By Heidi Smith, Contributor
Carol McCoy was fed up. After battling being overweight since middle school, the Englewood woman weighed more than 200 pounds and was constantly tired.
“Doctors kept telling me to lose weight and I would feel better,” said McCoy. “I had done many weight-loss diets over the years, but I could never keep off the weight. Being so heavy made it hard to do the things I wanted to do, and I felt tired all the time.”
McCoy, 54, is an avid conservationist with special interest in endangered sea turtles. She’s a member of the Coastal Wildlife Club Inc. based on Manasota Key where she patrols the beach during sea turtle nesting season. She also has traveled twice to Trinidad to observe nesting leatherbacks.
“I also do a lot of public speaking on conservation topics and enjoy being very active,” McCoy said. “I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired!”
Ready to consider metabolic/bariatric surgery, McCoy consulted with Joseph Chebli, M.D., an independent bariatric surgeon on the medical staff at ShorePoint Health Venice. Of the more than 2,500 metabolic/bariatric procedures Dr. Chebli has performed in his career, more than 1,500 occurred at ShorePoint Health Venice, which is accredited as a Center of Excellence by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program.
“Dr. Chebli and I hit it off right away,” McCoy recalls. “He asked about my children and my interests. We bonded over music. We both love jazz, and when I told him I’m a musician and play electric bass, he immediately guessed my favorite bassist: Jaco Pastorius! He’s so meticulous and explains everything. I knew I could trust him to do the surgery.”
“I want to learn everything I can about a patient and develop trust,” said Dr. Chebli. “Carol has many interests and a lively sense of humor. When she walks into the office, I ask, ‘Are you the real McCoy?,’ and we share a laugh.”
After an intensive workup, including a sleep study, Dr. Chebli diagnosed McCoy with morbid obesity, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and pronounced acid reflux disease. The acid reflux was affecting her vocal cords and triggering a persistent cough. He determined she was a good candidate for bariatric/metabolic surgery and recommended gastric bypass, which is the preferred option when a patient has acid reflux.
While individual results may vary, a number of surgical alternatives can help resolve conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, infertility, and sleep apnea associated with obesity – even before weight loss occurs.
“Often after this surgery, obese patients see their conditions improve dramatically, even before substantial weight loss occurs,” Dr. Chebli explained. “Type 2 diabetes patients may no longer need insulin or medication. Nonalcoholic fatty-liver disease can be halted or even reversed. Blood pressure medications can be reduced or even eliminated. And for women, it can resolve problems with conceiving and carrying a baby to term. Individual results may vary, but for many patients, it really is life-changing.”
“With this type of procedure, the patient is up and around right away,” he continued. “This isn’t the type of operation where we tell the patient to go home and rest. We make very small incisions to conduct the surgery laparoscopically. Recovery time is generally rapid, and hospital stays are usually short – one to two days.”
Patients who undergo metabolic/bariatric surgery with Dr. Chebli at ShorePoint Health Venice also receive lifestyle and nutritional counseling and are encouraged to participate in a support group to manage their metabolism long-term. The surgery changes the way the body digests food and takes up nutrients so maintaining a healthy weight requires lifelong behavioral and nutritional changes.
For McCoy, Dr. Chebli performed a laparoscopic gastric bypass in December 2020. With a gastric bypass, the stomach is reduced in size, and parts of the small intestine, where most of the calories are absorbed, are re-routed. This significantly limits the amount of food a person can eat in one meal, allowing patients to feel satisfied with less food. The surgeon also repaired a hiatal hernia, where McCoy’s stomach was bulging up into her chest cavity.
A little over a year after surgery, McCoy is a slim and healthy 122 pounds. She no longer has sleep apnea, and the reflux has subsided. Full of energy and able to pursue all of her favorite activities, she wishes she had undergone the procedure decades ago.
“I asked Dr. Chebli why I couldn’t be successful before with weight-loss programs,” she recalled. “He told me I had a metabolic disorder, that it’s not simple like calories in and calories out. Dr. Chebli is a champion for the obese and is so meticulous. I asked for help and got it!
McCoy praised Dr. Chebli’s team and the hospital staff who cared for her. “Because of COVID, my husband couldn’t be with me at the hospital, but the staff was very good,” she said.
Following the surgery, McCoy has been diligent about nutrition, meal plans, and exercise, as recommended by Dr. Chebli and his team. She participates in a Facebook group administered by Dr. Chebli’s staff and attends Zoom sessions on topics related to patient health after metabolic/bariatric surgery.
“Carol is a dream patient,” Dr. Chebli said. “She is serious about following our guidance to maintain her health. When she traveled to Trinidad in April this year, she was meticulous about planning for all of her nutritional needs.”
“I can’t tell you what a difference it is to travel, compared to when I was obese,” McCoy said. “I didn’t overflow into the next passenger seat on the airplane. I could hike wearing a backpack and go up steep and skinny trails – things I couldn’t do before. I’m more confident in my public speaking and I’m having more fun in my conservation work.”
“If people are looking to have this surgery, they should find someone who’s done a lot of these procedures and someone who cares,” McCoy added. “Dr. Chebli checks all the boxes!”
Joseph Chebli, M.D.
Bariatric Surgeon
For more information about approaches to achieving a healthy weight, please visit VeniceWeightLoss.com.
ShorePoint Health Venice