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Weighty problem may be in her past

She had difficulty with her weight most of her life. Finally, she opted for LAP-BAND surgery as a means of controlling her daily food intake.

By GINA PACE
Published September 30, 2006

ZEPHYRHILLS - Vicki Wolf said she'd tried everything to get her weight down.

Weight Watchers. Jenny Craig. Exercise. Diet fads.

Since the third grade, she was always frustrated that she was heavy and nothing seemed to work for her. But one trip to Sea World last year with her family was the last straw.

"I couldn't get on the Kraken," said the Fort Pierce woman of one of the park's roller coasters. "I was too big for the handicap seats. I cried all the way off the ride."

At 309 pounds, Wolf knew she needed to get healthy enough to keep up with her kids, four of them, ages 2 to 11.

And while watching over four kids is tough, Wolf and her husband Charlie have an extra challenge: three of their children have albinism and are legally blind.

"They are going to need me into adulthood because of their vision impairment," she said.

So Wolf did research and learned about LAP-BAND, a procedure that uses a surgical band to tie part of the stomach and create a new, smaller pouch. Fluid inside the device allows the doctor to loosen or tighten the constriction, controlling the amount of food the patient would consume before feeling full.

Although there are risks - the Food and Drug Administration warns of nausea and vomiting, heartburn, abdominal pain, and slippage of the band - Wolf thought it sounded safer than other options, such as a gastric bypass. It's reversible, she said, and noninvasive because the stomach isn't cut open. Rather, the tube is placed laparoscopically, using a small telescope inserted through the abdomen.

But Wolf couldn't afford the nearly $17,000 surgery. She contacted Inamed, the company that makes LAP-BAND. Officials there put her in touch with Dr. Lee Grossbard, a Zephryhills doctor who has performed about 1,300 of the surgeries since he himself underwent the procedure four years ago. He decided to donate his services.

Grossbard contacted Florida Hospital, Zephyrhills, and they agreed to provide use of the hospital for free.

Wolf had the procedure done Thursday and was out of the hospital that afternoon. She was one of the first four patients to have the surgery at the hospital. Thursday was the first day the procedure was offered at the Zephryhills hospital, said spokesman Jerry Sterner.

Having LAP-BAND surgery does not mean guaranteed weight loss, Grossbard said. Drinking high-calorie drinks, for example, could lessen the procedure's effects.

Friday, Wolf was up and walking around, although she said she was a bit sore. Her goal weight is 150. Eventually, she wants to be able to go on roller coasters with her kids and ride a motorcycle.

"My weight has always been on my mind. You want to hide as much as possible," she said. "I want to not feel guilty when I go to a buffet restaurant or eat in front of people."

Her mother, Barbara Penn, agreed that Vicki's weight has taken an emotional toll. Penn recalled how, in August, Wolf's 4-year-old son asked Wolf why she was so fat.

"She wasn't just mom then, she was fat," Penn said. "It made her more determined for her to go through this and for it to be a success for her."

Dr. Grossbard has faith that Wolf will reach her goals.

"Vicki will be able to do this," he said.

Wolf said during her research, she saw many lives that had been changed by the surgery.

"I'm hoping to see the same differences," she said.

Times Researcher Angie Drobnic Holan contributed to this report. Gina Pace can be reached at gpace@sptimes.com or 352 521-6518.

[Last modified September 29, 2006, 23:27:20]