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Back to previous page ¦ Weight-loss surgery stories ¦ Search stories
Success at losing
Weight-loss surgery leads to improved health
| Two years ago, a cardiologist told Deborah
Olson, 54, the odds were stacked against her.
Olson had her first heart attack in 1987 at age 31.
She had a family history of sudden cardiac death,
and although she couldn’t change her genetics,
she improved her odds by shedding her excess
weight. One year to the day after Dr. Brent Bruderer
performed her weight-loss surgery at Medcenter One,
Olson reached her goal of 140 pounds, down 125
pounds from her starting weight of 265.
“I feel great,” Olson said. “For years, I couldn’t even
babysit my grandchildren or play with them because
of my weight and heart problems. I feel better now
than I did 30 years ago.”
Olson has struggled since she was
in her 20s with health problems and
obesity, managing many times to lose
weight but always regaining it. She
understood the importance of
maintaining a healthy weight,
especially considering her family
history. Her grandfather died of
sudden cardiac death at age 45,
her mother at 53. Her father had
quadruple bypass surgery, and
two of his sisters died of sudden
cardiac death.
During each of her three
pregnancies, Olson developed
pre-eclampsia, pregnancy-induced
high blood pressure and gestational diabetes, which she also attributed to excessive weight gain. Between
babies, she dieted back down to hover between 180 to 200 pounds.
After her heart attack, Olson’s weight crept up to 270 pounds. She said
the weight gain was a result of no energy combined with medication that
may have caused weight gain.
Olson endured a second heart attack in 2007 and then a third in 2008.
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Thanks to her weight-loss surgery
performed at Medcenter One,
Deborah Olson has dropped from
265 pounds to 140 pounds. She can now perform routine tasks like walking to the mailbox that challenged her before. |
Olson said she knew she had to lose weight permanently. She had been following the progress of two friends who had chosen different surgeons for their weight-loss surgeries. The friend who’d selected Dr. Bruderer had been the most successful and highly recommended Medcenter One’s program. But Olson was a high-risk candidate because of her health problems.
Dr. Brent Bruderer
General surgery |
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“When I met with Dr. Bruderer, he told me he felt confident he could do
the surgery successfully and that they’d take precautions to protect me,”
Olson said. “I believed in him, and I followed his instructions exactly
before and after the surgery. I am so grateful to
Dr. Bruderer and his staff.
None of this could have happened for me without his expertise.
I was on
high blood pressure medicine for years. Now I’m off it and my blood
pressure is normal.”
Once Olson achieved her weight-loss goal, she opted for a second
surgery to remove the excessive skin in her midsection. Again, she turned
to Dr. Bruderer for her solution.
“I’m glad I did this surgery, too. I have less back pain, and I’m rid of that
horrible apron of skin that came with my first pregnancy and never went
away even when I lost weight,” she said. “Doctors tell me I probably added
15 years onto my life and that if I hadn’t taken the |
weight off, I probably wouldn’t be here now.”
Olson lives with her husband,Wesley, on a farm south of Medina.
She has learned to enjoy the little things in life, like being able to walk to
their mailbox and back without becoming breathless. She can even climb
with ease up into the Peterbuilt truck Wesley drives for a trucking company,
and she enjoys riding along with him on 600-mile trips that would have
been impossible for her in the past.
Although she continues to live with heart problems, Olson has a positive
take on life. “Where I am at now is just a wonderful feeling, and I appreciate
every day. I believe that Dr. Bruderer’s skillful hands are truly guided by God.
Weight-loss surgery is a wonderful tool, and I’d recommend it to anyone.”
Click here for more information about weight-loss surgery or call
701.323.5300 or 800.932.8758, ext. 5300.
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