HealthWatch july 2015
IN THIS ISSUE
Getting Vaccinated:
Summer is almost over, and it’s time for parents to starting booking appointments. PAGE 6
patient relief: lifelong change:
A progressive, relatively Rachel Oswalt took charge new technique in spinal surgery could bring relief. and changed her life with
PAGE 2
weight loss surgery. PAGE 14
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The Times, Gainesville, Georgia |
Sunday, July 26, 2015
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Minimally invasive spinal surgery provides relief BY ALANA SWAIN
aswain@gainesvilletimes.com A progressive, relatively new technique in spinal surgery may provide much desired relief with less risk to those suffering from back or neck pain and spinal conditions. Neurosurgeon Arun Jacob of Northeast Georgia Physicians Group in Gainesville has been correcting spinal issues with the minimally invasive spine surgery technique. “My specialty is performing minimally invasive spine surgery and that’s something that came out in the last five years or so,” Jacob said, adding it continually progresses and refines with technology. Minimally invasive spine surgery is different in that very small incisions are made to correct a condition rather than creating the larger, traditional incisions made during regular surgery. As a result, risks are significantly fewer. “Smaller incisions and less tissue dissection to get to the spine to do what we need to do makes this different from regular surgeries,” Jacob said. “We do it through
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small, microscopic tubes under the microscope. That helps us get to where we need to without making a bigger cut — we can see exactly what we need to do and avoid all the unwanted incisions and tissue dissection.” Patients recover much faster from these kinds of surgeries because there is less tissue damage and movement, Jacob said. “Patients go back to work much faster, they recover from the surgeries much faster ... the complications are way less when you use this technique. That’s why I prefer doing this,” he said. “It’s not for all patients, but for a majority of patients with back or neck issues, this is a good option.” Ideally, this surgical technique is good for patients with disc rupture, sciatic pain and pain radiating through the legs or arms from the neck. The surgery can correct a number of ailments and conditions, including herniated disc, spinal tumors, spinal instability, spinal infections, lumbar spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, spinal deformities
For The Times
■■Please see SURGERY, 3
Neurosurgeon Arun Jacob advocates for a minimally invasive technique for patients in need of spinal surgery.
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SURGERY ■■ Continued from 2
such as scoliosis and vertebral compression fractures. Even recovery time is improved with this surgical technique. “Most of the time, I can send patients home the same day, maybe three to four hours after the surgery, so that helps,” Jacob said. He usually keeps more at-risk patients, such as elderly people, overnight to monitor their conditions. Even so, “the risk of other issues and complications from staying in the hospital too long, like blood clots in the legs, all of those complications are much less. And even pain medication requirements are much less after this type of surgery.” Jacob also mentioned that this surgical technique is a good alternative for obese patients, as they are often more at-risk with regular surgeries in general. “For them, this is a really good surgical procedure because the risks with regular surgery (for obese patients) goes up around 30 to 40 percent. With the minimally invasive technique, the risk of complications is
‘... the complications are way less when you use this technique ... It’s not for all patients, but for a majority of patients with back or neck issues, this is a good option.’ Arun Jacob Neurosurgeon, Northeast Georgia Physicians Group
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very low and they recover much faster. It’s a smaller incision and less tissue disruption,” Jacob said. If patients want to find out if they qualify for the surgery, they can speak to their physician or contact the North Georgia Physicans Group Neurology at 770-2196520, as well as visit ngpg.org for more information. Jacob said he has seen a lot of interest in the technique and the word is spreading, with many people knowing about it and doing research on their own. “A lot of patients will come into my clinic and actually ask for it,” he said.
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Sunday, July 26, 2015
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New program allows seniors to stay home with peace of mind BY ELISE PERKINS
eperkins@gainesvilletimes.com
SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
Ree Browning says she feels safer using the GoSafe as she goes about her daily life. She wears the device around her neck with service is provided by Lifeline of Northeast Georgia Medical Center.
