Patti feels better than she has in years. Her diabetes is gone, her high blood
pressure is under control and her daily aches and pains are a distant memory.
Not very long ago, Patti was morbidly obese - at least 100 pounds overweight and
suffering from weight-related medical conditions. But a relatively painless, minimally
invasive gastric bypass surgery at Harper University Hospital enabled her to lose
135 pounds in nine months and take control of her health problems.
"It's given me my vitality, my health, my life," Patti said. "I went from a size
32 to a size 18. And I'm still losing weight."
Before considering gastric bypass surgery, Patti tried dozens of other medical,
dietary and exercise programs. Nothing worked. "This is a huge decision and one
that should be considered only for those who have exhausted traditional weight loss
measures," Patti said. "In fact, insurance companies require documentation of several
failed diet attempts."
While the weight-loss benefits of gastric bypass surgery are obvious, the Harper
University Hospital surgeon who performed Patti's procedure said the health benefits
are equally important.
"Morbid obesity can actually cut years off your life," John Webber, M.D., said.
"Carrying around an extra 100 pounds or more puts an incredible strain on your body,
your heart in particular."
Dr. Webber is one of a small number of surgeons in the United States who are expert
at laparoscopic, minimally invasive gastric bypass surgery. The laparoscopic version
of the procedure requires just six small incisions, each a centimeter or less in
length. Of the thousands of gastric bypass surgeries performed each year in the
United States, only 12 percent are currently performed using laparoscopic techniques.
"There just aren't a lot of surgeons yet who know how to perform a laparoscopic
gastric bypass. It's a complicated procedure," Dr. Webber said.
The benefits of the minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery include shorter hospital
stays, less pain, and faster return to work and normal activities. "Most patients
are back to work in two weeks," Dr. Webber said.
That's something that appealed to Patti. With a 3-year-old and a 4-year-old, she
didn't want a big incision and a long recovery time. "I wanted to get it done for
the health reasons, but also because I've got two little ones to take care of,"
Patti said. "That's really what interested me in the laparoscopic procedure."
While laparoscopic surgery is minimally invasive, it's not something to enter into
lightly. "I did tons of research into the procedure, right up until the night before
surgery," Patti said. "Finally I decided that the risk of continuing on the way
I was going was much greater than any risk of surgery."
Patti chose Harper University Hospital because of the expertise of its physicians,
its reputation as a world-class hospital and terrific reviews from patients who
had the procedure at Harper.
"Since I had all these other medical conditions, I didn't want to go to one of those
specialty clinics because they don't have the resources of a full-service hospital
if something happened during surgery," Patti said.
Her husband was concerned about that too, so he was very supportive of her decision
to go to Harper. Like Patti, he's pleased with the results and her improved health.
"He hugs me and says it's like hugging a different person, I'm so much smaller,"
Patti said. "But he's happy mostly because of the health aspects."
Today, Patti is much more active than she once was. "I like to dance with my kids
and just goof around and play with them. I can dance with them for a long time now
and walking and exercise is a lot easier than it was. Gardening is easier. Anything
strenuous is much easier."
Even walking around the mall is easier. Patti says she has the energy now to shop
all day. "Come to think of it," Patti laughed, "my husband probably doesn't like
that part of it."
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