Making Rounds
Bariatric surgery gives a new outlook on life
Taylor Angel is a petite woman, but please don’t say she’s five feet tall.
“I’m five foot one,” she said, laughing. “I definitely claim that one inch. I have to claim every centimeter I can!”
From a young age, Angel always had an interest in fitness. When she was barely 8 years old, her father made a little platform out of wood to encourage her interest in step aerobics. Her first job, at age 16, was teaching water aerobics in Raeford.
But later in life, Angel’s interest in exercise dwindled and her weight began to creep up.
“I let circumstances and different life events take me down the path of turning to food,” she said. “I used food to soothe my soul, and that’s when my weight became a problem.”
Before long, she was carrying 250 pounds on her tiny frame.
“When you are on the shorter side,” Angel said, “just 10 or 15 extra pounds will definitely show. And when it adds up to 120 pounds overweight, it’s like you don’t even recognize yourself. I didn’t want to go out, and I hated having my picture taken. I just didn’t want to see myself.”
It wasn’t just her confidence that was suffering. Her back and knees began to ache until even shopping trips became an uncomfortable ordeal. Angel tried everything she could think of to get the weight off.
“I had tried different diets, different programs,” she said, “but nothing seemed to lead to lasting results. I would lose weight, but then it would come back with even more.”
By 2022, when routine blood work showed rising cholesterol and signs of prediabetes, Angel knew she needed a way to turn things around. Her mother had previously undergone bariatric surgery, so that option wasn’t far from her mind.
“My mom’s surgery was over 20 years ago,” she said. “Watching her all these years, being at a healthy weight and how it changed things for her, that was a real-life example of what was possible for me.”
Soon Angel was sitting with Ijeoma Ejeh, MD, FACS, discussing options at the Cape Fear Bariatric Surgery Center. Dr. Ejeh specializes in laparoscopic surgeries of the abdomen, including the “Roux en Y” bypass that Angel would undergo.
“I felt like she understood my challenge,” Angel said. “Her whole team was professional and compassionate. I really felt like they had my best interest at heart.”
After surgery and an overnight hospital stay, she went home to recover with the help of her parents and two older sisters.
“I had such a wonderful support system with my family,” she said. “They were with me every step of the way. They stayed for a week, walking my neighborhood with me, helping with my meals and offering emotional support. It really made all the difference.”
Over the next several months, Angel adapted to her new lifestyle. She carefully followed post-op guidelines to get optimal nutrition through a much smaller stomach. Soon, the extra pounds that had lingered for so long began to drop off — and stay off.
“My highest weight was 250 pounds, and I am now at 130 pounds,” she said. “So I have lost a total of 120 pounds. A whole person.”
Angel is no longer hiding from cameras and has enjoyed all kinds of activities without aches or fatigue. Her cholesterol and blood sugar are back to healthy levels. She looks forward to her follow-up visits with Dr. Ejeh.
“I just had my two-year checkup,” she said. “It’s always like a family reunion. Dr. Ejeh hugged me, and we just talked like old friends. Her staff has been amazing, from the first visit to these follow-ups. They have made the whole process so seamless.”
As smoothly as the process went for her, Angel still has a word of caution for anyone who thinks bariatric surgery will be an easy path to take.
“One of the biggest surprises has been the mental journey,” she said. “I knew that making healthy changes would require effort, but I didn’t realize how it would reshape my mindset and my relationship with food. Overcoming old habits, dealing with emotional eating, learning to be kind to myself during setbacks or challenges or stressful times … all of that takes work, but it’s so worth it.”
For more information about Cape Fear Valley Health’s weight loss services, visit capefearvalley.com/bariatric.