As unpleasant as it is to think about, aging is an unstoppable force everyone faces eventually. Unknown risks of falling or suffering a medical emergency and not being able to call for help while living alone, are real risks for aging individuals and those who love them. The services provided by Lifeline, an affiliate of Northeast Georgia Medical System, are changing the way people think about living alone as they enter their golden years. With the introduction of the GoSafe system, a waterproof personal emergency
response system worn around the neck, users can now call for help whether at home or on the go. Unlike systems traditionally limited to the home, GoSafe provides customers with the security of knowing help is one press of a button away, with a team ready to call for help, and the ability to track the exact location of the device. “The wave of the future is not assisted living and nursing homes, the wave of the future is staying at home,” said Dianne Appling, Lifeline coordinator for Northeast Georgia Medical Center. ■■Please see SENIORS, 5
GAINESVILLE HEART AND VASCULAR GROUP At Gainesville Heart & Vascular Group, we believe that the patient is the center of our practice. We are committed to providing the best possible care through diligent clinical evaluation and appropriate use of state-of-the-art technology. Guided by compassion for each individual, we strive to provide convenience and peace of mind to our patients by providing most services under one roof. Our ultimate goal — help our patients achieve a better quality of life. S E RV I C E S O F F E R E D • Adult Consultative Cardiology • ECG, Holter and Event Monitoring • Exercise Treadmill Testing • Echocardiography • Transesophageal Echocardiography • Stress Echocardiography • Myocardial Perfusion Imaging (Nuclear Scans) • Peripheral Vascular (claudication) Testing • Cardiac Catheterization (leg and wrist access)
• Coronary Angioplasty and Stenting • Peripheral Vascular Angioplasty and Stenting • Renal Angioplasty and Stenting • Pacemaker Implants • Loop Recorder Implants • Pacemaker and ICD Management • Anticoagulation Management • Lipid Management • Pulmonary Hypertension Testing
We would enjoy an opportunity to meet with you to prevent, diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease. Dr. David Johnson • Dr. Bernardine King • Dr. Vivek Nautiyal Dr. Josh Lovelock • George Pattam, PA-C • Elizabeth Mathis FNP-C
535 Jesse Jewell Parkway, SE, Suite C, Gainesville Phone 770.534.9014 • www.ghvg.net
Cardiovascular disease affects over 80 million people in the United States. Risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease include age, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, tobacco use and family history of cardiovascular disease. Symptoms associated with cardiovascular disease include chest pain, shortness of breath, arm/leg pain, loss of consciousness and fatigue. We at the Gainesville Heart and Vascular Group specialize in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Established in 1994, the Gainesville Heart & Vascular Group, formerly known as the Gainesville Heart Group, is recognized as the first cardiology practice dedicated to the care of heart patients in Gainesville and surrounding areas. Its founder, Dr. David P. Johnson is a Gainesville native who had a dream of providing full-time and full-service cardiac care to the community. He and his partners played an integral part in bringing the Open Heart Surgery Program to Gainesville in 2002. Our staff has a reputation of applying a personal touch to our care and cherishing the relationship we have with our patients. Our staff, including physicians, enjoys residing and being an active part of the Hall County community. Our office has a wide variety of services, including general cardiology consultation, electrocardiography, echocardiography / 2-D Doppler, stress echocardiography, nuclear stress testing and ankle brachial pressure index. Our physicians are staffed round the clock, 365 days a year, at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center. Cardiac catheterizations, including coronary and peripheral artery stenting, stress testing, transesophageal echocardiography and pacemaker devices are performed at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center.
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia |
SENIORS ■■ Continued from 4
“(GoSafe) gives you the opportunity to have that independence that you and I have right now,” Appling said. “We feel pretty independent, but there will come a day when you will fight tooth and nail to be able to stay in your own home. Home is where your heart is, home is where you cry better, you get well better, and do everything better.” Appling has worked with the Lifeline program for 27 years and has seen the technology enable people to feel safe in their homes, live independently and stay mobile. Currently the program serves over 250 customers across 13 counties in the North Georgia region. “Lifeline’s not just for frail and elderly. Lifeline is for people on the go,” Appling said. “Not everybody is bedridden in their 60s, 70s and 80s. They’re living life.” The GoSafe system provides two-way communication between the wearer and the response center that is available 24 hours a day. Automatic alert fall detection capabilities call for help if there is no action taken within 30 seconds of a fall.
