Page 94 - South Mississippi Living - June, 2018

gastric sleeve
GETTING THE Picture
Local man becomes half the man he used to be thanks to South Mississippi Surgical Weight Loss
Astory by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster photos courtesy of Stephen Burrell
picture is worth a bend down and tie my shoes or sit thousand words, and comfortably in a stadium seat at a for Stephen Burrell concert or sporting event. I would a picture was his have to take the elevator at school
inspiration to make because walking up steps was almost a change. “You don’t impossible. Going out on a date with
realize what 395 pounds looks like my wife, Jeannie, was a chore for us
until you see it for yourself,” Burrell said. “I had always struggled with weight, but it wasn’t until I saw a picture of myself that I understood the reality of it.”
Burrell knew that he couldn’t continue on the path he was on, putting off dieting until tomorrow. “At the same time, my doctor started talking to me about diabetes, because my blood levels were heading in that direction,” he said. “I was already on blood pressure medicine and seeing
a cardiologist for treatment, and I knew my family history looked grim on either side of my family.”
His blood pressure issues, weight and the stress of pursuing his bachelor’s degree finally brought his life to a screeching halt. “My condition slowed me down to about a crawl,” Burrell recalled.
“I couldn’t do normal things like
because I could not sit comfortably in a booth.”
Finally, Burrell’s primary care physician recommended surgical weight loss and he realized that he needed help and couldn’t lose the weight on his own. For his own health and for his wife who had always been supportive and made countless concessions during their life together, Burrell contacted South Mississippi Surgical Weight Loss on the recommendation of his doctor.
After attending an online seminar, Burrell opted for the gastric sleeve surgery (GSS). “The benefits from that surgery far out weighed those of the other surgeries to me,” he said. “I had also lost touch with
the feeling of being “full,” and GSS could give that feeling back to me. Before the surgery I kept waiting for the full signal, but it
BURRELL BEFORE when he weighed 395 pounds.
94 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • June 2018
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