Phil Martinez had success with weight loss in the past, but found it very difficult to stay on track.
He reached 360 pounds; a far cry from the 179 pounds he weighed when he married his wife in 1989. The 55-year-old Joliet psychotherapist decided he needed to take more drastic action in order to be there for his wife and daughters.
He tried dieting and lost nearly 100 pounds keeping the weight off for over a year, however, sustaining it was difficult. At first, the thought of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy surgery was a little scary to him.
He chose to go forward with the surgery because his quality of life was suffering. Martinez lost control over his eating and suffered from sleep apnea and exhaustion. He was treated for sleep apnea including getting a CPAP machine and even having surgery to remove his tonsils, but nothing worked. He couldn’t take long road trips or drive the 5.5 hours to visit his daughter in college because he would fall asleep at the wheel.
After attending an informational session at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, he was officially sold. At the time of his surgery in April 2016, Martinez weighed 328 pounds. The first week after surgery, he was able to stop taking his blood pressure medication. And after the first month, he dropped 70 pounds. This past April, when he came in for his yearly visit, he was down to 179 pounds; the same as when he got married nearly 28 years ago.
“My quality of life has changed 180 degrees. My wife used to worry about me. I don’t have sleep apnea anymore, and I sleep a solid 7 hours a night.” he says. Cooking has also become a fun activity for Martinez and his family.
Dr. Brian Lahmann, bariatric surgeon with BMI Surgery at Silver Cross, performed Martinez’s surgery. He says that Martinez continues to improve his overall health and his core morbidities such as pre-diabetes and morbid obesity aren’t factors anymore.
BMI Surgery has changed the lives of more than 5,000 patients with life-changing weight loss surgeries. Board certified laparoscopic and bariatric surgeons Brian Lahmann, M.D., and Christopher Joyce, M.D., are dedicated to helping patients win their personal battles with obesity and enjoy healthier lives.
To find out more about the weight loss surgery, attend a free informational session at 5:45 p.m. on any Wednesday in Pavilion A, Suite 260, on the Silver Cross Hospital campus, 1900 Silver Cross Blvd., New Lenox. Register to attend at silvercross.org.