“That’s what sets us apart from our competition. We are a personal emergency response service while others are just emergency response,” Appling said. For non-life threatening situations, preassigned responders, normally family or friends that can be called and arrive within 10 to 15 minutes, can be contacted to provide assistance as needed. Lifeline services differ from other services in the level of dedication and passion demonstrated by each volunteer. Each unit is installed and set up by a volunteer that can answer questions and provide information about the system, allowing handson testing of the product and offering a complete understanding of what to expect before leaving. Murrayville resident Ree Browning is living on her own with the safety provided by the GoSafe system. At 83, Browning is a busy Avon representative with three daughters and sons-in-law, four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Her late husband was the first person to wear the Lifeline watch and after his passing earlier this year, she is the first person to have the GoSafe service in Hall County. “I wouldn’t be without it,” Browning said. “(Dianne Appling) asked me if I wanted
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one like my husband had after she told me about (the GoSafe) and I said no, I want that one. It’s a little bit more expensive. (Dianne asked) ‘Well do you want to talk it over with your girls?’ I said no, I can make that decision, and we just went from there.” There are four different options provided by Lifeline with services ranging in price from $45 to $64.95 depending on the plan, and includes maintenance and any service repairs. The GoSafe button is purchased for $149, has a one-year warranty and usually lasts three to four years according to Appling. “I’m really proud to have it,” Browning said. “This is local and I trust it.” Despite having the GoSafe service, Browning admits that if her daughter had her way she would be living with them now, but is glad she can still stay in her home, living independently. “This is home.This is where I grew up. My church is close here. All my friends that I really see are here,” Browning said. Browning said she probably could live alone without GoSafe, but her daughter would likely insist on having her stay with them, even if it meant staying with them at night and returning to her home during the day. “I may have to do that some time but I
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SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
The GoSafe home unit stays inside with services provided by Lifeline of Northeast Georgia Medical Center.
hope I don’t,” Browning said. “Not now, no way. Not as long as I am busy as I am.” In the time she has had the service, and with her husband having it for years before, Browning says she has never experienced any problems with the device or the service provided. For those not familiar with the service that may have hesitations, Browning said, “All I can say is if they can afford to pay their monthly bill, they’d be crazy not to get it.” For more information about the services offered by Lifeline, visit the website www. nghs.com/lifeline-emergency-response.
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The Times, Gainesville, Georgia |
SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
One of the recent changes to immunization schedules requires seventh-graders to have one dose of Tdap and one dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine.
Immunizations, regular checkups needed before hitting the books BY KRISTEN OLIVER
koliver@gainesvilletimes.com Summer is coming to an end, which means parents need to book appointments for their children. A number of vaccinations are required by the state for the start of the school year, and parents have to provide two completed forms ensuring their children are physically prepared to start school. The Georgia Department of Public Health requires immunization of children in schools or child care facilities and proof of immunization from physicians, physician’s assistants, advancedpractice registered nurses or a qualified employee of a county or state board of health. The Georgia Certificate of Immunization Form No. 3231 must be completed and
submitted to schools, according to Priscilla Collins, chief professional services officer for Gainesville City Schools, and Mamie Coker, health services coordinator with Hall County Schools. “Immunizations are required for diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella, which is chicken lumps,” Collins said. “All those things are on form 3231.” Dave Palmer, public information officer for the Hall County Health Department, said services are available at the health department located at 1290 Athens St. in Gainesville. “We provide all the childhood immunizations that children need,” Palmer said. “We have all those available for kids to go back to school.” ■■Please see VACCINES, 7
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The Times, Gainesville, Georgia |
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Sunday, July 26, 2015
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VACCINES ■■ Continued from 6
The state has recommended immunization schedules for children ages 1 month to 18 years, Palmer said. The most recent change to the recommended schedule also requires seventhgraders, or students attending a Georgia school for the first time in eighth through 12th grade, to have one dose of the Tdap and one dose of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine. “That was added last year, so this is just the second year that seventh graders have been required to have this update or booster,” Coker said. “Tdap stands for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis... and mainly it’s because we were seeing an increase in pertussis, so getting this booster will boost their immunity.” Parents who have medical or religious reasons to not immunize their child have two methods of doing so. “A medical exemption is from a medical provider only, and they have to indicate specifically if a child is on chemo or something ■■Please see VACCINES, 11
SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
Phu Tran, RN, left, prepares Melissa Garcia, 4, for an immunization shot at the Hall County Health Department. Mother Ada Garcia holds the youngster, who was getting more than one shot before beginning school.
