The Power of Two: By leaning on each other, Jan and Kelly Curtis keep on losing...and losing with great SUCCESS.
There were days when Jan Curtis couldn’t walk up her
driveway without huffing and puffing. Her weight was literally bringing her
down, affecting her health—both physically and mentally. It had become a regular
part of her life, though Jan was happy and accepting of herself. She just
thought: I’m a large person, and I will always be large. Then something big was
about to happen. Jan, now 51, was becoming a grandmother. She had one of those Aha moments most do when facing a life
change. “I wanted to be around to watch my granddaughter grow up.”
That was three years ago before she had lapband surgery, a
procedure that restricts the stomach with a “band,” making you eat less and
lose weight. Thanks to the Hospital of Saint Raphael Center for Weight-Loss
Surgery, Jan is “exactly 100 pounds lighter than I was three years ago.” She now
goes for extended walks with her granddaughter, loves clothes shopping, and is happier
with herself than ever. “I went from a size 28 to a 14,” she said. “When I look
in the mirror now, I see success.”
So does Jan’s husband, Kelly Curtis. The two Derby residents,
who have been together since they were 14, both looked into the Center for Weight-Loss
Surgery at the same time, but only Jan initially followed through. Kelly, a utility
supervisor for the Town of Bethel, was admittedly afraid. He had some more health
challenges with Type 2 diabetes and an irregular thyroid. Since he had advanced
Diabetes, gastric bypass was a better fit. It’s designed to induce food
absorption and would allow him to lose more weight faster—something his health greatly
needed.
“I thought about the surgery, but I was skeptical,” he said.
Just like his wife, Kelly had a fat-person’s mentality or what professionals call cognitive distortion—he labeled himself
as fat and couldn’t conceive of that changing. But Kelly was witnessing first-hand
how Jan’s life was dramatically
changing, and slowly became open to the idea. “I started to do the research more. I read it was reversing [diabetes],”
he said. With this, Jan became his change agent, and diabetes his motivator. Two
years after Jan, Kelly had surgery.
Today, Kelly weighs less than he did when he was a freshman on
the Derby High School football team when his then-girlfriend, Jan, was a
pop-pom girl. “I no longer have an
insulin pump. I went from three vials of insulin a month a to a half of a
vial!” said Kelly. “I lost 100
pounds within a year, and now I am maintaining it.”
The fact is couples
who plan weight loss together, keep it off longer. Studies have shown that
weight-loss surgery patients lose 30 to 40 percent more weight if they get
surgery with a close family member, and double the improvement in
obesity-related health problems. That’s why the Hospital of Saint Raphael has
launched an outreach effort for couples and other family members considering
weight-loss surgery.
Dr. Geoffrey
Nadzam, the Curtises’ Bariatric
surgeon, says the Curtises’
have had excellent success because of their support of each other. “When
you do it with an internal support structure you wouldn’t have otherwise, there
is a bit more sympathy and empathy for the other person. Both parties may end
up altering their life habits in a way that is successful.” It’s not easy,
though. You have to eliminate your old tendencies to let change happen. It can
be quite daunting.
Dr. Nadzam believes that’s what separates The Hospital of
Saint Raphael Center for Weight-Loss Surgery from other weight-loss programs is
its very tailored and personalized approach, from preoperative to postoperative.
“We hold their hand and lead them through all obstacles and barriers before, through,
and after surgery,” he explained. “There is a caring touch. Patients who
undergo such a big change in their life need to know we are there for them,
that they are not just another number and not just another surgery.”
Each patient goes
through an initial screening with a nutritionist and a psychiatrist to test
their mental capacity for the difficult journey ahead. It’s important because a
patient can enter many phases, from a beginning honeymoon phase when weight
loss is great to depression when loss tapers off to a more normal pace. These
issues need to be addressed. The Center offers a variety of services rich with weight-loss surgery specialists,
nutritionists, psychiatrists, and social workers who run seminars, workshops,
and support groups all designed to keep a patient on track and motivated to
ensure weight-loss success—for life.
