Taking Back Her Health: Kristy’s Bariatric Surgery Transformation

Kristy Albano says having bariatric surgery at Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital in January was her “saving grace.”

“It’s the best thing I could have ever done,” she says of the sleeve gastrectomy procedure she underwent. Three weeks after the procedure in which a large portion of the stomach is removed, leaving behind only a narrow “sleeve,” she had already shed 30 pounds.

“It’s coming off quick,” says the Vero Beach resident.

At 47 years old, Kristy had struggled with weight her whole life despite attempts at diet and exercise until she reached her peak weight of 253 pounds (at a height of 5’6”). Tired of being diabetic and taking blood pressure, cholesterol and heart medications, Kristy asked her primary care doctor about the possibility of having bariatric surgery. He referred her to Cleveland Clinic in Florida. After six months of testing and nutrition counseling, Kristy was approved for the procedure, which was performed by bariatric and general surgeon Kevin Wissinger, MD.

“He is the best surgeon I have ever had,” Kristy says. “He made sure I would have minimal pain, and I had zero pain after the surgery. He was absolutely wonderful.”

“I highly recommend Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Wissinger to anyone. The trip to go down there was worth every second.”

Post surgery, Kristy is already off her blood pressure medication and has been able to cut her diabetes medications down from four to two. She anticipates being able to stop taking her cholesterol and heart medications as well.

Her legs, which “have been really bad for years,” due to Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an autoimmune condition that causes the immune system to attack the peripheral nerves, no longer hurt, Kristy says. She is able to go for long walks again. Her hope is that soon she will be able to go to a theme park and not have to use a wheelchair to get around.

“I feel like a new person,” Kristy says. Her goal is to get down to 140 or 150 pounds, which she says she thinks she will have no problem doing.

She is grateful to Dr. Wissinger and his team at Cleveland Clinic in Florida.

“I highly recommend Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Wissinger to anyone,” Kristy says. “The trip to go down there was worth every second.”