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Damaris Cain knows what success looks like following weight-loss surgery. She can see it in the 60 pounds she has lost in a year following her surgery, and the achievements of Laura Cain in the two years since her procedure.
Damaris Cain’s weight gain corresponded with her rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis in 2005. In the process of getting her RA under control she developed diabetes, high blood pressure and fibromyalgia.
“Once my rheumatoid arthritis was controlled by medicine, I wanted to get the weight off because I wanted to be healthier and feel better,” the 39-year-old Cape Girardeau resident said.
In March 2011, bariatric surgeon Dr. Van Wagner completed a sleeve gasteroectomy for Damaris. In the procedure about 85 percent of the stomach is removed, leaving a sleeve-shaped pouch with about 15 percent of its original capacity.
“My diabetes is gone. It was really like it just disappeared. I was so incredibly happy,” Damaris said. “My high blood pressure is better. It has not been resolved, but within two months of my procedure, I was able to move down to a lower dose of blood pressure medicine.”
With sleeve gasteroectomy the stomach is reduced from about the size of a football to the size and shape of a banana, Dr. Wagner said.
“Patients don’t have as much appetite, and they are simply not able to eat as much food,” he said. “The gastric sleeve eliminates the portion of the stomach that produces a hormone that stimulates hunger.”
The change in diet was not as difficult as Damaris envisioned.
“I thought that would be the hardest part, but it actually has been the easiest,” she said. “My taste for food has changed. Pre-surgery I would have eaten all the carbs, but now I don’t even like white bread. Before surgery I never ate fish, and now I really like it.”
“The paradox of having a smaller stomach has made me seek out tastier food. I know my stomach will not hold as much, so I want to make sure what I eat tastes good,” Damaris said.
Because of her arthritis and fibromyalgia, Damaris has net been able to get up to full speed and benefit from the additional weight loss that would come from exercise and activities. Still she has lost 60 pounds in the past year.
“I lost all that weight without much exercise as all,” she said. “I am much stronger now, and I plan to be off the cane this spring. I am looking forward to walking around town, through the neighborhoods and maybe even hiking. I am even thinking about biking, which even the thought of it at my previous weight would have been laughable.”
Damaris knows about the possibilities for leaving her cane behind, and the chances ahead of her for walks, hikes and even biking. Laura Cain had sleeve gasteroectomy in March 2010.
“I was 287 at my heaviest, and I went in for surgery at 269,” Laura said. “The lowest I got down to has been 164.”
While Damaris has been unable to include rigorous exercise in her weight-loss goals, Laura literally threw herself into the rigorous activity of roller derby, joining the upstart Cape Girardeau Roller Girls.
“Four weeks after my surgery, I decided roller derby was going to be the exercise for me,” Laura said. “When I was younger I would go to the roller rink all the time. At 18 I got a job at Wal-Mart, roller skating around the store helping customers. Roller skating has always been a passion of mine.”
Although she started slow, practice with the team required two hours of skating three days a week for a total of 360 minutes each week. She doesn’t compete with the team anymore, but serves as a referee.
“The girls get a rest between jams. The referee never gets a break,” Laura said.
Like Damaris, Laura faced other health issues associated with her weight.
“I had Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, acid reflux, water retention, really bad lower extremity edema. My focus, my memory and sense of well being was awful. I was just trudging along, getting through life rather than living it.”
She met with Dr. Wagner to learn about gastric bypass surgery because she wanted a solution more permanent than the lap band, she said. When she learned about the sleeve gasteroectomy, she felt it it was the right solution for her.
Laura’s diabetes and other health problems are all part of her past along with several other concerns.
“I don’t have to take the elevator anymore. I can take the steps three flights of stairs to my office at work. I don’t have to worry about the person sitting next to me in the theater worrying about crowding their the seat. I can climb a ladder without having to check if it has a 250-pound weight limit,” Laura said.
Just as there are options for weight-loss surgeries, success can look different for different people. To find out more about the path to a healthier you, visit www.myhealthyweigh.com or call 636-933-8135. For information about the upcoming roller derby season checkout www.capegirardeaurollergirls.com.
Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Crystal City offers multiple options for weight-loss surgery through its My Healthy Weigh program. To find out more about the path to a healthier you, visit www.myhealthyweigh.com or call 636-933-8135.
Jay Michael Snow, MD will present a program on surgical weight loss options at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 31, at the Holiday Inn Express, 3253 William St., Cape Girardeau. Walk-ins are welcome, but for reserved seating please call 636-933-8135.
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