Like many people, Stephanie rode the weight-loss roller coaster for years, spending thousands of dollars on weight-loss programs and personal trainers, only to gain the weight back. When diagnosed with pre-diabetes and high cholesterol, she decided to try something different.
“I have family members who underwent successful weight-loss surgery and encouraged me to do it, but it wasn’t until my diagnoses that I seriously considered it,” Stephanie recalled.
In addition to not wanting to experience diabetic complications, Stephanie said her knees and feet started to hurt all the time and climbing stairs was painful.
She opted for the sleeve gastrectomy, the most frequently performed weight-loss surgery procedure in the U.S. The procedure reduces the size of the stomach by about 80%. This restricts the amount of food the person can consume.
“Of course, I was nervous as I’d never had surgery before,” Stephanie said. “My biggest surprise was how quickly I healed. I thought that I would have trouble eating and be sick afterward, but I didn’t experience pain or any of these issues. In fact, I was back at work in two weeks.”
Since her procedure in October 2022 at University Hospital, Stephanie has lost 65 pounds and is still losing weight.
“My favorite things to do now are going up and down stairs easily, shopping at regular-sized clothing shops, and exercising on my Peloton,” Stephanie said. “Most of all, I don’t mind being in pictures!”
She said some unexpected benefits are that her asthma and eczema have improved and she no longer is pre-diabetic.
“I would encourage anyone considering bariatric surgery to just do it,” Stephanie said. “I needed this extra help and my only regret is not doing it sooner.”
Weight Loss Surgery at University Health
Learn more about weight loss surgery at University Health on our website.
