Lori Coats

“I was up and moving around in the hospital and back at work within two weeks.”

I really didn’t have many of the common health issues obese people have when they elect to have surgery, but I knew it was just a matter of time. I tried everything to lose weight.

I knew quite a few people who had the sleeve who had seen very good results. I attended a seminar where all of the procedures were explained.

Dr. Bryan Parrent and the team at St. Joseph Health came highly recommended to me, and they were all great. They took care of everything, providing all the information I needed, and set up all my appointments. The dietitian was also helpful.

I didn’t have any issues following my surgery. I was up and moving around in the hospital and back at work within two weeks. I have also lost a lot more than I thought I would lose. The clinic said I could expect to lose about 50 percent of my excess weight, but I lost all my excess weight, going from 230 down to 116. I have a lot more energy these days and much more stamina, and things like stairs that used to be a challenge for me are now much easier.

I’m no longer embarrassed to go out and do things because of my size. Now my weight is no longer an issue. It’s more common that people don’t recognize me at all with the weight gone. I’ve also started working more for exercise. I PRN (work on an as-needed basis) in other departments now, which is not something I would have done before due to my weight. It would have been too much for me.