| Man loses 71 pounds in 10 weeks |
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By: By ERIN EDGEMON, Business Editor
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David Furches considers the weight loss surgery he underwent two months ago at Middle Tennessee Medical Center a lifesaver.
“I felt I was in distress all of the time” prior to receiving a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy that has caused him to lose 71 pounds in about 10 weeks, he said.
Now the 33-year-old, who weighed 353 pounds before surgery, can breathe and move around easier.
“I have more energy (now) than I have ever had,” Furches said.
Furches is the first patient at MTMC to receive the sleeve gastrectomy, which is considered an alternative to the traditional gastric bypass and Lap-Band surgeries.
The new weight loss procedure is ideal for those patients at the highest risk for surgery either because of their medical co-morbidities such as high blood pressure, sleep apnea, heart disease and diabetes or their weight, said Angela Upleger, registered nurse, bariatric nurse coordinator for the MTMC Bariatric Center.
The procedure involves removing 60 percent of the stomach, leaving behind a “banana-shaped” sleeve of stomach. This portion of stomach restricts the amount of food that a patient can eat and leads to significant weight loss (up to 30-40 percent of excess weight).
The surgery can be a single stage procedure as in the case of Furches, or it could be the first procedure to prepare a morbidly obese person for a gastric bypass or other weight loss surgery that changes the way food is absorbed into the body.
Furches has struggled with his weight his whole life.
He first visited the MTMC Bariatric Center in September looking for a way to take control of his life. Furches knew he didn’t want to undergo the more restrictive gastric bypass that affects how food is absorbed.
“Patients see this as less threatening,” Upleger said. “There is less cutting.”
Furches was approved for the Lap-Band procedure that limits solid food intake before his physicians recommended the sleeve procedure, which causes more rapid weight loss.
The sleeve procedure has yet to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but it has been performed internationally for at least a decade.
“It is just beginning to make headway here,” said Dr. George Eckles, general and bariatric surgeon at MTMC who performed the procedure along with fellow general and bariatric surgeon Dr. Wayne Westmoreland. The gastric bypass, which has been performed for around 30 years, is the gold standard.
Not all insurance providers will cover the surgery since it has yet to be approved by the FDA.
Some CIGNA and Bluecross Blueshield policies do cover the procedure, Upleger said.
Eligible patients are the morbidly obese — a body mass index greater than 60 — suffering from obesity-related health problems such as diabetes, heart disease or severe sleep apnea.
Weight loss surgery patients are closely monitored in the weeks following the procedure to ensure they are ingesting enough nutrients and experiencing the right amount of weight loss.
Before undergoing weight loss surgery patients must participate in mandatory educational sessions on diet and undergo medical and psychological testing. Following surgery, patients must participate in an aftercare program that includes follow-up appointments with the surgeon, ongoing education and support group attendance.
So far, Furches said the results of his surgery are better than he expected. He has experienced only a few negative side effects when trying to figure out what foods he can consume.
The depression and anxiety he suffered from is now nearly nonexistent. Furches also doesn’t crave food like he did before the surgery.
Furches is not sure how long it will take him to get there, but he hopes to lose another 100 pounds or so to bring him back to his high school weight.
Erin Edgemon can be reached at 869-0812 and at eedgemon@murfreesboropost.com.
On the Web:
www.mtmc.org
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