Lisa's Story

“My gastric sleeve not only saved my life, but it has given me a quality of life I’ve never known,” says Lisa Lasky. Lisa started on the path to morbid obesity when she was just in the sixth grade. She says during those early teenage years she reacted to everything by eating – usually unhealthy foods. “Every time I got stressed, I used food as a comfort,” Lisa says. As her weight kept increasing, she felt more and more isolated. “A vicious cycle began,” she says. “The more unhappy I was, the more I ate. And it’s pretty darned tough to be happy when you have nicknames like ‘Steamroller’.” She tried countless diets and diet pills that led to some success, but the weight always came back.

“Then I hit the concrete wall at full speed,” she says. “I was having horrible headaches that didn’t respond to any medications. I had chronic sinus problems. I had high blood pressure. I spent the better part of a year barely able to put any weight on my knee, but the MRI showed nothing – it was a soft tissue injury made worse by all the extra weight. My ankles were constantly swollen.  I was developing diabetes. And after a sleep study, my doctor told me I had one of the worst cases of obstructive sleep apnea he had ever seen – and sleep apnea is his specialty. It was clear that I had to do something.”

Her primary care physician prescribed medication for diabetes and hypertension, gave her diuretics for her swollen ankles, and put her on a diet – and told her to seriously consider weight loss surgery. Finally, after completing a six month physicians supervised weight loss program with limited success, she was ready.

“I was shocked at how fast my surgery made a difference,” Lisa says. “I was in the hospital two nights, and I was off my diabetes medication by the time I left the hospital. Within a few days, the ankle swelling subsided. I only missed four days of work and my energy and stamina improved almost immediately. I kept waiting for the pain, the nausea, and other problems that usually come with surgery – but they never came.”

By her six week checkup, her blood pressure was normal. Today, her diabetes is gone, her ankles don’t swell, her blood pressure is normal, her knees don’t hurt at all, and her sleep apnea is gone. “I have been shocked to discover that the one cold I’ve had since the surgery cleared up much faster than the colds I used to have,” she says. “I guess this is how healthy people feel! I never knew.”

And the clothes sizes started dropping…. from 32/4X, to size 14/XL by one year post op. “I’ve become picky in my shopping,” she says. “I used to buy clothes because they fit, regardless of what they looked like. Now, I can pick and choose, and only buy what looks best on me. It’s a big thrill to know I can order clothes and shoes online, and know that they will fit when they get here!”

“The entire world seems to have changed,” she says. “I am no longer a prisoner in my body – I am now an active participant in my life.” She has attended football games and baseball games for the first time in years, has traveled without anxiety or seat belt extenders, and has discovered the fun of exercise. She is even planning to take a Zumba instructors class. “Considering that my concept of exercise pre-op was walking to the kitchen, this is a big change,” she says.

The best change? Lisa is happy. “For the first time in my life, I can honestly say I am happy,” she says. “Did the surgery make my life perfect? Of course not – but it evened out the playing field. It is a tool that has given me the chance to take control of my body, of my eating, and of my life. I always wanted to do this.  I just never could, no matter how hard I tried. Now, after the surgery, I can do this.  The surgery made that happen.  Now it’s up to me to follow-through, to do my part – and stay healthy.”

“My gastric sleeve has radically changed my life,” she say. “I have only one regret – that I did not have this surgery much sooner. I can only imagine how much I have missed.  But no worries – I’m staying quite busy making up for lost time!”