From left to right: Donna Papa, Peggy Castanie and Casey RadicioniFive years ago, Casey Radicioni reached a crossroads. At 28 years old and 240 pounds, she couldn’t climb a flight of stairs without almost passing out from being out of breath. She couldn’t play outside with her nephew and nieces—she had to sit in a chair and watch. To make matters worse, she found out she wasn’t able to have children because of her weight.
Depressed and tired of struggling with numerous diets and exercise, she made a life-changing decision—and has never looked back.
“My motto became ‘Getting thin in 2010,’ and that’s what I did,” said Radicioni.
On April 26, 2010, Radicioni had a gastric bypass at UTMB’s Center for Obesity and Metabolic Surgery after months of preparation and clinical appointments. As she started shedding the pounds, her confidence grew and her overall health improved. Today, she is 101 pounds lighter and has two happy and healthy kids.
“It was the best choice for me,” said Radicioni. “I no longer struggle with sleep apnea or hypertension. The confidence I now have is unbelievable. And since I am happy, people around me are happier, too, and I get to experience the joy of being a mother.”
Casey Radicioni sits next to her before-and-after photos that are on display at COAMS.She also loves her job. She became a patient services specialist at COAMS shortly after her surgery. Her dramatic before-and-after photos sit on display for patients to see, and to serve as a reminder of how far she’s come.
“At first, people look at me and say I don’t understand their situation because I’m not overweight,” said Radicioni. “But when I tell them I was actually once 240 pounds, they look shocked at first and then start asking a lot of questions and have a more positive outlook. I get to be a cheerleader for my patients and can provide insight that others can’t.”
COAMS recently moved from the UTMB Specialty Care Center at Victory Lakes to the UTMB Multispecialty Center and Stark Diabetes Clinic in League City. Radicioni isn’t the only employee working in the Multispecialty Center who has had weight loss surgery at UTMB.
Kelli Gondesen, a nurse at COAMS, was the center’s 29th bariatric surgery patient. Donna Papa, a patient services specialist with the Transplant Clinic celebrates her 5-year post-op anniversary this month. And Peggy Castanie, a program manager at the Multispecialty Center, had her surgery just over a year ago as an effective therapy to control her diabetes. She went from needing insulin as one of several diabetes medications to taking none at all.
Each of them has reached a normal weight and no longer suffers health-related issues. But the women agree that surgery is only the first step to achieving an overall change. They all have made diet and exercise lifestyle changes in order to stay on track, and they often share their stories with patients.
Since opening in 2004, more than 1,000 patients have undergone bariatric surgery at COAMS (formerly called the UTMB Center for Weight Management). The center holds a Level 1A “Center of Excellence” designation by the American College of Surgeon’s Bariatric Surgery Center Network Accreditation Program, which means the center can handle the most challenging and complex patients. The designation also means the center is a Medicare-approved facility.
Dr. Russell LaForte, who practices internal medicine at COAMS, said the center has evolved over the years.
“I was here when we started, almost 11 years ago,” said LaForte. “We now have a much more scientific approach and have come to understand which patients will respond to which treatment options.”
He added that it’s an exciting time in terms of new procedures. The COAMS team is performing endoscopic revisions of the gastric pouch (using the "Overstitch" device) for patients who have already had a gastric bypass, but their post-operative pouch, or remaining functional stomach, has enlarged and they have regained weight. The procedure is minimally invasive and restores the stomach opening to a smaller size.
COAMS is also one of only a few places in the Houston area that is able to perform vBloc therapy, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration earlier this year. During a minimally invasive procedure, a device much like a pacemaker is implanted under the skin. The device is programmed to alter the hunger and fullness messages between the brain and stomach by intermittently blocking signals from the vagus nerve, which is a key regulator of the digestive system. In theory, this leads to reduced appetite and weight loss. The device can easily be removed if desired.
Whether it’s diet and exercise or a surgical treatment, Radicioni said she’s happy to talk to anyone about her experience and the options available at COAMS. She helps facilitate a bimonthly bariatric seminar for patients undergoing diet and lifestyle changes to improve surgery outcomes and long-term weight-loss success. Radicioni attended the meetings herself, as a patient five years ago.
“In these meetings, I always say, ‘I don’t just talk the talk, I’ve walked the walk. I’ve sat where you now sit.’ It makes them feel better to know there’s someone who can truly understand what they’re going through—because results don’t happen overnight. We take it one pound at a time.”
The UTMB Multispecialty Center and Stark Diabetes Clinic opened in 2011 and demonstrates UTMB's efforts to create a healing environment. It offers a wide range of services, including primary care, medical specialties, diabetes and disease management, all under one roof:
- Center for Obesity and Metabolic Surgery
- Stark Diabetes Clinic
- Geriatrics
- Rheumatology
- Eye Clinic
- Family Medicine
- Internal Medicine -- Primary Care
- Cardiology
- Pulmonary
- Asthma/Allergy/Immunology
- Nephrology
- Neurology
- Pain Management
- Transplant Clinic
- Blood Donor Center
- Center for Sleep Disorders