CentraState - Healthy Directions

Divya Menon, MD, board-certified cardiologist Spring 2014 Healthy Directions 10 G ail Zapata felt that her weight was getting out of control, but after losing a few pounds with dieting and exercise, she seemed to put it back on three- fold. Exhausting her options, the 41-year-old social worker from Jackson decided to have bariatric surgery. Gail's husband and uncle had both undergone gastric sleeve surgeries at the hands of Seun Sowemimo, MD, board- certified bariatric surgeon with Prime Surgicare and Central Jersey Bariatrics and on staff at CentraState. "A gastric sleeve procedure involves the removal of about two-thirds to three-quarters of the stomach including where the hunger hormone ghrelin is made," Dr. Sowemimo says. "During a gastric sleeve procedure, the stomach is reduced in size and shaped to a long, narrow sleeve, limiting how much food it can hold before the patient feels full." Because her husband and uncle had experienced such success, Gail felt comfortable using Dr. Sowemimo as her gastric sleeve surgeon. "I reviewed her medical profile and determined she would benefit most from the least-invasive yet highly effective procedure: the gastric sleeve," Dr. Sowemimo says. "Since she had failed earlier attempts to lose weight and keep it off she needed the tool of weight-loss surgery in addition to healthy eating and exercise to help her succeed. It also helped that she witnessed the success of her husband and uncle." By following every step of the comprehensive program provided by Dr. Sowemimo, Gail recovered quickly from surgery with no complications. Two years later, she has lost 120 pounds. "I wanted to be at least under 200, and I've made it to 175 so I'm comfortable with that," Gail says. "I went from a size 22 to a size 10." Dr. Sowemimo says that Gail has met his weight-loss expectations, but more importantly she has increased her quality of life and can enjoy many activities with her young kids. "She is living a healthier lifestyle and we are proud to be a part of that," Dr. Sowemimo says. Since shedding the weight, Gail says she doesn't get tired as easily and can pursue everyday tasks with more energy, including exercising to maintain her weight. She is also eating healthier and sticks to smaller meals. Eating smaller portions is a necessity of gastric sleeve surgery, but over time, your newly sized stomach is able to take in more food. "When I first had it, I could eat two bites of something, and I'd feel full," Gail says. "Now I can eat a little more." Gail says she frequently recommends Dr. Sowemimo to anyone she knows who is looking into having bariatric surgery, and Dr. Sowemimo has since performed bariatric surgery on four other members of Gail's family. "He's very good, very caring, and thorough," Gail says fondly. "He performed an appendectomy on my 10-year-old daughter last year. He's more than just our doctor, he's part of our family." Bariatric Surgery – Making the DECISION To see before and after videos of Gail, visit www.centrastate.com/bariatric. CentraState was recently renewed for a three-year term as an American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence (ASMBS BSCOE). ASMBS BSCOE accreditation formally acknowledges CentraState's commitment to providing quality improvement and patient safety for bariatric surgery patients, and demonstrates that we meet the needs of bariatric surgery patients by providing multidisciplinary, high-quality, patient- centered care. For more information about CentraState's bariatric services, call 866-CENTRA7 (866-236-8727). HD Gail Zapata is looking great and feeling even better after losing 120 pounds from bariatric surgery performed by Seun Sowemimo, MD. photo T/F from client

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