For Connie Holloway, daily life prior to bariatric surgery consisted of sleep apnea, chronic headaches, daily insulin shots and frequent pharmacy visits to pick up multiple prescriptions. After successfully completing the bariatric surgical program at the Metabolic & Weight Management Center - then named FirstHealth Bariatrics - in 2018 she now regularly runs 5Ks and went from taking 13 medications a day to taking none. Holloway’s highest weight before the surgery was 166 pounds, with a body mass index (BMI) of 37. BMIs of 30 and higher are in the obesity category for adults. She now weighs 105 and wears a size four. Holloway said her weight loss “may not sound like much, but at 4 foot 8 inches there is not a lot of room for it go.”
The Metabolic & Weight Management Center offers both surgical and non-surgical medical weight management services. A joint venture by Pinehurst Surgical Clinic, FirstHealth of the Carolinas and Pinehurst Medical Clinic, the Center offers a comprehensive approach to weight loss that is tailored to each patient’s specific goals.
For a long time, Holloway never gave much thought to the number on the scale. A former X-ray technician, she had been relatively active most of her adult life. She would ride her bike to work, accompany her husband on 5-mile rucks and spend hours at the hospital on her feet, developing X-ray films and attending to patients. While her diet was never the healthiest, it did not seem to make much of a difference. “Apparently I had a wonderful metabolism,” Holloway said. “I could eat as much of anything as I wanted and never gained weight.”
That held true until she went back to school to pursue a graduate degree in English. Hours on her feet turned into hours of sitting. Holloway spent her time reading, writing and researching, leaving little opportunity for physical activity. After graduation, she started working as an English professor, continuing to sit all day and grade stacks of papers into the early morning. A poor diet and the effects of menopause created the perfect storm for weight gain. Years of substandard lifestyle choices finally started taking a toll.
“My family is Pennsylvania Dutch, which I think contributed to my weight gain,” she said. “We are the seven sweets and the seven sours. Our lives revolve around food. I ate when I was happy, ate when I was sad.”
Health Issues Before Surgery
As Holloway’s weight continued to rise, health problems began slowly piling up, too. There was uncontrolled diabetes to contend with, as well as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a duodenal ulcer, high blood pressure, pancreas issues and elevated ocular pressure, which could lead to loss of sight. During one appointment, she had a finger stick blood test and discovered her blood sugar level was 498. People were in comas with levels like that, she was told. When it became clear no treatment options were proving effective Holloway’s primary care provider asked if she would consider bariatric surgery.
Tired of struggling with health issues, she went to an introductory session with the Metabolic Weight Management Center and quickly made up her mind to go through with the surgery. Holloway said she knew it was imperative she got her health under control and would have scheduled the surgery the next day if she was able. She said her idea of weight-loss surgery was getting the procedure done right away, sitting around for a few weeks and becoming thin. She quickly learned a lot more planning and preparation was needed.
Holloway was accepted into the weight-loss surgery program and began the pre-operative preparation, which consisted of attending consults, support groups and pre-surgical workshops. She said the program helped her change her thinking, which was one of the hardest parts. Another advantage of the program for Holloway was the non-judgmental support she received from the team, as well as the support group with other patients.
Metabolic & Weight Management Center Manager Christi Embler, BSN, R.N., CBN, said the staff take a team approach to each patient. “We really work to build those relationships with our patients, so they know they always have someone to help them through the process,” Embler said. “It can be a challenging adjustment, and everyone deserves that support before and after surgery. Patients also receive daily phone calls from our staff for two weeks of the post-operative period.”
After completing the necessary pre-operative preparations, she was scheduled to have the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, which reduces the size of the upper stomach to a small pouch by stapling off the upper section of the stomach. The small pouch is then attached directly to part of the small intestine, so food bypasses the rest of the stomach and part of the small intestine. This reduces the calories and fat the body absorbs from food.
Life After Surgery
Bariatric surgery is one of the most effective methods in reducing obesity-related comorbidities, a review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found. Holloway’s case echoes those findings. “From the day I had surgery, I never had to take another medication,” she said. “The next day, everything was gone. It was like resetting everything. I remember thinking, I’ve been given a second chance and I’m not going to blow it. Not everyone gets this.”
Through that dedication, she followed the post-operative diets and protocol closely. She attended the support group consistently, to help hold her accountable and re-adjust to life post-surgery. Holloway said she was also comforted by the fact that she was able to contact the bariatric staff with any issue or question.
As soon as she was able, she began implementing an exercise regime. Her routine started with lap swimming and evolved into a love of running. Holloway now enjoys participating in 5K fun runs in the community, including turkey trots, glow runs and the beloved 9/11 stair climb.
When it comes to diet and exercise, Holloway said that, for her, consistency counts more than intensity. “I think of the bariatric program like a three-legged stool,” she said. “You’ve got diet, exercise and the actual surgery. The surgery is kind of a magic bullet in a sense. It gives you the boost. But you take anyone of those three away and it’s not going to work.”
Holloway also had her share of challenges. A self-proclaimed soda-holic, she said giving up her favorite carbonated beverages was – and still is - one of the most difficult aspects of the process.
Age Is Just a Number
Four years after surgery, 72-year-old Holloway still takes no medication, aside from a low dose of high blood pressure medication her doctor recently put her on. She works out at least four days a week. She is on a first-name basis with the sales associates at Talbots rather than her pharmacist. While she’s working her program well, Holloway said if she ever fell off the wagon, she knows she could pick the phone up anytime and call the bariatric staff.
Recently, she had a major spine surgery and attributes her quick recovery with being in good health.
“Without bariatric surgery, I don’t know that I would be alive,” Holloway said. “Now I don’t feel my age. I still feel like I’m in my 30’s or 40’s. I’m alert. I’m alive. It’s well worth it.”
To learn more about the Metabolic & Weight Management Center, visit WeightLossNC.org or call (910) 725-7966.
