Jackie Spratt: The Change Within
Lap-Band Surgery Patient: Lost 150 Pounds
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Jackie
Before |
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Jackie After |
The Secret
Two foot-long Subway sandwiches, 2 bags of chips
and 3 cookies would be a full meal for a family of four, or lunch for Jackie
Spratt – before her life changed. One hundred-fifty pounds is the weight
of an average woman who is 5’-10” tall. That’s also how much
weight Jackie Spratt lost with LAP-BAND®. Jackie, at 5’- 5” tall,
has lost more than half her total body weight, but that’s only half the
story.
Adult obesity often starts with an overweight child and that’s how it began with Jackie. “I’ve had a weight problem my whole life,” She recalls. “I was an emotional eater.”
The teen years can be socially awkward. But as an extremely overweight teen, Jackie found the social challenges to be traumatic. Jackie used food to deal with the stress, which only made the problem worse. But Jackie found a solution that was both radical and affective - bulimia. She continued her “secret weight-loss program” through her high school years. But when she realized the “cure” was worse than the “disease”, she pulled herself from the grip of bulimia.
I Wanted to Hide
Jackie graduated high school as a size 14.
After two years of college, Jackie had grown to a size 22. The weight gain
seemed gradual to Jackie, almost unnoticeable. But when with a group of friends,
there was no ignoring the fact that she was larger than everyone else. “I just wanted
to hide,” she remembers. “It doesn’t make you feel good
when you know you’re the fattest person in the room.”
Typically a social person, Jackie felt “socially awkward”, even among her close friends. She didn’t date much and didn’t even want to go out with friends. She had lost her self-esteem, and her-confidence. These feelings were reinforced by others.
“I don’t think people intentionally treated me differently, but looking back I realize people were dismissive of me,” she laments. “When you’re fat, people treat you like you’re slow and stupid,” Jackie said with disgust.
In search of help, Jackie turned to over-the-counter diet pills…lots of pills. The results were counter-productive. She would lose weight quickly at first, but the side-effects of jittery nervousness became unbearable, so she quit. Of course, the weight came back, plus an extra 5-10 lbs. Jackie’s obesity also stifled her personal growth. “I hid behind my weight; I used it as an excuse for not doing things. I was sluggish and unmotivated.”
A
New Approach
But Jackie was still motivated to beat obesity. She tried a new
approach, a medical solution. She found a physician who specialized in weight-loss
drug therapy. More than ever Jackie would give this her all. She ate healthier
and exercised regularly. Again, she saw immediate results. But personal problems
increased her stress, which drove her back to food for comfort - the weight
returned.
Jackie was now a size 30 at 285 lbs. Getting more desperate, she considered surgical solutions. Internet research revealed several options. One by one the choices were eliminated for being too risky, too invasive, or too scary.
But then she read about the LAP-BAND® procedure, and a local surgeon, Dr. Bryan Anderson, MD. Jackie paid an office visit to Dr. Anderson, and then she attended one of his LAP-BAND seminars. During the seminar she made her decision - this was it.
In November of 2007 Jackie underwent the LAP-BAND surgery. After a week she climbed on a scale and was shocked that she had already lost 15 lbs. Now at 135 pounds and a size 2, Jackie is still dropping weight nearly 15 months later.
It’s Never Coming Back
The physical transformation
was so dramatic, that on a recent trip to see her sister, Jackie walked off
the plane and right past her sister who failed to recognize her. Except for
the tattoo on Jackie’s arm, her sister would not have believed it was
her. Jackie’s sister wasn’t the only one in disbelief over her
physical transformation. “When I look in the mirror, I can’t believe
it’s me,” Jackie said with a smile in her voice.
Jackie kept waiting for the weight to come back – just like all the other times. She put off buying new clothes because she knew she would still need the “fat clothes” again. As she got smaller, her clothes became loose…real loose. She resorted to folding, and safety-pinning, her pants at the waist to keep them up. When the folded fabric could no longer be pinned – the pin kept popping open - she accepted the permanence of her weight loss. “It’s never coming back, I know that now.”
What You Don’t See
As astonishing
as the physical change has been, Jackie’s internal transformation is
equally amazing. “This has given me a new sense of self-worth that I
can never fully explain,” Jackie said.
The 29 year-old, beautician found a new sense of purpose. She returned to college and earned her under-graduate degree. She is now working on a master’s degree, and is preparing for the law school admissions test, while still working part-time. In her spare time she is still working out and training for a marathon. “I’ve become the person I always wanted to be. And I have the energy of two people! I can’t use my weight as an excuse anymore.”
“My life has totally changed since the LAP-BAND surgery,” Jackie stated with conviction. “I am so grateful to Dr. Anderson because has a lot to do with my success. He has done an incredible job working with me and being such strong support link. He’s continued to give me guidance throughout the process. I’m truly a different person, and I owe it all to Dr. Anderson.”
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View a video about former Lap-Band Surgery Patients |