{"id":25887,"date":"2023-04-14T07:00:23","date_gmt":"2023-04-14T07:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?p=25887"},"modified":"2024-03-07T00:23:02","modified_gmt":"2024-03-07T00:23:02","slug":"tacoma-teacher-weight-loss-surgery-earns-phd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/tacoma-teacher-weight-loss-surgery-earns-phd\/","title":{"rendered":"Teacher\u2019s weight loss drives her to earn PhD, train for half marathon","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

Mother of four and special education teacher Laura Walker, 42, of Tacoma, was interested in weight loss surgery for several years. The excess weight she carried made her feel sluggish, affected her ability to be active with her family and caused her to be pre-diabetic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t get on the floor to play with my kids,\u201d she explains. \u201cI couldn\u2019t go on a simple hike with my husband.\u201d<\/p>\n

And it was hard for Walker to perform certain aspects of her job, like lifting students onto the toilet and chasing after them.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything hurt \u2014 my knees, my back, every joint,\u201d she says. \u201cI sounded like cornflakes as I walked up and down stairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another factor that led Walker to consider surgery: Her dad died from diabetes complications.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had a condition called steal syndrome, which caused him to lose fingers and toes,\u201d she explains. \u201cI didn\u2019t want that for my kids. I didn\u2019t want them seeing me lose pieces of myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

In June 2019, Walker decided it was time to discuss weight loss (or bariatric) surgery. She met with her primary care physician, Todd Chambers, MD<\/a>, at MultiCare Family Medicine Center in Tacoma.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Chambers told me I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, was pre-diabetic and morbidly obese, which made me a good candidate for surgery,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

He referred Walker to bariatric surgeon James Sebesta, MD<\/a>, at the MultiCare Center for Weight Loss & Wellness \u2013 Tacoma<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes people feel \u2014 when they come to us for surgery \u2014 they have failed,\u201d says Dr. Sebesta. \u201cThey have not failed. Obesity is a disease. And statistically, most people won\u2019t be able to lose weight on their own and maintain the weight loss long term.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walker says Dr. Sebesta was straightforward and frank, which she appreciated. She recalls him saying, \u201cIt\u2019s going to be hard work, but if you\u2019re willing to put in the work, you can do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

She assured him she\u2019d put in the work, and scheduled her surgery for that August.<\/p>\n

\u201cLaura is the type of patient you ask to jump, and she says, \u2018How high?\u2019\u201d says Dr. Sebesta.<\/p>\n

Walker explains there was quite a bit of preparation prior to surgery, and it wasn\u2019t always easy, but she was committed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to go to nutrition classes, meet with a psychologist several times, and two weeks before surgery, I had to be on a very restrictive diet of 400-600 calories per day,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

Support at every step of the weight-loss journey<\/h2>\n

Walker only had to stay one night in the hospital after surgery and was up and walking the same day.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nurses and staff I encountered \u2014 both in the clinic and at the hospital \u2014 were amazing,\u201d she says. \u201cEveryone is rooting for you. I never felt judged.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the two weeks after surgery, Walker was on an all-liquid diet. Slowly she moved through various stages \u2014 mushy foods, like well-cooked, crumbled meat, then small amounts of softened normal food, until she could eat normal food again.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to pay attention to your body to find out what you can and can\u2019t have and how it will affect you,\u201d she shares. \u201cFor me, meat and veggies and a little fruit work best. And I know if I have too much fruit or something like juice, it will go right through me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The support group through the bariatric program \u2014 consisting of people at all stages of their weight-loss journey \u2014 was and continues to be helpful to Walker.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re at the pre-surgery stage, it\u2019s helpful to ask questions of those who have already gone through it, and it\u2019s reassuring to be alongside those who are at the same stage as you,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Support also came through the reassurance of monthly appointments with Dr. Sebesta for the first year after surgery. The frequency slowly decreased over the next few years, and now she sees him once a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to have these annual visits to get my labs checked and make sure everything looks fine,\u201d explains Walker. \u201cWhen I\u2019m in the waiting room, I see where I was several years ago. I can say to those patients, \u2018I know it\u2019s hard now, but it will be worth it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The comment Dr. Sebesta says he hears most often is, \u201cWhy did I wait so long to do this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the sooner someone has surgery, the more benefits they will experience \u2014 less joint pain, fewer medical problems and a longer life,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

\u2018Everything I couldn\u2019t do before surgery I can do now\u2019<\/h2>\n

This August will mark four years since Walker\u2019s surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have lost over 165 pounds, and all my numbers look great,\u201d she reports. \u201cMy cholesterol is beautiful, and there\u2019s no hint of prediabetes. And everything I couldn\u2019t do before surgery I can do now.\u201d<\/p>\n

In November 2021, for example, Walker started walking 5Ks with a friend. Now, she runs 5Ks, as well as 8Ks and 10Ks \u2014 and she\u2019s training for a half marathon.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy son started running with me, and I can outrun him,\u201d she says. \u201cI can run up stairs and not be out of breath. Even the little kids at school can\u2019t keep up with me!\u201d<\/p>\n

Also in 2021, Walker started her doctorate in educational and organization learning and leadership, which she will finish in June 2024. She says would love to run a special education program in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t be training for a half marathon or getting my doctorate had I not made this huge change to my life,\u201d she says. \u201cI didn\u2019t have enough energy to do these things. But after I lost the weight, I thought, \u2018If I can accomplish this, I can accomplish anything.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more about weight-loss surgery at MultiCare<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mother of four and special education teacher Laura Walker, 42, of Tacoma, was interested in weight loss surgery for several years. The excess weight she carried made her feel sluggish, affected her ability to be active with her family and caused her to be pre-diabetic. \u201cI couldn\u2019t get on the floor to play with my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":451,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-weight-loss","category-profiles-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWeight-loss surgery journey leads to PhD - MultiCare Vitals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read how a Tacoma teacher's weight loss surgery journey led to earning a PhD, inspiring others along the way\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/tacoma-teacher-weight-loss-surgery-earns-phd\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"After weight-loss surgery, Tacoma teacher earns PhD - 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