Northeast Georgia Diagnostic Clinic Welcomes New Internal Medicine Physician NGDC is pleased to welcome Dr. Ryan M. Nadelson to the Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Nadelson earned his undergraduate degree in Cardiopulmonary and Exercise Sciences from Northeastern University in Boston, MA. He completed his medical degree at the American University of Antigua in Antigua and Barbuda, West Indies.
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Department of Internal Medicine Brent Archer, MD Scott Barrett, DO Richard Blatt, MD Shane Bussler, MD Paul Chenard, MD Meghan Cook, MD Richard Gomez, MD Carol Hector, MD Mark Henson, MD
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Dr. Nadelson completed his Internship & Residency training at Mercer University School of Medicine and The Medical Center, Navicent Health in Macon, GA. During his residency, he served as a Clinical Instructor for Mercer University School of Medicine and was elected Chief Resident in the Internal Medicine residency program. Dr. Nadelson is a member of the American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians. He is board eligible in Internal Medicine. Dr. Ryan M. Nadelson
Dr. Nadelson is now accepting new patients. To schedule an appointment, please call 770-536-9864
1240 Jesse Jewell Pkwy, SE • Suite 500 • Gainesville, GA 30501 • www.ngdc.com
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The Times, Gainesville, Georgia |
Sunday, July 26, 2015
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Not only a summer pest, ticks can mean disease BY COLIN OCHS
cochs@gainesvilletimes.com
For The Times
If you get flu-like symptoms three to four weeks after a tick bite, go see a doctor.
In Georgia, the summer months mean plenty of hiking, camping, fishing, picnics ... and ticks. While everyone is outside enjoying the nice weather, they need to also be aware of the presence of these small arachnids. Ticks are most prevalent in Georgia during the summer due to the heat and humidity in the air. This allows the ticks to stay hydrated, so they have energy to search for a host to feed on. The three ticks found in Georgia are the Lone Star Tick, American Dog Tick and the Black-legged Tick or Deer Tick. These little buggers are more than just a nuisance, however, as they have been known to carry a number of diseases. The four diseases that ticks in Georgia transmit are Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis. “Rocky Mountain spotted fever is our
most common tick-borne disease and the most dangerous,” said Rosemarie Kelly, an entomologist with the Georgia Department of Public Health. “We do have some Lyme disease but not much.” Kelly says that if you have been bitten by a tick and you have flu-like symptoms within three to four weeks, you should go see the doctor. Tell the doctor you’ve had a tick bite and be sure to hang on to the tick so that it can be identified. Tick bites all look different depending on the species. Lone Star Ticks, the most common in Georgia, tend to cause a stronger reaction with their bite. People who have been bitten can get a raised, itchy, red welted area that sometimes lasts for as much as a month. People seem not to react to other tick bites as strongly, but it depends on how strongly someone reacts to insect saliva. According to the Georgia Department of Public Health website, ticks are commonly found in shady areas, moist ground litter, tall grass, brush, low tree branches
and along trails in the woods. They can also be found in backyards that back up to woody areas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends avoiding tick bites by staying away from grassy areas and shrubs where populations may be high. Also, wear light-colored clothing so ticks can be seen easily to brush off, and tuck pants into boots or socks to avoid ticks crawling up loose pant legs. Also, apply insect repellant and use the brands designed to repel ticks. You should also promptly check yourself, others and pets if exposed to areas where ticks are likely to be located. When removing a tick, it is recommended to use fine forceps or fine tweezers, put them in between the tick’s mouth and your skin and pull straight back. “It’ll take a little strength because the tick actually cements its month into the skin when it’s feeding,” Kelly said. “You don’t want to use alcohol or fire or gasoline or twist them or do anything like that.”
