Bariatric Surgery: Not Losing Hope In Weight Loss Journey
April 04, 2019
Joshua Patton, 39-year-old New Lenox, Illinois, resident, had a goal to live longer and to be a better person for himself and his family. This included finding a better weight loss tool. He tried everything to lose weight, except weight loss surgery.
Bariatric surgery helps you lose weight by making changes to your digestive system. Some types of bariatric surgery procedures make your stomach smaller, allowing you to eat and drink less at one time and making you feel full sooner. Other bariatric surgeries also change your small intestine - the part of your body that absorbs calories and nutrients from foods and beverages.
Patton has friends that went through successful weight loss surgeries and decided to go in for a consultation with Gerald Cahill, MD, a bariatric surgeon with Franciscan Health.
Dr. Cahill and Patton agreed on a vertical sleeve gastrectomy, which restricts your food intake by removing 80 percent of the stomach. The gastric sleeve procedure changes the shape of the stomach from spherical to tube-like, similar to the size and shape of a banana, and is one of the most popular weight loss operations.
When choosing weight loss surgery, Franciscan Health’s bariatric surgeons are skilled in many different types of minimally invasive surgeries for weight loss, including laparoscopy and robotic-assisted surgery where both are guided by the skilled hands of your surgeon for improved precision. Your surgeon will work with you to determine the plan that will help you achieve the best results. This team is with you every step of the way—from pre-op to post-op—so you can achieve your health goals.
Patton began preparing for the surgery started six months before to the procedure, He went to consultations with a dietitian, exercise specialist and Dr. Cahill to make sure that he would achieve long-term success. Dr. Cahill explained that it is important to understand that a patient’s behavior must change in order to keep the weight loss off.
Within five months after his surgery, Patton lost more than 100 pounds, weighing in at 192 from his original weight of 295 pounds. Patton was motivated, and this was a key factor of his success.
“I get up in the morning and feel great. The amount of energy you get out of this is fantastic,” he said.
