At 387 pounds, Nick K. was facing several health and lifestyle issues. In addition to medical problems like high blood pressure and sleep apnea, he was having trouble getting into and out of his car — a challenge since his job requires a lot of driving.
When he was diagnosed with a build-up of fatty tissue around his liver — a potentially dangerous condition that could lead to liver failure — Nick knew he needed to take action. His family doctor suggested he see Temple surgeon Rohit Soans, MD, to find out if he was eligible for bariatric surgery.
I met with Dr. Soans, and he said I was a good candidate. I had never considered weight-loss surgery, but he said it might save my life. That hit home for me. — Nick
On the road to a healthier weight
Nick spent the next few weeks working through all the necessary pre-screening tests. He also began losing weight, which doctors recommend before bariatric surgery to lessen the chances of complications.
“Dr. Soans wanted me to lose 50 pounds on my own before the surgery,” Nick explains. “Once I started losing the weight, I liked what I saw and kept it up. I ended up losing 70 pounds! Dr. Soans was impressed and saw it as a good sign that I would do well after surgery.”
That surgery was a sleeve gastrectomy. Also called gastric sleeve surgery, this procedure reduces the size of the stomach so it can only hold a small portion of food. Patients feel full after eating much less food and are less hungry between meals.
Nick’s surgery went off without a hitch, and soon after his recovery he was back on track with continued weight loss.
A life-changing transformation
Since having surgery, Nick has lost 185 pounds and feels much healthier at his current 205 pounds. Two years after surgery, he had 25 pounds of excess skin removed to improve the cosmetic appearance of his stomach area.
