Patty Fredericks
After years of trying different diets and exercises, Patty decided to have lap-band surgery.
Patty Fredericks is no longer hiding behind the struggles of weight loss after turning 50 this past year she decided it was time to do something. “I want to tell people to come out of hiding. I did and it’s the best choice I’ve ever made in my life” explains Fredericks. After years of spending money on diets and trainers, nothing seemed to work. “I’ve tried it all and as the years went by my weight continued to go up along with my blood pressure,” says Fredericks. Feeling hopeless towards getting her health and life back, Fredericks turned to medical help and was referred to Dr. Richard Tillquist at Swedish. “I had a family member who did a lap-band surgery and she lost a lot of weight. I figured if it worked for her than it could work for me too,” explains Fredericks.
After meeting with Tillquist, Fredericks was excited and ready to make the choice. “Dr. Tillquist was great. He really explained everything to me and made sure I understood it all,” Fredericks says. She was the perfect candidate for the lap-band surgery but she would receive it robotically. “I thought how cool a robot! It looked like a bionicle or something,” explains Fredericks.
Tillquist is the first surgeon in Colorado to perform the lap-band surgery using the da Vinci robot. “Doing a lap-band surgery with the da Vinci allows me to more easily work on sections in the abdomen because of the motion of the robot,” explains Tillquist.
During surgery Tillquist has full control of the robot and uses 3D imaging and magnification for more precise placement of the lap-band. He says it’s also safer and allows the patient to recover quicker with less pain. Fredericks was back to work in just days and on vacation within a week. “Everything with the surgery went really well and I can remember waking up afterwards and it felt like Christmas. It was the best present I could’ve gotten,” says Fredericks.
She is down 30 pounds since her surgery and continues to do monthly check-ups with Tillquist. “It’s great to see Patty doing so well. She’s so motivated now,” says Tillquist. She is on a portion controlled diet and exercises daily. Her goal is to lose another 100 pounds and run the Bolder Boulder race in May which she is currently training for. “I can’t wait to run across that finish line and meet all the goals I have, “says Fredericks.