Message from Dr. Patel:
Dr. Patel is honored to share this Gastric Sleeve Surgery success story of Sheila Willis who struggled with obesity and diabetes for many years. It takes lot of hard work and determination, but it is gratifying and rewarding when you achieve results that lead to a healthier and longer life.
“If I had known how much this surgery would improve in terms of quality of life, I would have done it long before.” – Sheila Willis
Highest weight 220
Surgery weight 212
Current weight 143
Goal weight 140
Her Story
Dr. Patel is honored to share this Gastric Sleeve Surgery success story of Sheila Willis who struggled with obesity and diabetes for many years. In 2003, when she was diagnosed with diabetes, Sheila had to take medicine to control her blood sugar levels. Eventually, she started taking insulin shots as medicine alone would not support regulation of her blood sugar levels. In spite of avoiding foods with simple sugars, her insulin dosage increased from 60 U to 500 U per day. Even though she was taking a high number of insulin units, her body failed to control the disease. She considered taking help of a diabetic specialist as her health started deteriorating.
In 2019, Sheila had to undergo 3 surgeries as doctors were concerned about her high A1C (3 month average sugar level in blood). Because she is a firm believer in exercising regularly and eating healthy, Sheila tried her best to select nutritious foods and work out 3-4 times in a week to avoid further weight gain. In 2011, she became a cancer survivor. She had to start hormonal therapy which pushed her to menopause. Because of the circumstances, her weight gradually began to increase, and she could not follow her exercise regimen.
Sheila was directed to Texas Bariatric Specialist by her nephew who had a similar procedure. Looking at the positive impact the procedure had made on her nephew, she made the decision to go through bariatric surgery at TBS.
In 2019, she underwent a gastric sleeve surgery procedure which is a less invasive procedure compared to gastric bypass. This helped her lose weight and control her blood sugar levels.
Weight History:
Sheila was around 170-180 lbs but due to medical issues, her weight had reached 220 lbs before bariatric surgery. She set her goal weight to be 140 lbs OR to reduce waistline to 35 inches. Her A1C was 9.3% before surgery.
Post – Surgery Comments:
A year after her surgery, her weight dropped from 220 to 143 lbs and her waistline dropped from 47 to 34 inches! Furthermore, her A1C decreased by 2.5% after surgery and getting better with time. Today (almost 2 months after surgery), Sheila has successfully maintained her weight and continues to stay motivated with a healthy diet and regular exercise. Her sugar levels kept improving as she lost weight which played a big role in achieving her goals. Though it was difficult for her to follow portion sizing with food and avoiding liquids while eating, it has become habitual for her over a period of time. It has been 15 months since her surgery, feels in her best shape, satisfied with her protein intake in a day and does not miss eating carb-dense foods. She really wishes she had got this procedure done earlier in her life. The overall experience till now has improved her quality of life and she is highly thankful to Mr Ben Brown, her nephew (underwent bariatric surgery in the past) who recommended her to go through this experience.