Lugging around 250 pounds was hard on John Leverone’s body and consequently, his frame of mind. The excess poundage preoccupied him so much that he finally decided to do something about it.
After a year of extensive research on various weight loss surgeries and programs from Vero Beach to Cleveland, Ohio, Leverone chose Treasure Coast Bariatric at Indian River Medical Center to help him achieve a healthy weight.
“People say, ‘It’s the easy way out,'” he marvels. “They are out of their minds! I’m an Ivy League graduate and have run my own businesses, and those were a piece of cake compared to the commitments I’ve had to make and the things I’ve had to learn with this program.”
The 54-year-old got a “wake-up call” when his doctor told him he had main risk factors for death due to being overweight. Obesity becomes “morbid” when it reaches the point of significantly increasing the risk of one or more obesity-related health conditions or serious diseases (also known as co-morbidities) that can result either in significant physical disability or even death. High cholesterol and high blood pressure are considered such co-morbidities.
Morbid obesity is a chronic disease, meaning that its symptoms build slowly over an extended period of time. An estimated 5 to 10 million Americans are considered morbidly obese. Some 400,000 people died of obesity-related illnesses last year, according to the National Institutes of Health.
“I had main risk factors for death, being overweight,” Leverone said. “It really scared me. When I got diabetes, I said, “things need to change.'”
Leverone paid out of pocket to have a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy though the center does accept certain insurances. And the investment has paid off to the tune of a 100-pound weight loss, and better eating and exercise habits.
“It has been worth every penny,” he said of having the surgery, a restrictive procedure that reduces the size of the stomach and limits food intake.
His treatment program overseen by medical director and bariatric surgeon Dr. Theodore Perry, included psychological, nutritional and fitness counseling.
“This is not for people who just need to lose 20 or 30 lbs.,” Perry said. “There’s a big difference between someone who is a little overweight and someone morbidly obese. For some, it’s a last-ditch effort. This is when they finally realize that they will not be successful dieting.”
Many of these people develop a dysfunction of their metabolism, which makes it extremely difficult for them to lose weight, and leads to the development of problems such as hypertension, fatty infiltration into the liver, hepatitis, gallstones, sleep apnea, pain in weight-bearing joints and arthritis. They are also at increased risk for multiple cancers.
Bariatric surgeries offered at the center include laparoscopic gastric bypass (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass); laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding; gastric bypass surgery; and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Surgeries can cost anywhere from $12,500 to $24,000, according to Vickie Boles, program coordinator.
Some procedures restrict the amount of food that can be eaten at one time and others bypass segments of the intestines to limit the absorption of calories. Surgeries are for those who are overweight with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 35 or higher with another high-risk medical condition.
Dr. Patrick Domkowski, bariatric surgeon at Riverside Surgical and Weight Loss at Sebastian River Medical Center, says the surgeries are growing in popularity because people are seeing great results.
“They are not cosmetic,” he said. “Morbid obesity is a disease that destroys and shortens peoples’ lives.”
Also, there have been significant advances in the technology used to perform the surgeries. The surgical equipment and tools being used now were not available a few years ago, Domkowski added. The average length of a hospital stay after a laparoscopic bypass is just two days.
As for risks with bariatric surgeries, he says, there are risks involved with every surgery. In these cases, they are minimal, he added.
Those risks were worth taking for Tina Bowen, a patient of Domkowski, who underwent the laparoscopic gastric sleeve procedure two years ago at SRMC. She was 321 lbs. at the time and unsuccessful at every diet she tried. At 6 ft. tall, she is now 175 lbs. and at her desired weight.
The self-described “food addict” said, “I felt guilty that God blessed me with great health, and I went and ruined it – the gift he gave me.”
The 43-year-old mother of two said the frustration hit sky-high when she couldn’t get on rides at fairs with her two kids because she was too big. And horseback riding with them was an impossible activity.
Those days are behind her now. “When I got the weight off, I got my foot in the stirrup and got myself on a horse. I said, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve done it!'”
With the weight loss came a sense of empowerment. “There is nothing that I cannot do,” she said. “If I want to run down the street with the kids, or ride horses, I can. I can go to a restaurant and sit in a booth. I can look at a chair and not think, ‘Can that chair hold me?'”
As for Leverone, who had surgery in January 2013, the benefits have also been great, and the learning curve steep.
“You have to learn how to take care of your very, very small stomach because it is becomes the size of your thumb – when typically it’s the size of both fists put together,” he explained. “I was afraid I was going to hurt myself. You don’t just walk in the door and have the surgery. Education is a huge component of the program.”
Besides achieving weight loss, he no longer has diabetes. He has reached his goal of 160 lbs. after the surgery and adheres to a personalized nutrition and exercise program which consists of water exercises and endurance training in the pool five times a week.
Now, he eats anything he wants to in moderation within the protocols of his so-called “life diet” which consists of daily breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack that involve 5 to 8 ounces at each main meal for a daily caloric intake of 1,200. He also takes a couple of supplements daily.
Any downsides after a successful surgery? If there are any, Perry says, it’s that people can’t eat the volume they used to, and must eat slower.
“To say that it is a life-changing operation is an understatement,” he said. Not only the medical problems are vastly improved or resolved but the changes in a person’s personality are noteworthy.
“As the weight is coming off, a cocoon is coming off, and you’re seeing a new person that was buried under all that fat. They evolve. It’s rewarding to see that.”