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For The Times
Parents will have to complete the Georgia Certificate of Immunization Form No. 3231 and submit to their children’s school.
VACCINES ■■ Continued from 7
and just can’t have a vaccine,” Coker said. “And that waiver is only good for one year.” Religious waivers must be “handwritten, sworn affidavit that is notarized,” stating vaccines are against their religious beliefs. Otherwise, first-time school students will also need a completed Georgia Vision, Hearing, Dental and Nutrition Screening Form no. 3300 from a health-
care professional, which indicates a child has been screened for health conditions in all such areas. Coker said the state requires immunization because of the number of vaccine-preventable illnesses. “Last year, we saw a measles outbreak that started in Disney in California,” she said. “We’ve done such a good job over the years with immunization preventing preventable illnesses that we’ve kind of forgotten what it’s like. It’s just basically a good preventative measure for the community as a whole.”
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Sunday, July 26, 2015
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Bacteria from swimming a summer threat BY HAILEY VAN PARYS
news@gainesvilletimes.com Fun in the sun may bring dangers to families getting in the water this summer. Bacteria in pools and lakes pose risks to families and can be found anywhere, not just in the water. Group A Strep is the most common of these bacteria that causes necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesheating bacteria. “What it does is it attacks the soft tissue and it goes and starts eating away at the fascia — if you’ve ever had steak, (the fascia) is like the thin layer of tough rubberiness on the steak — the necrotizing fasciitis sits in that level and just starts eating away and just progressing rapidly,” said plastic surgeon Puya Davoodi. Davoodi treated a patient with the flesheating bacteria in April 2014 at Northeast Georgia Medical Center. He didn’t think the patient would recover, but she healed and now lives a normal life. Another type of bacteria, Vibrio vulnificus, exists in warm water, like the Gulf
of Mexico. “It can be impressive, really, the Vibrio vulnificus. Even before you really get the culture reading, just by looking at it, you can say, ‘OK, this is Vibrio,’” said Supriya Mannepalli, the medical director of infectious diseases at NGMC. Cryptosporidium exists mostly in swimming pools and chlorine can’t kill it. If you have a small cut anywhere on your body — even something as tiny as a mosquito bite — the bacteria can creep into your skin and start attacking the surrounding skin. “The skin is the best protectant that nature has given us. It can regenerate,” Mannepalli said. “It can form new cells. It protects us from so many things, so any kind of disruption of that barrier is what is needed for these bacteria to go in.” Even people with dry skin or those who sweat a lot can scratch the irritated area and get an infection. Usually, those who pick up these bacterias are people with pre-existing conditions,
SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
■■Please see POOL, 13
Patrons of the Frances Meadows Aquatic Center Splash Zone float through the current channel.
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Advanced treatment for pain relief in Gainesville and Braselton
SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
Stan Bearden, operations manager at the Frances Meadows Aquatic Center, tests the water in the the splash zone area of the pool. Bearden tests the water every two hours.
