Newsletter

Tipping the scales in the right direction

This is the true story of Elaine Lannom.

Elaine was tired. She was tired of being overweight even though she exercised, tired of being out of breath, tired of barely squeezing through the turnstiles at baseball games, and tired of her limited choices when shopping for clothes. Elaine was especially worried about the effect her weight was having on her overall health and risk for diabetes.

Elaine wanted to lose weight, 65 pounds to be exact, and knew she needed medical intervention, because trying to do it on her own was just not working.

In the summer of 2017, Washington University gastroenterologist Vladimir Kushnir, MD, performed an endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) procedure on Elaine.

Dr. Kushnir explains, “ESG is an outpatient procedure that uses an endoscope to place sutures in the stomach – reducing its size by 65 to 75 percent. As a result, the patient feels fuller and eats less.

ESG is intended for people like Elaine who need to lose between 50 and 150 pounds. It is designed to be used in conjunction with lifestyle changes for our patients, because obesity is something an entire family needs to deal with together.

We have a team of weight management specialists who carefully tailor a plan for each person’s needs. Making healthy changes to eating and exercising habits is so important for an individual’s successful weight loss journey.”

ESG causes few adverse side-effects and requires only three to five days of recovery time. There may be mild nausea or discomfort for a few days after the procedure, but these are easily controlled with medication.

Prior to the ESG procedure, the patient meets with the program dietician to understand the  post ESG dietary restricitions, dietary progression and personalized calorie target. After the procedure, the patient meets frequently with the weight loss team members to incorporate behavior changes necessary for desired weight loss and maintenance. 

Elaine reached her weight-loss goal of 65 pounds in February 2018, and has kept the weight off. She appreciates her newfound vitality, “When you’re as overweight as I was, you tend to lose confidence. But I don’t have those problems anymore. And more importantly my blood pressure, A1C (blood sugar level) and other values are back to normal, my diet is much healthier, and I’ve returned to doing things like working in my yard and swimming. Losing weight has changed my life.” 

For more information on the Nonsurgical Weight Loss Program, or to make an appointment with Dr. Kushnir, call 314-362-2652. Sign up for a FREE information session. 

Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital
Medical Building Three, Suite 100
1020 N. Mason Road.
Creve Coeur, MO 63141