Vista weight-loss surgery resolves Type 2 diabetes
According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 26 million Americans are living with type 2 diabetes. Zion's Yolanda Roscoe, 43, used to be one of them.
Recently, two separate trials were published by the New England Journal of Medicine showing that weight loss surgery significantly improves or completely resolves type 2 diabetes, even before any significant weight loss. For Roscoe, weight loss surgery effectively cured her diabetes.
She underwent gastric bypass weight loss surgery at Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan. Vista is a certified Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence that offers both gastric bypass and adjustable gastric banding procedures. Immediately after her surgery, Roscoe was able to stop taking her insulin and diabetes pills.
“Weight loss surgery greatly improves the quality of life for our patients on multiple levels,” says June Zaragoza, R.D., Bariatric Coordinator at Vista Health System. “Not only do our patients lose weight, but the surgery also helps to eliminate or minimize diabetes and other co-morbidities, like high blood pressure. Many of them leave the hospital off all diabetes pills and shots.”
Roscoe lived with type 2 diabetes for nearly four years prior to her weight loss surgery. She often felt sick, had fluid in her legs, high blood pressure and clogged arteries. She even had to use a wheelchair to get around at times. After her surgery and while recovering in the hospital, Roscoe's surgeon, Dr. Laurence Gibson, took her off her diabetes medication and insulin because she no longer needed them.
“It was shocking that I was off my medicine immediately,” says Roscoe. “I was glad because the diabetes made me sick a lot. It was a miracle.”
Roscoe hasn't needed any medication since the day before her surgery and is enjoying life free of diabetes. “I'm doing pretty well today,” she said. “I'm learning my stomach and what I can and can't eat. I have lost some weight too, a lot of weight actually, and I'm very excited.”
Roscoe has lost 49 pounds in about a month and a half since her surgery. The weight loss surgery has also helped with her high blood pressure. She no longer takes medication for that either. Her improved health has given her a new outlook on life.
“I plan to exercise more and get out more,” says Roscoe. “I want to eat the right things, to stay healthy and keep myself healthy. I don't want my surgery be in vain, so I plan to stay free from things that are bad for me and focus on exercise.”
When asked if she would recommend weight loss surgery to those candidates also suffering from type 2 diabetes, Roscoe's answer was simple. “Take a chance. It may be a process, but give it a chance to help you to lose some weight, to live longer and feel good about yourself. I feel good that I took the chance. I was scared at first, but I'm so glad I did.”
In 2011, Vista Medical Center East was named as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence® by the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and the Surgical Review Corporation. The Center of Excellence designation recognizes programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in bariatric weight loss surgeries.
Vista offers a comprehensive Weight Management Program including a dedicated registered dietician, bariatric unit and surgical team. Vista also holds support group meetings every month, a one-hour personal session with a registered dietician, and several classes to educate patients in new eating habits, exercise and nutrition.
To learn more about Vista's Weight Management Options program, visit www.VistaHealth.com/WMO.