Corporate professional experiences medication-related weight gain.
Denise’s History:
Denise Garahan, a busy wife, mother and corporate manager, required ongoing medications for a thyroid condition and also was prescribed fertility drugs. A common side-effect of both of these medications is weight-gain.
At 4’11”, her ideal weight was just over 100 pounds but after giving birth to two children, Denise’s weight edged up to just under 200 pounds. She had heard good things about Dr. Sowemimo and his bariatric surgery program at Prime Surgicare, In July 2012, she attended Dr. Seun’s New Patient Information Seminar and had a gastric sleeve (sleeve gastrectomy) on October 29, 2012 ─ the day Hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey.
You were in the hospital when Sandy hit?
That’s right. I was the last patient to come out of recovery before CentraState went to generator power. But with Dr. Seun, you would never have known anything happened. He knew my family couldn’t get to the hospital to see me for the first few days after the storm, so he kept an extra eye on me, for which I will always be especially grateful.
Why was weight loss surgery right for you?
The medications I was taking for a period of time really confused my body chemistry. I was also wearing size 16-18 and for a person of my stature, I should have been wearing a size 2-4. I needed to lose upwards of 80 pounds and felt that bariatric surgery would get me there quickly and safely.
A year and a half after your weight loss surgery, how are you doing?
I am a new person! My weight went from 197 to 109 and I wear a size 2. About four months after surgery, I began doing cardio workouts at the gym and today I focus mostly on lifting light weights. This has really toned me up and keeps my metabolism humming. I also walk twice a week.
The exercise and the weight loss have made my energy skyrocket, which is so important in my busy life.
What advice might you offer someone who is also facing the need to lose a large amount of weight?
The surgery is a tool to get you started back in the right direction. You still have to do the work — follow the eating and vitamin plan and exercise. And you know the foods you just don’t want to go without? Once you start to lose the weight, you just don’t care about them anymore. The fries, cakes, pasta ─ it’s not important. The cravings go away, especially sugar.
Thank you for recommending Dr. Sowemimo to so many people. Can you explain why you choose to do so?
Personally, he’s got a great bedside manner. He’s not in a rush and spends time answering your questions and laying out what comes next. His program is very well organized. He gives you a calendar of the steps you will be taking before and after surgery so you can plan your life accordingly. It’s all laid out. All you have to do is commit to changing your life and getting healthy again.
About Dr. Seun Sowemimo, MD, FACS
“Dr. Seun” is a top NJ bariatric surgeon and the medical director at Prime Surgicare, with offices in Freehold serving Monmouth and Ocean counties. He is board-certified, Columbia and Yale University fellowship-trained advanced laparoscopic, bariatric and general surgeon. He has advanced expertise performing the safest, most advanced laparoscopic and general surgical operations. To learn more, visit his YouTube channel or call Prime Surgicare at (732)-982-2002.