“I chose bariatric surgery to help lessen my health issues, not just to lose weight.” – Brian Freedman
Brian Freedman battled heart disease from age 40 and also suffered from a debilitating tendon injury in his foot, which required him to wear a heavy Richie Brace to maintain his mobility. Both conditions were worsened by the extra 70 pounds he was carrying. After yo-yo dieting without success, his cardiologist recommended he see Dr. Seun Sowemimo about surgical weight loss.
“I’m an active person who couldn’t be active,” Brian, age 55, explains. “I needed to lighten the load on my foot and continue to support my heart health.” At age 40, he had undergone a quadruple bypass after a heart attack.
“Brian is the ideal example of someone who significantly benefited from surgical weight loss even though he was not extremely overweight,” explains Dr. Sowemimo, who performed a sleeve gastrectomy (gastric sleeve) for Brian in September 2022. “But he had chronic medical conditions worsened by his excess weight. Losing just 70 pounds has completely transformed his health in just 12 months.”
A lover of the outdoors and boating, the national director of sales could walk about 1,500 steps a day before the pain in his foot took over. While his family focused on eating heart-healthy Mediterranean-style foods, he had a strong affinity for diet soda, which he knew needed to stop.
“Once I had sleeve surgery, I felt like I re-learned how to eat, starting with liquids, then solids, and eventually focusing on eating more plant-based foods,” Brian notes. Today, he eats meat occasionally but says he has not been hungry since the operation. He tried diet soda for the first time in months and realized he no longer enjoyed it.
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Life changes after gastric sleeve surgery
“The pain in my foot is remarkably resolved, so I can do so much more, including trying new activities like pickle ball, without worrying I’m going to hurt myself or feel a ton of pain afterward.” He routinely walks more than five miles daily, pain-free. A boating enthusiast, Brian can comfortably stand on his boat without pain or difficulty maneuvering. His sleep quality has vastly improved due in part to increased physical activity and reduced foot pain.
Brian, whose weight hovers around 160 pounds today, says gastric sleeve surgery was the best-in-class option to transform the rest of his life. ”Most importantly, I want to thank my incredible wife, family and friends who supported me every step of the way. I could not have done this without their support.”
If you are tired of battling weight-related chronic medical conditions, contact us to talk about the possibility of surgical weight loss to help remediate these issues and put you on track to fully enjoying life. Call 732-414-2707 to schedule an appointment in our Freehold or Jackson, NJ offices.