had undergone bariatric surgery and saw how successful they were in losing weight and keeping the weight off after surgery.
More importantly, they shared how their overall health improved after bariatric surgery. Since heart disease runs in her family, Carol was extremely interested in this benefit and made the decision to move forward. She had a few friends who were skeptical and only shared her decision with close friends and family. Attending the Lifestyle Program at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC fit into her schedule and before she knew it, her surgery date had arrived.
Carol underwent gastric bypass by Dr. Anita Courcoulas in the summer of 2012. Her post-operative course was smoother than she anticipated. She was able to drive within one week of the surgery and was back to work within one month. Her primary care physician took her off her blood pressure and cholesterol medication within two weeks.
Since surgery, Carol has lost 76 pounds, dropped six dress sizes and one shoe size. Shopping is now fun and Carol loves the way she looks. She has more energy and feels like she is back in her twenties.
“I am grateful for the great care I received from Dr. Courcoulas, her team, and the staff at Magee. They were caring, supportive, and always available for questions. I feel I have added years to my life since I had the surgery and never looked back”.
Note: This patient's treatment and results may not be representative of all similar cases.
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