{"id":773,"date":"2019-12-23T15:03:50","date_gmt":"2019-12-23T15:03:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.com\/weightloss\/?page_id=773"},"modified":"2019-12-27T15:16:26","modified_gmt":"2019-12-27T15:16:26","slug":"breaking-out-from-the-emotional-prison-of-obesity","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.com\/weightloss\/breaking-out-from-the-emotional-prison-of-obesity\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking Out from the Emotional Prison of Obesity"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Register for a Free Seminar<\/span><\/h3>\n

The UC Health Weight Loss Center offers FREE weight loss seminars. Take the first step to achieve long-term, healthy weight loss success and register today![\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”15px”]Get Started Today<\/a>[vc_empty_space height=”45px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#e00122″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Erica Dille, 42, of Hamilton, was once a prisoner in her own home, too embarrassed and ashamed to go out in public because of her morbid obesity. She would do her shopping online and avoid leaving her house as much as humanly possible. It was an unhappy existence.<\/p>\n

Erica wasn\u2019t always overweight. As a teen, she was thin, but when her father suddenly and tragically passed away when she was just 19, she was heartbroken and despondent. \u201cIt was a very challenging time during my life, and I was very depressed,\u201d says Erica. \u201cMy doctor prescribed a medication to help me cope.\u201d\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

With that medication, came weight gain. \u201cI was young, and no one really educated me about the side effects that some medications can bring. Before I knew it, I was in the 300-pound range. I lost my identity,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

In her 30s, Erica went to see her family doctor who ordered routine blood work during her regular appointment. The results showed that she was beginning to have some very serious health issues. Specifically, her doctor told her that she had developed calcifications in her arteries. Her family doctor told her that her health was in serious jeopardy and she had to make a change immediately.<\/p>\n

Erica was experiencing \u201catherosclerosis,\u201d also called \u201chardening of the arteries,\u201d a disorder in which arteries (blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood from the heart to other parts of the body) become narrowed because fat is deposited on the inside walls of the arteries. The plaque may eventually severely block the artery, causing death of the tissue supplied by the artery \u2013 which can lead to heart attack, congestive heart failure or abnormal cardiac rhythms.<\/p>\n

Hearing this news, Erica\u2019s life passed before her eyes. She was happily married to her husband, Michael, and mother to their three boys, Landen, Liam and Luke. She thought, \u201cI have to be here for my husband and children.\u201d<\/p>\n

She first began to diet on her own and was able to lose some weight. When she returned to her family doctor for a check-up, he was very honest with her. \u201cHe told me, \u2018you\u2019re not doing it fast enough. Your situation is urgent,\u2019\u201d says Erica. He then referred her to the UC Health Weight Loss Center.<\/p>\n

She immediately did some online research and learned that UC Health utilizes a comprehensive team approach that features detailed follow-up and support after surgery. She called the center, completed the informational seminar online and scheduled her first appointment. \u201cI began to research everything \u2013 how surgery works, how it isn\u2019t a band aid and how you must stick to it. That was it for me. It was the biggest decision of my life. I decided to have the surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n

On May 12, 2016, Jonathan Thompson, MD, bariatric surgeon, of the UC Health Weight Loss Center, performed Erica\u2019s sleeve gastrectomy surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing I tell patients is that losing weight is never magic, even with bariatric surgery,\u201d says Dr. Thompson. \u201cIt always takes hard work. Successful patients take steps to get back control of their daily routines as they relate to the intake and burn of calories. The UC Health Weight Loss Center provides patients with comprehensive habit change resources from basic nutrition education to the anatomic alterations of bariatric surgery. Erica\u2019s success highlights our team\u2019s effort and her hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n

What is Sleeve Gastrectomy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gastric sleeve is a minimally invasive, laparoscopic surgery where the surgeon makes tiny incisions, less than one-half inch each in the abdomen, rather than a single, large incision, like traditional surgery. It involves removing about 80 percent of the stomach, leaving a long banana-shaped sleeve that acts as the new, smaller stomach. One of the biggest advantages of having this surgery is that the part of the stomach where the hunger hormone is made is removed during the procedure, which helps reduce the feeling of hunger.<\/p>\n

Erica hit her goal about one year after surgery \u2013 she lost 225 pounds.<\/p>\n

She has regular follow-up visits with the Weight Loss Center team for support and guidance. \u201cThey are on your side 100%. In fact, they are so on your side that there is even an after-hours number that you can call. Someone is always there for you, you\u2019re never alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ivan Bennett, physician assistant, who has worked with Erica after her surgery, is especially helpful and supportive. \u201cHe has been such a positive influence for me. He\u2019s kept me going, and kept me motivated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, Erica is the happiest she\u2019s been in years. The best part of losing the weight? \u201cOh honey, let me tell you,\u201d she says, \u201cI don\u2019t have to shop online anymore. I don\u2019t have to buy 4X and 5X. I love to go to the mall and buy clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first store that she wanted to visit was Victoria\u2019s Secret. \u201cWhen I walked into the store, it was beautiful and I loved it! I didn\u2019t feel out of place, I didn\u2019t feel ashamed. It was liberating!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother thing that has changed is that I absolutely love to play with my children. There were so many times when I was overweight and my boys would say \u2013 \u2018mom, come outside and play!\u2019 I would cover up by saying I was busy, but the truth was I would not walk four or five steps without being out of breath. Now, I\u2019m actually running outside, kicking a ball, chasing them, playing hide and seek. It feels wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Erica has a message for others who may feel trapped in an emotional prison of obesity. \u201cWhen someone does not know if they can take on surgery, there is always a voice inside us who wants to, but it\u2019s the fear of not knowing that can stop us. I had that fear too, but I\u2019m here to tell you that gastric sleeve surgery gives you incentive to try because within the first 30 days, you\u2019re seeing the number drop and you become more motivated and you want to try. You\u2019re driven more to try.\u201d<\/p>\n

And her health has never been better. \u201cSince I had this procedure, I absolutely have no health issues. Everything has reversed itself. I went into the hospital and had an ultrasound of my heart. Every test was run and it all came back as normal. I\u2019m so happy. That is why I keep pushing myself further and further.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more, visit UCHealth.com\/weightloss<\/a> or call (513) 939-2263<\/a>.[\/vc_column_text]Register for a Free Seminar Today!<\/a>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text] Register for a Free Seminar The UC Health Weight Loss Center offers FREE weight loss seminars. Take the first step to achieve long-term, healthy weight loss success and register today![\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_empty_space height=”45px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#e00122″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Erica Dille, 42, of Hamilton, was once a prisoner in her own home, too embarrassed and ashamed to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-773","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.com\/weightloss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.com\/weightloss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.com\/weightloss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.com\/weightloss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/85"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.com\/weightloss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=773"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.com\/weightloss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":805,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.com\/weightloss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/773\/revisions\/805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.com\/weightloss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}