Getting Back to Living: Bariatric Surgery Helps Patient Reclaim Her Life

By Rashel Stephenson

Bariatric Surgery Helps Patient Reclaim Her Life

Last year, 47-year-old Jennifer Eavenson took 17 to 20 pills a day to manage chronic health problems like Type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, acid reflux, hypertension and high cholesterol. Her weight tipped 300 pounds, and with a body mass index of 41, she was considered morbidly obese. “I really didn’t notice the pounds I added each year. I wasn’t heavy growing up,” says Eavenson. But seeing her father go through quadruple bypass surgery made her take notice. “I realized that was the path I was headed down.”

Eavenson consulted with a series of Piedmont physicians she had seen and trusted for years. They led her to Suraj Menachery, M.D., a boardcertified bariatric surgeon.

“We talked about laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery, but I had never had surgery and that just seemed so extreme,” she says. “Dr. Menachery was so detailed, so knowledgeable and so competent. He carefully coordinated my care with all of my other doctors to make sure we were addressing each medical issue. That really gave me the confidence to have the surgery. I just really wanted to be healthy again.”

Before surgery, Eavenson was required to meet with several Piedmont Bariatric Service specialists, including a psychologist, pulmonologist, dietitian and fitness expert. One of her many comprehensive evaluations revealed that she had severe sleep apnea, a precursor to heart disease.

“Bariatric surgery not only gives patients the opportunity to shed the weight,” says Dr. Menachery, “it helps patients extend their life span and quality of life by eliminating many of the diseases that make them unhealthy.”

During Eavenson’s laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery, Dr. Menachery made a few small incisions in her abdomen and used small instruments and a special camera to guide him. He surgically made her stomach smaller so that when she eats, she feels full more quickly. Feeling full makes her eat less, and because her food bypasses part of her small intestine, her body also absorbs fewer calories.

Eavenson weighed 120 pounds less just 14 months after surgery, and today, she is diabetes-free and no longer has sleep apnea.

“I take chewable vitamin supplements to make sure my body is getting appropriate nutrients,” says Eavenson. “Now I only take one pill a day – one. There’s a certain freedom in not having to take all of those pills and knowing I’m healthy.”

Dr. Menachery has changed the lives of nearly 100 gastric bypass patients since he joined the Piedmont Bariatric team in 2008. “Patients like Jennifer have great results because they know how crucial it is to execute their part of the bargain,” he says.

Bariatric patients agree that the surgery is just a tool – it will not solve the real issues. Patients must work hard to make a commitment to lifestyle changes.

“In my twenties, when I started to get heavy, I gradually stopped doing some of the activities I used to love,” Eavenson says. “I don’t hesitate before doing things I want to do anymore, because I no longer worry about my size or parts of my body hurting.”

Eavenson is committed to working out four days a week doing strength training and cardiovascular exercise. “The greatest part,” she says, “is having the freedom to embrace one of my passions again.” She rides Saddlebred horses nearly every weekend.

“The gastric bypass surgery was really not about the cosmetic change or the size of my clothing,” explains Eavenson. “It was about getting back to living.”

Learn more about bariatric surgery during one of Piedmont Hospital’s free seminars. Information includes types of bariatric surgeries, and benefits, risks and requirements for surgery. Seminars are offered the first and third Wednesdays of each month from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. and the third Saturday of each month from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. For more information on Piedmont’s Bariatric Services, call 404-350-7955 or visit piedmontbariatrics.org.