Page 98 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2018

HEALTHY LIVING gastric sleeve BEGINNING A NEW
Chapter
Nurse practitioner takes off weight
with help from South Mississippi
Surgical Weight Loss
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster W photos courtesy of Maggie Duke
orking as a nurse put my mind at ease because I knew practitioner, they must hold high standards of
29-year-old Maggie care as this certification is not easy Duke knows the to achieve.”
importance of While Duke originally considered physical health. “I started working the lap band surgery, after research in healthcare at the young age of on her own she opted to
21, and it really opened my eyes to the damage that being obese does
to your body in the long term,” said Duke. Reflecting on her own health, she realized at her peak weight of 293 pounds that she was ready to begin a new, healthier chapter of her life.
A few of Duke’s friends had undergone weight loss surgery and not only lost the weight but kept
it off as well. “Seeing their results and having worked with Singing River Health System and knowing Dr. Avara’s superb reputation let
me know that this was the right choice for me,” Duke said. “South Mississippi Surgical Weight Loss also holds the certification of Bariatric Center of Excellence, which
receive a gastric
sleeve. “After
undergoing
the sleeve
gastrectomy,
most patients
lose 60 percent
of their excess
body weight,
usually within
the first 12-18
months of having
the procedure,” she
said. “I also wanted to reduce my risk of comorbidities — diseases that are the result of or associated with obesity. By choosing this procedure, I wanted to heighten my likelihood of keeping the weight off long term, which was much higher with the
MAGGIE DUKE AFTER losing 137 pounds.
98 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • July 2018
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