Gastric Bypass Helps Patient Lose Over 110 Pounds

After struggling with obesity for much of her life, Shawnte Richardson of Maple Heights, Ohio, grew tired of a pattern of losing weight only to gain it all back after a couple months.

“I tried various diets and exercise programs over the years, but any time I saw some success, it was only temporary,” she says. At her heaviest, Shawnte weighed 311 pounds.

After talking to some friends and family members who had undergone weight loss surgery and experienced good results, Shawnte decided to make an appointment with a bariatric surgeon to learn more.

In early 2024, she met with Linden Karas, MD, a bariatric surgeon with University Hospitals Digestive Health Institute. After initial consultation and evaluation, Dr. Karas approved and scheduled Shawnte for gastric bypass, a type of weight loss surgery that changes how the stomach and small intestine handle food.

Before getting weight loss surgery, patients must enroll in a bariatric surgery education program, receive nutritional counseling and begin practicing some of the lifestyle changes necessary to make weight loss surgery successful.

“Even before I first met with Dr. Karas to discuss surgery, I’d already quit alcohol, started eating better and taking vitamins regularly, so I had a head start on getting prepared for my surgery,” Shawnte says.

Also called Roux-en-Y, gastric bypass surgery has been available longer than any other surgical weight loss procedure currently being performed. It’s one of the most commonly done bariatric surgery procedures worldwide. On average, gastric bypass helps people lose 50 to 75 percent of their excess weight.

Gastric bypass uses surgical staples to reduce the functional part of the stomach to a small pouch, decreasing the amount of food the stomach can hold. During the procedure, the newly formed stomach pouch is connected to a lower segment of the small intestine. When food passes through the redirected digestive system, it bypasses most of the stomach and the first part of the small intestine. As a result, people who have gastric bypass consume and absorb fewer calories, which leads to weight loss.

“Importantly, bariatric surgery changes the hormone signals to the brain and other organs, decreasing hunger, increasing satisfaction with smaller food portions, and changing how fats and sugars are digested,” Dr. Karas says. “What’s more, bariatric surgery is not just a tool for weight loss. It helps improve or resolve multiple obesity-related medical problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, arthritis, fatty liver disease, acid reflux, polycystic ovary syndrome and cardiac disease.”

Dr. Karas performed Shawnte’s gastric bypass at University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center in July 2024. Shawnte was able to go home from the hospital the next day and did not experience complications.

For the first two weeks after her surgery, Shawnte had to stay on a liquid diet, which includes broth, Jell-O, pudding and protein shakes.

“When you think about a pure liquid diet, you may wonder how that will satisfy your appetite,” Shawnte says. “But with my new, smaller stomach, I’d often feel full after taking just two or three sips of liquid.”

Under the guidance of Dr. Karas and her nutritionist, Shawnte slowly introduced solid foods in small portions after completing the pure liquid diet. In the first few months after her surgery, she experienced occasional mild bouts of dumping syndrome, which is a fairly common occurrence after gastric bypass surgery where food gets “dumped” directly from the stomach pouch to the small intestine without being digested, causing symptoms like nausea and abdominal cramping. However, Shawnte says the process of adapting to her new stomach and new caloric intake went smoothly.

“After my surgery, I just followed the doctor’s instructions, and I didn’t have to go back to the hospital for anything,” she says.

On the morning of her surgery, Shawnte weighed 297 pounds. Since that day, she’s lost 112 pounds and now weighs 185 pounds.

“My goal was to get my weight down to between 180 and 190 pounds, so I reached my target,” she says.

When she’s not working as a school district planning center coordinator, Shawnte enjoys shopping, travel and exercise, including walking and flex training. She especially loves taking her dog, Bentley, for walks.

“My energy levels have been so high since I had the surgery,” she says.

“Weight loss is a great byproduct of bariatric surgery, but sometimes I think the ‘non-scale victories’ are the sweetest,” says Dr. Karas. “What a victory it is to throw away insulin and CPAP machines because diabetes and sleep apnea resolve post-surgery. It’s wonderful to see the enjoyment patients get from being able to walk their dog or get on the floor and play with their grandchildren without pain. Those are the real reasons I do this job.”

Shawnte has a friend who had weight loss surgery this past April who was just okayed to resume exercise. They intend to support each other by doing cardio together a few times a week.