“I never ate a lot” says Deborah, “but I always ate late, then I’d go right to bed.” As a result Deborah began to gain weight, and by the time she was thirty-eight years old, Deborah weighted 446 pounds. When I first met Deborah, she could hardly walk into my office. She even had to use a walker to get around. Deborah suffered from sleep apnea, diabetes, high blood pressure, fatigue and she could barely walk from one room to another without becoming exhausted and short of breath. These illnesses are directly associated with morbid obesity. Patients that are morbidly obese (one hundred pounds or more over their ideal weight) are at risk for a number of life threatening conditions including type II diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and congested heart failure. They are also more prone to maladies like arthritic joint pain, infertility, urinary incontinence, and migraine headaches. Over time people lose their health and life to these diseases of obesity.

Despite her best effort, “the weight just kept coming and coming” says Deborah. “I was losing so much time from work that I felt my livelihood was slipping away.” When Deborah first came to me, she was interested in the gastric bypass. The gastric bypass is one of the oldest bariatric procedures that can also be performed laparoscopically. The gastric bypass involves cutting and re-routing of the intestines and stomach. As a result, the gastric bypass can be risky in pateints with a very high BMI (extremely obese) such as Deborah. I informed Deborah that we should proceed with a procedure that is less risky and that does not involve drastic alteration of the anatomy. I recommended the sleeve gastrectomy. Dr. Beltre is one of the first surgeons in the area to offer innovative sleeve gastrectomy, and the only surgeon performing this advanced procedure in Seminole County. The sleeve gastrectomy is a restrictive procedure that involves the removal of 60 to 70% of the stomach. This avoids the part of the stomach that stretches to accommodate a lot of food, and also removes the part of the stomach that produces an appetite stimulating hormone call Ghrelin. There is no cutting or bypass and no alteration of the natural anatomy. Weight loss with the sleeve can be very rapid and profound. Weight loss is usually 10 to 15 pounds per month, and the average individual can lose up to 120 to 150 pounds the first year.

“My surgery was in February 2007” she says, “and within eight months I lost one hundred and fifty pounds! I didn’t have any complications and I am still losing 5 to 10 pounds per week. The way things are going I will reach my goal some times in June!” Deborah is now a completely new person. She no longer needs a walker to get around, and has plenty of energy for the activities of daily living. She is enjoying a healthier life now that her diabetes has been treated. Deborah is no longer in danger of losing her life to diabetes and its many complications.