“One of the best things I’ve ever done for myself”
The causes of obesity are often complex and sometimes hidden. Finding solutions to this serious condition can require help from extraordinary people. Barb asked for that help, and she got it at Geisinger. During one very difficult period when she was a pre-teen, Barb gained over a half-pound every week. For three years. “Food was my drug of choice,” says Barb, 50, a native of Selinsgrove, PA. “My parents were in the middle of a long, nasty divorce. I ate to numb the feelings.” The weight gain put her at 238 pounds. She was in 8th grade. Different kinds of stressesWhen she married, she and her husband, Mike, made plans to start a family right away. Though the cause is unclear, they had problems with infertility. Research shows that obesity in adolescence can cause infertility, and infertility medications can cause weight gain. Both can cause stress, and Barb gained more weight. “After seven years, we got pregnant, but I weighed 250 pounds by that time,” she says. “With my daughter only five months old, I began having some pretty rough symptoms, including slurred speech and trouble breathing.” She went to Geisinger’s Knapper Clinic in Danville, near their home. “I remember the doctor saying it could be a long process to figure out my problem, but that we’ll get to the bottom of it,” she says. One problem finally has a nameGeisinger physicians quickly diagnosed Barbara with an underactive thyroid. “That’s when I remembered: when I was 10, I had the same diagnosis. But that was during my parents’ divorce, and I was living away from home. My medicine got lost along the way.” An underactive thyroid gland, or hypothyroidism, can cause weight gain in children. So this news helped Barb understand an additional factor that affects weight. If at first…When their second child was four months old, she got pregnant with their third child. She was full-time mother to their three small children, a fact that would make regular exercise and dietary changes difficult for anyone. Still, she tried. Barb now weighed 330 pounds and resumed weight loss attempts. She had at one time or another tried Overeaters Anonymous, TOPS, and Weight Watchers. | Barbara's Story I
Barbara describes her struggle to lose weight and her experience at Geisinger's Obesity Clinic. Advantages of Bariatric Surgery
Christopher Still, DO, Medical Director, Geisinger Center for Nutrition & Weight Management, discusses the medical benefits beyond weight loss of bariatric surgery. Barbara's Story II
Barbara describes her family's support for her desire to lose weight and the aftermath of her treatment. |
“I also went through the Obesity Clinic at Geisinger about three times,” she says. “I had some success, and they welcomed me back every time. But I just did not keep the weight off.”
Geisinger’s Center of Excellence
The last time she went back, she weighed more than 300 pounds, with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 50.
“I was morbidly obese,” she says. “I had tried to do this by myself, and I really thought I could, but I realized I needed help.” The photo below shows Barb before her surgery.
She finally decided to look very seriously at bariatric surgery, and she researched it thoroughly.
Why Geisinger?
“There are other bariatric programs in the area, but Geisinger’s program is a Center of Excellence for Bariatric Surgery [a designation given by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery.] I’ve always had excellent care at Geisinger. I knew they were what I needed.”
Barb says she felt an immediate connection with the staff, and she easily rattles off the names of physicians, dietitians, nurses and others she came to depend on.
“I felt a real connection with them,” she says. “They genuinely care about everyone. They’re just amazing.”
Two years later
Barb had the weight loss procedure called Roux-en-Y (pronounced “ROO in Y”) Gastric Bypass Surgery at Geisinger in March of 2007.
Starting with weight loss in preparation for the surgery and classes on diet, exercise, and behavior modification that are all part of Geisinger’s program, Barb’s weight loss continues. She now attends support groups that are also part of the program.
Today, she’s half the woman she had been.
“I now weigh in the 150s, give or take a pound or two,” she says with a broad smile. “I might gain three pounds during the holidays or when I’m busy with the kids, but after losing 160 pounds, I know how to take care of it.”
Support for a lifetime
In addition to seeing Geisinger clinicians every three to six months for regular check-ups and consultations, Barb also uses MyGeisinger.org to track her care. She also appreciates how responsive staff are to her e-mails and calls.
“They make it very clear that they’re available,” she says. “They need to be a part of each patient’s life medically, but I know that whatever other support you need, they’re here forever.”
Moving forward
With Barb’s family history of heart disease and diabetes, her weight loss has reduced her risk for these diseases. In addition, she has also been able twice to reduce the dosage of her hypothyroid medication, completely eliminated medicine for acid reflux, and no longer has sleep apnea. She’s enrolled in a post-graduate program and resumed dance classes. In addition, she’s volunteered to mentor a young newlywed who’s also preparing for bariatric surgery at Geisinger.
“I know that I’m a work in progress, and that I’ll fight this for the rest of my life,” she says. “But two years ago, at over 300 pounds, the amount of weight I needed to lose was so overwhelming.”
“This surgery is one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself.”
She and her family will enjoy the rewards of her improved health for a long, long lifetime.
