Elizabeth Lawhorne was living a life of frustration and poor health before she made a decision that would change her life forever. Lawhorne was 356 pounds with serious health issues, including high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and prediabetes, plus a family history of heart disease, when she began researching bariatric surgery as an option. In particular, she was interested in gastric sleeve surgery, a bariatric procedure that removes 75-80% of the stomach. It is now the most commonly performed bariatric procedure in United States and worldwide.
“In the beginning of 2018, I decided that having gastric sleeve surgery was probably the best thing that I could do,” the Winter Haven Operating Room Technician says.
“I had tried diet and exercise on my own and it didn’t work out very well. I had PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) pretty bad, and it doesn’t make it very easy to lose weight.” Lawhorne recalls.
Lawhorne learned of bariatric surgeon Dr. Clinton Hall through some co-workers who had undergone sleeve gastrectomy surgery. Hall is a board-certified surgeon with BayCare in Winter Haven. He has assisted hundreds of patients in their successful surgical weight loss journeys. The patient’s weight loss odyssey does not begin and end with a surgical procedure, however. There is a process of preparation and aftercare involved that will ultimately transform the patient’s lifestyle.
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