At 61 years of age, Crown Point resident Don Campbell was living an unhealthy lifestyle. He started putting on weight when he was in his mid-40s, but after a pacemaker implant in his mid-50s; he gained even more weight.
“My weight was affecting every aspect of my life,” he says. “I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high triglycerides. I was on a CPAP machine for sleep apnea. I wasn’t sleeping at night. I was tired all the time. One night, driving home from work, I fell asleep at the wheel. I didn’t have an accident, but that was my wakeup call.”
Campbell met with his primary care physician and told her that he knew he needed to make some changes, but didn’t know where to begin.
“She asked where I wanted to be 10 years from now,” Campbell recalls. “I told her I wanted to watch my granddaughters grow up and see what they would become in life. She said if you want to live to see that, then you need to make some permanent changes. That resonated with me.”
“I went to the seminar with Dr. Stanish in Munster,” he says. “The gastric sleeve surgery seemed like it would be the right choice for me.”
With gastric sleeve weight loss surgery, a large portion of the stomach is removed to restrict eating and control hunger while keeping both ends of the stomach intact. During the procedure, the stomach is stapled off along the greater curvature to create a smaller, tube-shaped stomach which allows for less food.
Since the fall of 2017, Campbell has lost 95 pounds and counting. He no longer take meds for triglycerides; his numbers are normal.
“The biggest thing I’ve noticed is walking up and down steps without being out of breath. I have more energy. I can work out for longer periods of time at the gym. Best of all, I enjoy playing with my grandkids.”
Take the first step toward reaching your weight loss goals. Attend a free Healthy 4 Life seminar, “Weight Loss Surgery: Is it Right for Me?” to learn more about individualized options for losing weight. Classes are held monthly at St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart, Community Hospital in Munster and St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago. For more information visit COMHS.org/overit.
