Parma Hospital's Magazine for Healthy Living and Education

Losing over 150 pounds and
gaining energy, better health
Pamela Cathy’s plate was
full. From diabetes and failing
kidneys to
high blood
pressure,
severe arthritis
and
sleep apnea,
Craig Eyman,
DO
the Brooklyn
woman had
struggled with health problems
for over a decade.
Then she saw a story
about the Bariatric Center at
Parma Hospital, once again
designated as a Bariatric
Surgery Center of Excellence
by the American Society for
Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
(ASMBS), which recognizes
surgical programs with a
demonstrated track record of
favorable outcomes in weight
loss surgery.
“I decided I wanted to
have it done myself, because I
had a lot of health problems,”
says Cathy, 42. “What a difference
a year makes! Now I
really feel great.”
Cathy chose the classic
gastric bypass surgery
known as the Roux-en-Y,
the “gold standard” of bariatric
surgery. In this type of
surgery – the most commonly
performed type of bariatric
procedure – a small pouch
is created at the top of the
stomach by stapling across
it and the small intestine is
rerouted. Food consumed
bypasses the remaining
stomach and the first part
of the small intestine. This
results in patients feeling
satisfied on a smaller amount
of food, eating less and
absorbing fewer calories.
In just over a year, Cathy
dropped over 150 pounds. She
now eats three modest meals
per day, walks regularly in
her Brooklyn neighborhood
and doesn’t mind putting on
a swimsuit in the summer.
Her boys, now 3 and 13, are
thrilled with their mother’s
transformation. And her own
mother is happy to lend her
dressy clothes for church,
even if she has to use a few
safety pins to make them fit.
“She’s down to the size
she’s always wanted to be,”
says Cathy’s mother, Gayle
Wilson. “She’s happier, too.”
Bariatric surgery is one
of the most commonly performed
elective abdominal
operations in the country,
with more than 220,000 procedures
performed
each
year. It is recognized
for its
ability to save
lives, providing
remission not
only of obesity,
but a number
of chronic
diseases/comorbidities. By
resolving these comorbidities,
bariatric surgery can dramatically
reduce the primary costs
of obesity.
In Cathy’s case, all her
comorbidities have resolved.
“Our recognition as a
Bariatric Center of Excellence
underscores our commitment
to improving the lives and
well-being of our patients,”
said Craig Eyman, DO, Medical
Director of Parma Hospital’s
Bariatric Center.
Christine Miceli, a physician
assistant with the Bariatric
Center, sees each patient at
post-operative office visits two
weeks, six months and one
year after surgery. Patients
continue to come in annually.
In a recent follow-up with
Cathy, Miceli told the patient
she was doing everything
right – eating small portions,
stopping when she felt full,
and drinking plenty of water.
Regular exercise also keeps
patients on track.
“She’s given it her all and
been perfectly compliant
and achieved success,” Miceli
said. “When weight loss from
bariatric surgery plateaus,
then you have to rely on good
habits.”
For details on weight loss
options through the Bariatric
Center, attend Weight Loss
Solutions, an informative
free program held the third
Tuesday of each month at
7 p.m. in Parma Hospital’s
Auditorium. Call 440-743-
2900 to register.
New Members
of the
Medical Staff
Join us in welcoming the newest
members of our Medical Staff.
Richard Li, MD
INTERNAL MEDICINE/HOSPITALIST
Parma Community General Hospital
7007 Powers Boulevard
Parma, OH 44129
Richard Martin, MD
NEONATOLOGY
11100 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44106
216-844-3387
Mukul Pandit, MD
INTERNAL MEDICINE
11201 Shaker Boulevard
Cleveland, OH 44104
216-721-6900
Orest Stecyk, MD
FAMILY PRACTICE
303 E. Royalton Road
Broadview Heights, OH 44147
440-743-4740
Florin Ioan Tcaciuc Susoiu, MD
INTERNAL MEDICINE
6681 Ridge Road
Parma, OH 44129
440-743-2450
Michele Walsh, MD
NEONATOLOGY
11100 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44106
216-844-3759
Looking for a
physician?
Call 440-743-4900 for a referral to
one of the more than 500 members
of Parma Hospital’s Medical Staff.
Pamela Cathy and her mother Gayle Wilson
discuss Cathy’s success with Christine Miceli.
SUMMER 2011 Informed 7