“I Feel Like a Brand New Person”

Kingsport Woman Loses 140 Pounds with Bariatric Surgery

Angel Lubrano has struggled with her weight for many years and experienced chronic pain, gastrointestinal problems and shortness of breath. She knew something had to change when weight-related issues like diabetes jeopardized her health and affected her daily life.

“I would walk through a store and have to take breaks and sit down,” she says. “I would be too exhausted to go out with friends or family after work.”

Weighing approximately 287 pounds, she sought weight-loss options at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center.

Robotic-Assisted Gastric Bypass Surgery

Her primary physician referred her to Mark Colquitt, MD, a board-certified bariatric surgeon at Fort Sanders Regional. After discussing her options, they determined together that she would be a good candidate for robotic-assisted Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.

During this procedure the surgeon controls robotic-assisted instruments to reduce the size of the upper stomach to a small pouch. Roux-en Y gastric bypass surgery helps reduce the amount of food consumed by decreasing hunger and overall calorie absorption from fat.

“I took classes to prepare for how I’d feel after surgery,” she recalls. “I highly recommend that to anyone who goes through this. It was essential to the healing process because knowing what to expect really helped me. I slowly started doing my walking and measuring my protein intake.

Dr. Colquitt remarks, “From a surgical standpoint, weight loss is not only partly the result of surgery, but much of the weight loss result is because of the knowledge and habits the patient builds. The surgery may allow the pathway to the weight loss, but it’s the hard work of the individual that gets them there.”

“I Did the Work for Myself”

Approximately a year and a half after surgery, Lubrano is down to 145 pounds and feeling great. Looking back, the wife and mother says that before surgery she was living to eat. Now, she’s eating to live.

Dr. Colquitt says, “Angel is the ideal patient. She was motivated and interested in what we had to say. She believed in the system and remained true to the course in front of her.”

Lubrano says, “I was tired of living the life I was in and the body I was in. I was tired of feeling helpless and hopeless. I know now that I’m living the way I need to.”

She has since resolved many of her health issues, including fatty liver disease and diabetes. Since her surgery, Lubrano says her confidence and self-image have also improved. “The change has been emotional, too. I feel like I finally did the work for myself, mentally, physically, just everything to feel happy inside instead of all these areas dragging me down.”

Robotic-assisted surgery is a highly effective alternative to some traditional surgical procedures. Combined with the skills of surgeons, this computer-based technology can enhance the healing and well-being of surgery patients.

To see if you are a candidate for weight-loss surgery or for more information, call 865-541-4500 or visit FSRegional.com/bariatric-surgery.