POOL ■■ Continued from 12
like immune or kidney diseases or diabetes. “Their body just doesn’t have the tools to fight the infection,” Davoodi said. There have been recent cases of these flesh-eating bacterias in the news, but Davoodi and Mannepalli said these cases are not a new threat. “There’s more publicity, especially around here,” Davoodi said. “Especially in the last couple years, we’ve had a lot of young girls get it. One lost limbs because of it.” In order to prevent this bacteria from affecting you or your loved ones, you should make sure to always shower before and after you go into a pool or body of water and don’t get into any water if you have an open wound. Mannepalli added you should also keep your wounds sanitized and cover them if you plan on getting in the water anyway. “The key is to identify it quickly, usually before it becomes a systemic problem. Once you get to a systemic problem, that’s an issue because organs start shutting down. You get into sepsis, high fever, chills, decreased blood pressure, lightheaded-
ness,” Davoodi said. “If you get to that point, you’ve progressed to a late point of it. It’s important to catch this early.” Last year, there were about 1,700 cases nationally of Cryptosporidium in pools and hot tubs recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of that, there were about 100 people who needed to be hospitalized, and of that, only one person passed away, according to Davoodi. “If you see redness starting to develop or anything abnormal, just go to see a doctor right away. It’s so much better than to wait, which makes it worse,” said Davoodi. The Model Aquatic Health Code, released by the CDC, outlines safety guidelines and pool codes in order to help decrease the amount of bacteria present in public pools and prevent further cases. The code isn’t mandatory but offers suggestions. Locally, in order to keep pools as clean as possible, Frances Meadows Aquatic Center in Gainesville checks chlorine and pH levels every two hours and closely follows a set of rules any time there is a contamination. There are specific procedures for each of the facility’s pools, ranging from a 6« hour closure for the kiddie pool to a 15 hour closure of the larger pools. There are also water safety signs scattered throughout the facility warning users not to swim if they are sick.
Braxton B. Turner III, MD
Steve R. Crider, Jr., MD
April J. Bussoletti, APRN, NP-C
H. Keith Robinson, MD
Becky Caverzasi, APRN, NP-C
BRASELTON
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Just past the entrance to Mulberry Park near Saprano’s Grill
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Weight loss surgery opens life up to area woman BY CARLY SHAREC
csharec@gainesvilletimes.com The aroma of roasted coffee beans fills the air at Starbucks as Rachel Oswalt makes her way to the counter. Her muscle tone and workout clothes lead to the conclusion that she’s just an average woman stopping for a caffeine fix either before or after a workout. In fact, she’s just come from CrossFit and is enjoying the rest of a day off before picking up an extra shift later in the week at her job at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville. There’s really nothing remarkable about the scenario, except that the transformation Oswalt has gone through over the past two years is nothing but remarkable. Not even two years ago, Oswalt was 250 pounds. And at only 5-feet-4, the 32-yearold herself proclaimed that it was “not a good look.” “Personally, I was not happy with myself,” Oswalt said. “When I looked in the mirror, it was not the person I wanted to be. I had gotten to the point where literally, when I would get out of the shower or be getting ready, it was like I did not want to look in the mirror at all. I would immediately put my clothes on because I did not like what I saw at all.” Her weight had been a lifelong struggle. She said she weighed more than 100 pounds while still in the third grade. As soon as she was old enough, she began packing her own school lunches in an effort to make healthy eating choices. “We had a farm and we had our fresh vegetables and everything,” Oswalt said. “But growing up in a country family, they fried everything. So even if we had fresh vegetables, it was fried squash ... or, you know, zucchini and fried okra. Everything was just fried. Even the meats that we ate were fried.” As the years went by and Oswalt entered her teens and early adulthood, she tried fad diets and kept up with an exercise routine. But once the fad diets ended, the weight came back on, regardless of what she was eating or how often she exercised. After going from doctor to doctor to determine if there was a physical problem as to why she could not regulate her weight, Oswalt soon realized her metabolism, responsible for burning calories for energy throughout the day, was just slower than the average person’s. “I had a tendency to gain weight very eas-
ily, even if I barely strayed from my diet,” she said. Her example was how she could gain five pounds overnight after eating “something as simple as a hamburger.” Even her husband didn’t believe her until she made him look at the scale from one day to the next. “He kept saying, ‘I just don’t understand. Something has to be wrong because you don’t eat that much,’” she said. After having two children, Oswalt’s weight had crept up to 250 pounds. Along with being personally unhappy, her weight affected her professional life as well, as a nurse in Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s cardiovascular care unit. “You’re teaching your patients. While they’re there in the hospital and then when they get home, every single one of our patients we teach to eat a healthy heart diet,” Oswalt said. “To me, it was kind of embarrassing to be telling my patients hey, you need to be eating this and this and this, and then me weighing 250 pounds I would be self-conscious going in there, thinking they were probably thinking ‘Well, obviously you don’t eat that diet,’ even though I did try to eat a healthy diet.” The physical aspect of the job also took a toll. “We have lots of emergencies on our floor,” she said. “People go into cardiac arrest, and trying to do CPR and being that big, you run out of energy fast.” She was unhappy and at her wit’s end, but it took a little nudge from a family member to make her think about the possibility of weight loss surgery. Her brother and sister-in-law had both had sleeve gastrectomy surgeries, and her sister-in-law suggested it as a solution. Oswalt was initially reluctant. “I kind of felt like (how) I think a lot of people do, that it is like the easy way out, the lazy way out,” she said. But after speaking with her sister-in-law and conducting some of her own research, she decided to take the leap of faith and go for it. Right before the surgery in December 2013, she weighed 248.5 pounds. Today, Oswalt weighs 135 pounds, having lost nearly 114 pounds. It was when she reached 160 pounds when she realized she had made that lifelong change. “We live on a slope, and just walking up our driveway, I would be huffing and puffing just getting to the top of the driveway,”
Steps to take to achieve lasting weight loss
While undergoing a sleeve gastrectomy to aid with her weight loss, Rachel Oswalt said there are healthy lifestyle choices everyone must make, regardless of whether or not they have a weight loss surgery.
