Bariatric Surgery: Patient Stories

Rosalie, Lois and Carla Changed Their Lives…You Can Too

Rosalie's Story
At 256 pounds, Rosalie needed four medications to control her blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes.  94 pounds later, she’s healthy and nearly medication-free.

“I don’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t big,” says 55 year old Rosalie Black of Northridge.  “Being heavy runs in my family.  One of my earliest memories is going to Lane Bryant with my mom.”

Unfortunately, some of the chronic health problems that often accompany obesity also run in Rosalie’s family.  Her mother died at age 64 from complications of heart disease and diabetes.  

“My children didn’t have a grandma, and I saw myself following in her footsteps.  I took four different medications a day for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, and it was still out of control” explains Rosalie.

In addition to her health concerns, Rosalie struggled with psychosocial issues.  “My weight made it more difficult to keep up with my kids.  I was depressed.  All of my friends were always drop dead gorgeous and thin, and I always felt less than them,” remembers Rosalie.

So after years of yo-yo dieting – including everything from Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and Atkins to Nutrisystem, Optifast and diet pills – a friend recommended bariatric surgery for weight loss.  Rosalie decided to investigate and discovered Philippe Quilici, M.D. and Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center.

“I did a year of research to find the right doctor, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the result.  I used to weight 256 pounds, now I’m 169.  I went from a size 22 to a size 10.  I go the gym 6 days a week.  I can run circles around most of my friends.”

Despite her success, Rosalie maintains a realistic perspective of what it means to achieve a healthy weight.  “I know I’ll never be model thin, and that’s okay.  I have more energy now than ever before in my life.  I’m healthier.  My internist was skeptical, now he’s tickled pink. I highly recommend the surgery and Dr. Quilici.”
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“I spent thousands and thousands of dollars on almost every diet known to mankind.  I would always lose some of the weight, but then the pounds would come back and bring friends with them.”  For 52-year old Lois Goodstein, those extra pounds ultimately added up to a body mass index (BMI) of 46.8, much higher than what is considered the normal BMI range, 20 to 25, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  The extra weight contributed to a host of health problems for Lois.

“I had a hard time walking.  I had severe arthritis that caused pain in my knees.  I would frequently get out of breath.  Some days, I would wake up feeling miserable and just call in sick.  I was dying young,” explains Lois.

Then, after much research and soul-searching, Lois decided to undergo bariatric surgery at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center.  Philippe Quilici, M.D., a board certified surgeon specializing in minimally invasive surgery, performed the procedure using a laparoscopic approach.  Lois was in and out of the hospital in three days, feeling like her whole life had changed.

“I got the best care.  I felt really safe there.  I feel 20 years younger, and for the first time in life, I actually enjoy exercising. I’m hiking with friends. I’m shopping at the mall for new clothes.  I’m going into work, being around people, not isolating myself.  It’s a really exciting world.”

Still, Lois cautions anyone considering the surgery that it requires a commitment to a new lifestyle.

“Dr. Quilici warned me that the surgery wasn’t a magic pill.  It’s a tool.  But Julie, the nutritionist in his office, really helped to prepare me for life after surgery.  I can pretty much eat what I want, I just eat a whole lot less of it.”

Now, 36 inches and 62 pounds thinner with a BMI of 35.1, Lois says she’s beginning to look and feel like a normal person.  However, she still hopes to lose another 50 pounds or more.

“I needed to change my life, and this has definitely changed my life.  For the first time, I actually weigh less than my driver’s license photo.”
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Forty-one year old Carla Combs never really struggled with her weight until 1996, when she required a total abdominal hysterectomy with removal of both ovaries, which required her to begin taking estrogen. 

“I gained about 80 pounds.  I tried every diet I could think of to lose the weight. I would always lose 25 to 30 pounds but could never lose any more than that.”

Carla peaked at a body mass index (BMI) of 38.5.   She recalls that her weight began to prevent her from doing many of the things she enjoyed, such as traveling and boating.

“My husband and I have a boat.  I wouldn’t go on boat and wear a bathing suit.  To fly on a plane was very uncomfortable.”

Then, things got even worse.  Approximately six months before her surgery, she developed severe gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

“At nighttime when I would sleep, I would wake up with this burning feeling.  I would start throwing up.  I would wake up every couple of hours.  I was tired all of the time.  My energy level was low.  I was becoming very depressed,” Carla remembers.

Since, as a nurse in the surgery department at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, Carla worked with Philippe Quilici, M.D., who specializes in minimally invasive bariatric surgery, she decided to approach him about surgery as an option for weight loss.

“A lot of people didn’t realize just how much I weighed.  I told Dr. Quilici how much I weighed and begged him to do the surgery.  I was desperate.  I wanted my life back.”

After the surgery, Carla, who is 5’4”, lost 82 pounds and dropped from size 20 to size eight.  The surgery immediately relieved her GERD.  She sleeps better and feels better.  Her biggest weight problem now?

“Remembering to eat.  I never was a big eater to begin with, now my biggest challenge is to eat enough calories,” Carla says.
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