One Hard-Working Mom's Path to Weight Loss
When Katie Chandler was 34, she had borderline diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Despite countless attempts to change her diet and exercise, Ms. Chandler was never able to lose much weight – something she knew would improve her health and her quality of life.
Ms. Chandler’s sister had gotten LAP-Band surgery at Cone Health with great results, and so Ms. Chandler decided she wanted to go that route as well. She liked that the surgery wasn’t invasive, and that she could decide to have the LAP-Band removed should she ever want to do that.
The 2011 surgery at Cone Health was successful, and Ms. Chandler quickly began to lose weight – 150 pounds, to be exact! She experienced an increase in energy and felt better overall. Ms. Chandler was able to maintain most of the weight loss with healthy eating and exercise, but then began experiencing some side effects from the LAP-Band.
Because she had liked her experience with Cone Health for her LAP-Band, Ms. Chandler returned to them for an assessment, and at that point Dr. Paul Stechschulte recommended gastric bypass surgery to address the issue.
That second surgery (though it had a longer recovery) was also successful, and since that surgery in 2021 she has lost an additional 89 pounds. Ms. Chandler has a busy life – she works as a dental assistant and manager at Biscuitville and is at work from 4:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day – and so she gets lots of movement in just by virtue of her work. She’s also a wife, a mom of three (ages 28, 21 and 19) and grandmother of four (ages 9, 6, 5 and 1). She credits her full schedule with helping her keep the weight off post-surgery, and says she’s even had to dial back her exercise some to avoid losing too much weight!
Ms. Chandler now has normal, healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels. She does take insulin, but that’s to help with low blood sugar and is not due to diabetes.
Ms. Chandler says she would recommend Cone Health to anyone considering bariatric surgery.
“Their doctors listen, and they’re able to give you good advice, all the information you need and answer all your questions,” she said.
Tips for Managing Weight for a Healthier You
When is it time to consider bariatric surgery? How can I manage my weight with diet and exercise? Get tips for healthy weight management from Eric Wilson, MD.
Bariatric Surgery at Cone Health
Take control of your weight — and your well-being — with weight loss surgery at Cone Health. When you choose Cone Health for your surgery, you can be confident you’ll receive the highest-quality bariatric care. Learn more.