SUBMITTED PHOTO | The Times
At her heaviest weight, Rachel Oswalt was 250 pounds. After a sleeve gastrectomy in December 2013, Oswalt is 135 pounds.
SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s Rachel Oswalt signs the heart shaped pillow of Andrew Herr in the hospital’s post cardiovascular unit. Oswalt has lost more than 100 pounds after a sleeve gastrectomy and lots of exercise.
she said. “And now, I run up and down that thing a million times, pushing the kids’ toys up and down, and don’t get out of breath. For me, I think, at that point when I stopped getting short of breath playing with (my kids) and doing things with them and could see how happy my kids were that I didn’t have to stop and take a break or tell them Mommy’s too tired ... I think for me, that’s when that moment hit.” Nearly two years later, Oswalt eats no more than 800 calories daily of a highprotein diet. Breakfast is likely an egg and some meat, while lunch and dinner involve a piece of grilled meat with vegetables, possibly topped with low-fat cheese. Between meals, Oswalt will sip on a protein shake. For beverages, she sticks with unsweetened tea, coffee and water. She works out at a CrossFit gym three
■■ Find a support partner. “Find someone to help encourage you and push you because you don’t realize, and I didn’t realize, how big that was, to have a support person,” she said. Oswalt’s husband provided support during her recovery and then weight loss. ■■ Track your calories. “Journaling is very important when you’re trying to lose weight,” she explained. Oswalt said most people don’t realize just how much they’re eating until they put it down on paper. Having had the sleeve gastrectomy, Oswalt eats no more than 800 calories daily, but warns that people who have not had the surgery would need to eat more. ■■ Eat protein. Oswalt is an advocate of a high-protein diet, saying she eats around 80 grams a day. “If you fill your stomach up with protein and (low-fat) cheese and vegetables … then you fill up a lot faster and you get the nutrition you need than if you sit there and eat a bag of potato chips or something like that,” she said. She also said that people who eat breads and pastas should look for whole-grain varieties. ■■ Find a workout you enjoy. “Whether it’s CrossFit, whether it is just cardio or if it’s going to a gym or whatever it is, you have to go ahead and find that, I feel, to be successful,” she said. ■■ Aim for slow and steady weight loss. Oswalt recommends losing one to two pounds a week, which is also what is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “People have to understand the slower the weight comes off, the healthier it is and the more chances you have of keeping it off,” Oswalt said.
times a week, and her husband works out with her at home following her 12-hour work days. “Weight loss surgery is not a quick fix,” Oswalt said. “You still have to work hard, you still have to eat healthy and you still have to work out. The thing that the weight loss surgery does for you is it makes it easier so that it’s not so hard to get the pounds off. “You still have to eat healthy and do all the right things, but you are going to lose weight. The pounds are going to come off.”
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia |
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Sunday, July 26, 2015
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The Times, Gainesville, Georgia |
Sunday, July 26, 2015
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