Bariatric Surgery: Life Changes for Alex Dupuis
"This was more than weight loss surgery, this was the way to get healthy."
At age 15, Alex Dupuis had already spent 10 years battling her weight. After exhausting all other options, from adherence to strict diets to weight-loss pills, Alex and her mother, Tammy Benton, researched their options online. There they found the Surgical Weight Loss Program for Teens, part of the nationally recognized Comprehensive Weight Management Center at Cincinnati Children's and the pioneers of bariatric surgery for adolescents. Today, Alex is busy with the golf team and now able to literally run around with friends.
Growing up in Essexville, Michigan, Alex had always been heavier than her peers, but until middle school, she didn't think much about her weight. "Weight problems run in my family, from aunts and uncles to cousins and grandparents," says Alex. It wasn't until her weight began to prevent her from doing things her friends could easily do, like ride a bike, shop for clothes, or play games at recess, that Alex noticed the difference.
"By 8th grade her weight started to present physical limitations," recalls her mom, Tammy Benton. "It's a tough time for any teenager but Alex had to worry about fitting behind the school desk and not being able to buckle her seatbelt in the car." Gym class was too difficult and even walking around the block was something Alex couldn't do. An end-of-the-year school trip to Cedar Point was also out for Alex; her weight exceeded the allowable limit on many of the amusement park rides.
Hitting the Limit
Alex has always had a lot of friends. She meets people easily and gets along with all types of people. All her life Alex has felt accepted for who she is, inside and out. But the physical toll of being overweight was impossible to ignore. Along with physical limitations, severe allergies, cholesterol levels in the 400s, insulin resistance indicative of pre-diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea, Alex was beginning to experience breathing difficulties.
It was around this time that Tammy began researching surgical weight loss options for her daughter. "My sister saw a talk show about teens who had lost weight after surgery and it started me thinking about whether it might be an option for Alex," says Tammy. "Right away I saw that Cincinnati Children's was at the forefront of bariatric surgery for adolescents."
At first, Alex was not interested. "I said, 'No way! I am not having surgery. This is ridiculous,'" remembers Alex. "But the more I thought about it, I realized that this was more than weight loss surgery, this was the way to get healthy."
Battling Insurance
Nearly two years passed from the time Tammy first inquired about the procedure to Alex's surgery. First, the family met with nutritionist Shelly Frank, RD, LD, clinical dietitian and case manager with HealthWorks!, to try and get a handle on Alex's eating habits. Meanwhile a program coordinator at Cincinnati Children's worked with the family's insurance provider to get approval for the surgery.
"I was borderline for everything: borderline diabetic, borderline high-blood pressure, borderline sleep apnea," says Alex. When, at 5'3", she hit 320 pounds with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 56, surgery became a real option. "Sitting in the waiting room at our appointments, I saw what the next 100 pounds would do to her body and the effect it would have on her vital organs and I was scared," says Tammy.
Not the Easy Way Out
In March 2006, Alex, along with her mom and sister, Sidney, left Michigan for a month-long stay in Cincinnati. Guest Services helped make the arrangements for the family including a "very reasonable" two-bedroom apartment near the hospital to accommodate the full round of appointments leading up to surgery and for several weeks afterward.
"Even in the waiting room, they took care of us," says Tammy. If the family needed to go anywhere within the hospital they were supplied with a pager. When appointments ran into each other, the staff reordered the schedule. For Tammy, already nervous about what her daughter would endure, it was wonderful not to have to sweat the details.
On March 6, Alex spent 5 hours in surgery. Before surgical director, Thomas Inge, MD, PhD, entered the operating suite Tammy said to him, "Take care of my baby like she's your own." Dr. Inge's reply provided her with the comfort she sought: "I always do."
Becoming Healthy
In the year since her surgery, Alex has lost 132 pounds. "That's a whole person!" says Alex triumphantly. But losing weight, even with the surgery, has not been easy. "The surgery is a tool to getting healthy. At this point, I have to work hard to make sure I keep weight off. I have had to learn, 'It's only food.' People who say this is the easy way out are not informed."
Alex says she has worked hard to eliminate sweets, soda and fast food from her diet. It takes will power to stop old habits like eating throughout the day and eating whatever she wants. "It's helped all of us become more aware of what we eat," says Tammy. Now there is no sugar in the house. Instead of offering chips and soda to Alex and her friends, Tammy prepares trays of fruits and vegetables and stocks sugar-free popsicles, puddings and drinks.
The surprise? They all eat it. Every teenager who comes over has adapted and they "swarm" the healthy snacks just like in the days of cookies and donuts.
The Support of 'Angels'
Alex credits the entire staff at the Comprehensive Weight Management Center for her success. "I have two of the best ladies in the whole world helping me," says Alex. Shelly Frank continues to work with Alex to develop new eating habits and nurse coordinator Jenny Sweeney, RN, MSN, CPNP, is always just a phone call away.
Alex says that Shelly understands what it means to be a teenager, to have a busy schedule that's packed with school, activities and a part-time job. It's a routine that isn't always conducive to menu planning, one where food must sometimes be consumed on-the-go. And Shelly gets it. "I can email or call her with a quick question like, 'Is this ok to eat?' and she gets right back to me," says Tammy.
Both Tammy and Alex say that every interaction with Ms. Sweeney makes them feel special, as if they are the only family she's treating. "She sends us cards, emails, just checking in, wanting to be certain that everything is going well," says Tammy. She describes the level of care -- from guest services all the way up to surgery -- as "unbelievable."
Alex's life has changed in the year since she's had bariatric surgery. Her sleep apnea has improved dramatically, "I sleep like a log now!" she says. Her cholesterol levels continue to decline and her energy level is way up. Busy with the golf team and now able to literally run around with friends, Alex is entering her senior year in high school a new person. But she cautions other teenagers to think seriously before choosing surgical weight loss: "If you're looking for a magic solution, this isn't it. It's a lot of work to change your life."
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