Team Bariatrics Success Story: When Losing Weight Means Saving Your Life
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For Terry, Bariatric surgery wasn’t an optional procedure, it was his last chance. After struggling with his weight for most of his life, the 48-year-old Ligonier resident needed a pacemaker, but because Terry was nearly 470-pounds, doctors could not do the surgery. He needed to get his weight under control before he could turn attention to his heart. His heart condition was just one of many ailments that the obesity exacerbated. Terry also had diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, edema and cellulitis in his legs, and arthritis that left Terry inconstant pain. “I thought I’ll knuckle down and I’ll try the diets and the support groups and that sort of thing again,” Terry said. “I did and it didn’t work, again.” The breaking point came after Terry suffered a series of cardiac events that forced him to miss nine months of work. He needed more than a short-term fix for his obesity struggles, he needed a life solution. His cardiologist recommended bariatric surgery and referred him to John Hawkins at Team:Bariatrics where he found more than a solution, he found a home. “Team:Bariatrics gives you more of a family feeling,” Terry said “You’re not just talking to your nurse and doctor you’re talking to your friend and sometimes you’re talking to someone who feels like your sister. The thing about Team:Bariatrics is that they have a whole team of people like that.” |
Terry’s condition was causing a lot of stress and the emotional care he was given proved just as important as the medical part of the equation.
“They want to complete the package and not just treat the physiology,” Terry said. “They are very welcoming and warm to everyone who comes through the door.”
Terry was convinced that surgery was the only way to save his life and he wanted it done right away but his team at Team:Bariatrics said he needed to prepare for the surgery not just physically but mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Terry went through a psychological evaluation, exercise counseling, nutrition and weight counseling and used a MetaFast (all liquid) diet to help him get his weight down and change the way he thought about food.
“They attacked (my weight condition) on several different fronts,” he said.
One of those fronts was Terry’s spirituality.
Terry is a religious man and he was most impressed by Team:Bariatrics attention to his spiritual needs. In particular he recalls the morning of his surgery when the staff at Team:Bariatrics came into his room and prayed with him.
“That put me in such a wonderful state of mind. That just meant the world to me,” he said. “It was absolutely unexpected and most welcome.”
After the surgery, the weight came off fast. Terry lost 200 pounds in just nine months. However, it wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t magic.
Terry had to follow a strict diet following the surgery and he met with a nutritionist regularly to make sure he stayed on track. More important for Terry, he was able to have his pacemaker put in only four months after his surgery.
Today, Terry’s weight is under control and his health has improved dramatically. His diabetes is gone, as is his high cholesterol and edema. He still suffers from arthritis but no longer has to take daily pain medication and he is back at work and involved in his community and church.
He has become a new person both in his mind and body. Terry’s pants size has gone from a 66 waist to a 38 waist and where once he needed to buy 7x-size shirts to fit his frame, he now can wear a large. The only things he can still fit into are his shoes.
“It literally is a different body” he said. “It is no longer the body I once had.”
Terry credits his wife, Mary Lou, and mother, Lynne, with helping him through his journey. Terry says he’s always been a positive person but his experience with Team:Bariatrics has left him more energized and upbeat than he has ever been before.
“When I wake up in the morning my feet hit the floor and I am all ready to embrace another day,” Terry said. “I can’t voice strongly enough how wondrous this is.”
