‘Learning A New Me’ After Gastric Sleeve Surgery

"I've struggled with my weight most of my adult life," recalled Alice Smithman, an Indiana great-grandmother. "When I was a child, I was thin, but when after children, it seemed like I could never get down to a healthy weight.

"It would be years of dieting and failing, dieting and failing, and this took us such a toll on my health. My A1C was up to 11 and a half. At 245 pounds, I wasn't able to be an active member of society. I just stayed home most of the time, not living my best life. I knew there was more for me out there, but my weight and my health were holding me back from doing and living the life that I want."

Alice ultimately decided to have gastric sleeve surgery, also known as a vertical sleeve gastrectomy, to lose weight and help protect her future health.

"My health was getting to the point where my toes were going numb, my knees were hurting, my body aches were so severe," she said. "I didn't want to leave the bed, and sometimes I wouldn't for days at a time."

Alice benefitted from the support of family members through the process.

"My family encouraged it because they knew that my health was declining and I wasn't happy when I had to leave parties early or didn't feel well, couldn't attend," she said. "My mom passed away when she was 62, and I'm getting close. She was overweight, diabetic, and did not take care of her health. I want to be there for my grandkids, great grandkids, and I want to enjoy my life too. I want to be for them but I want to be there for me. I had the vertical sleeve gastrectomy. I thought I'd go with this one because of the vitamin absorption."

Support Before & After Surgery

Research and conversations with other bariatric patients sealed her decision to have a sleeve gastrectomy at Franciscan Health.

"I talked to other people about it. I joined a couple of bariatric groups online," she said. "Having a friend that did it successfully and she had a friend as well, it encouraged me to look into the program. First moment I walked into the offices, the program, the people, everyone was so inviting, and so open, and so welcome. They gave me a lot of educational tools. Helpful, informative, but encouraging. They're like a family there. Got settled in, the surgery, everybody was helpful and informative. Having a good team is the most important part. Without the team, I could not have done this."

"The Franciscan Health team helped me a lot by our monthly meetings. Each month, I would go in, and I would meet with a dietitian and my surgeon, and discuss how far we were going along with the plan and where I needed to be. This helped me be accountable and learn new patterns for a healthier lifestyle and eating. My advice to others is don't wait, do it. Not necessarily do the surgery, but get your health on track. Find your path and don't wait."

'Learning A New Me'

Today, Alice weighs half of what she used to. But, more importantly, she's regained her health and energy to enjoy living.

"After surgery, immediately, I did not need any more diabetes medication. I no longer have sleep apnea. Borderline high blood pressure, that's gone too," she said. "All my labs are great. I believe that I would lose enough weight to be comfortable and not hurt as much. I had no idea that it would be this phenomenal, that it would help me mentally and physically. I started out at 245 pounds. Today, I'm 125 pounds. I'm very happy with the weight loss. It has given me more energy, more time for friends and family, and is one of the blessings that I count in my life. My future outlook is fun, adventurous and free-spirited. I'm learning a new me."