Healthcare Directory

30 | 2018 Medical & Dental Directory GASTROENTEROLOGY Losing weight is one thing. Keeping it off is always another, and Susan Dees can attest to that. The Hope Mills mother of two had always struggled with her weight, despite being a standout athlete growing up and staying active over the years. Constant dieting didn't help either. Whatever weight she lost on the bathroom scale always came back, and then some. Feeling Fine SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY WAS JUST WHAT THIS FORMER ATHLETE NEEDED TO GET BACK IN THE GAME BY DONNIE BYERS Two years ago, Dees had enough of the yo- yo dieting and decided to undergo weight loss surgery. "What pushed me over was having trouble with my knees," she said. "I'd always had problems with them because of sports, but the extra weight wasn't helping." Dees chose to have gastric sleeve surgery, also known as sleeve gastrectomy. This relatively new bariatric procedure in the United States is gaining popularity, due to the patient's rapid ability to shed weight. Recipients can expect to lose between 40 to 50 percent of their excess body fat within two years. Some patients have even lost half their body weight in less than 12 months. The surgery is minimally invasive and can be done in an hour under general anesthesia. Dees didn't have to be sold on the surgery. She is Cape Fear Valley Medical Center's Chief Nursing Officer and regularly sees how gastric sleeve surgery can make a dramatic impact on patients. A good working relationship with her surgeon and knowing Cape Fear Valley Medical Center is a nationally accredited center for bariatric surgery only bolstered her decision. Looking back, Dees says gastric sleeve surgery changed her life. She lost 96 pounds within a year and looks like her old college self again. Walking is less of an ordeal too. "I feel good," she said, "very good." Such results have helped gastric sleeve surgery become the fastest growing weight loss surgery in the U.S. The procedure works by removing a large section of the stomach, along the greater curve. What's left is a narrow tube-like canal or "sleeve" that holds just 15 percent of the original stomach capacity. As a result, patients feel fuller with smaller meal portions. The stomach section responsible for producing the hormone Ghrelin is also removed. This hormone stimulates the brain into feeling hungry. So patients not only eat less, but also feel less hungry.

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