Dignity Health | St. Rose Dominican | Reach | Winter 2020

8 StRoseHospitals.org On her way to 5K Ask Vanessa Sandoval, 37, what motivated her to have weight-loss surgery, and she points to her daughter. “She’s just 19 now, but I want to be there for my grandkids. I want to see them grow and play with them,” she says. That dream is much more likely now. Vanessa has arthritis in both knees, and being active used to be painfully difficult. After the surgery, she still has arthritis. But with less weight on her joints, the pain is much less. “Walking is so much easier,” she says. She can go up and down stairs without shortness of breath or aching knees. She can go on hikes. And she even did a 5K walk last summer. Small victories also make a big difference to Vanessa’s outlook on life—like being able to fit on the rides at Disneyland or being able to cross her legs on an airplane. She shares those wins with a support group of her peers at St. Rose Dominican who have been through weight- loss surgery, too. “I was really hard on myself,” she says. “I don’t think people realize how bad you can feel. I would get pretty depressed at times.” But bit by bit, that’s changing. “My attitude is a lot better, and I think I project that,” Vanessa says. “People tell me I look happier. I smile a lot more.” 2 surgical options The Weight Loss Surgery Center at St. Rose Dominican offers two types of surgery: Start your journey. Register for a free information session here: StRoseHospitals.org/ weightloss . Or call 702.616.4976 . Jimmy Xu, MD Gastric sleeve surgery “Gastric sleeve surgery removes about 80% of the stomach and is the most common,” says Jimmy Xu, MD, Medical Director of the Weight Loss Surgery Center at St. Rose Dominican. It can be performed without open surgery, which usually means a shorter hospital stay. This is the procedure that Donna Hatch, Brandon Green, and Vanessa Sandoval all opted for. Gastric bypass surgery With gastric bypass, the surgeon uses staples across the top part of the stomach to create a smaller stomach pouch. Then the small intestine is reattached to the new pouch. The rest of the stomach is “bypassed” but stays in the body.