Dr. Raymone
Shenouda, the Center’s preoperative psychiatrist, says the road to
success begins with the first patient visit. “I tell them that their new diet
begins now [before surgery], because they have to be able to handle the
change.” The first six weeks after surgery is a complete liquid diet, something
not easy for those who have never done it.
Jan and Kelly
Curtis are a great success story because they made a huge commitment to
undertake their lifestyle changes together. They now have an entirely new
relationship with food. Their refrigerator is stocked with healthy options. They
no longer host large Italian Sunday dinners. Jan, who is a hairdresser and a
nail technician, now eats yogurt, eggs, toast, and focuses on protein. She
rarely deviates and knows her limitations. “Before I could do three cups of
macaroni,” she said. “Now, one cup of food on my plate is a lot for me.” “We still love to cook,” said Kelly, “but we
just don’t cook as much. We don’t thrive on it.”
To say the
Curtises’ before and after pictures are dramatic is an understatement. “People
don’t recognize me [at first] then say I look great,” said Kelly, who admits
after a lifetime of being large, it feels good to hear. “It’s been such a
positive experience. [Jan] has been my motivation.”
The Hospital for Saint Raphael Center for Weight-Loss Surgery
The Hospital for Saint Raphael Center for Weight-Loss
Surgery adopts a holistic multidisciplinary approach to ensure a high success
rate for its patients. Every patient interested in the program must go through
a screening assessment to determine if he/she is a good candidate. It measures
willpower as well as a basic level of mental understanding for how difficult
the road ahead will be.
Patients meet with Center psychiatrist Dr. Raymone Shenouda,
and are screened through a series of questions. “We look at whether or not the surgery
will be beneficial to them mentally and assess if there are other psychological
problems that will interfere.” Dr. Shenouda tests for eating disorders and
depression, and will work with the patient and the patient’s physicians to
clear them for surgery. Depending the issues, it could take up to six months or
longer.
Gina Kessler, registered dietician with the Center, also
does a nutritional assessment to help patients understand their new dietary
restrictions, especially the initial liquid diet immediately following surgery.
A weight history analysis and current food
factors in the house are also taken into consideration on whether a person is
ready. If others in the home are in need of a change, this patient can be a real
motivator because they are all in it together. “Families make changes as a
whole,” she said, “even if only one person has surgery.” Gina also has
postoperative follow-up classes and is there as needed to help a patient
through any dietary issues.
Other postoperative
care includes educational workshops designed to help patients acclimate to
their new lifestyle.
Elizabeth
McMahon, a Psychiatric Utilization Review
Coordinator and licensed social worker for the Center, runs monthly behavior
support groups. She also holds six-week seminars, some in tandem with
Dr. Shenouda. Aimed at developing success skills, the goal is to help patients
“think differently so you can change sabotaging behavior you had in the past,” she
said. Some of the Workshop themes include: How
Your Thinking Can Lead You Astray; Dieter’s thinking versus Think Thinking, Fighting
Undermining Ideas, and Learning the Power Of Oh Well. “You have to learn to
accept the circumstances as they are, not focusing on why me, poor me.”
Elizabeth
also teaches coping mechanisms when each patient inevitably reaches that
plateau and the weight loss slows down. “We are trying to help patients
[pinpoint] physical hunger versus emotional hunger,” she said. The goal is for
patients to feel in control so they can “say no to food pushers” and embrace a
lasting new lifestyle where they are motivated daily.
GLOSSARY:
Gastric Bypass (Roux-en-Y) — Makes the stomach smaller (size of an egg) and
causes food to bypass part of the small intestine, reducing what can be
absorbed. Leads to greater and quicker weight loss. Recommended for diabetics
and obese.
Adjustable Gastric Band — Laparoscopic: An adjustable band is placed around the
stomach restricting its size. You
feel full, eat less, and lose. (Most common of all bariatric procedures.) Vertical
banded gastroplasty: A restrictive band is placed around the stomach and
the stomach is stapled above the band. (Least common.)
Sleeve Gastrectomy—
The stomach is restricted by dividing it vertically and more than 85
percent of it is removed. Also involves stomach stapling.
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