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Hello, this is an article that was printed in The Birmingham Medical News in January of 2007. I am very thankful for actually being active in my life and being healthy. I felt like I was in a dream when I was so overweight and I was not truly living my life. God blessed me through this surgery with my doctors(Dr.Lee Schmitt & Dr. Les Miles at Medical Center East Birmingham, Al 205-838-3047) to become healthy. I could go on for days about how poor my quality of life was, but I know if you are reading this now you are feeling the same way I did and want to make a change. The change is to be healthy and live a productive happy life. This is a big decision. If you decide to have surgery you need to be true to yourself and follow all of the rules. For once in your life put yourself first so you will be there for those who love you.
Veronica Patterson, RN, underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2004 and has lost an incredible 230 pounds. Physical activity kept her in shape as a young girl, but she started gaining weight in college and added more pounds after her first child was born. Soon, her list of weight-related ailments began to grow—sleep apnea, stress incontinence, asthma, constant joint pain and more. Her obesity prevented her from traveling by air because she couldn’t fit in the seats. She couldn’t find clothes to fit her size 5X body and she stopped attending her boys’ ballgames after she almost tipped over the bleachers. The only time the labor and delivery nurse felt good about herself was when she was at work. “That was my comfort zone. That’s what kept me from feeling bad about myself,” she said. But her job consumed all of her limited energy, so that she was exhausted by evening.
Patterson knew a change was needed. “I had been thinking about gastric bypass for at least 10 years, but was scared because, as a nurse, I knew the risks,” she said. “But I went to some information sessions and support groups, and I realized life could be better.”
Patterson experienced some complications following her surgery, but said she feels great now and all her former medical problems have been resolved. She is vigilant about her health, keeping track of her nutritional needs, avoiding sugar, eating lots of protein and exercising regularly. “It’s a lifestyle change,” she explained. And, as program coordinator for MCE’s Surgical Weight Loss Program, Patterson has also seen changes in her professional life. In her new job, she helps educate and prepare surgery candidates and their families for the life-altering procedure. “It’s another calling,” she said.
