Life-changing bariatric surgery helps Florence man to reclaim his future

Since he was a child, Florence County resident Barry Flowers has struggled with his weight. Over the course of his life, he has lost hundreds of pounds with little to no success in keeping the weight off. Then, at 55 years old, he was ready to make a change. Not only for himself, but so he could continue working at the company he loved and providing for his family.  

“I've lost over 100 pounds several times, and it's just always the yo-yo effect. It's just almost impossible to consistently live on a strict diet,” said Flowers. “I realized that if I didn’t lose the weight, I wasn’t going to be able to work in the next 10 years at 400 pounds at 65 years old. So, I knew if I didn't do something, I'd lose the ability to feed my family.”

That’s when he decided he wanted to take his life back – and weight loss surgery would be his best option. That led him to general bariatric and foregut surgeon Aftab Jafri, M.D., at MUSC Health Florence Medical Center, who performed a robotic-assisted sleeve gastrectomy procedure on him.

This surgery removes about 60% to 80% of the stomach, creating a long sleeve shape. By reducing the size of the stomach, patients will eat less, as the stomach is physically smaller and can't hold as much food, according to Jafri.

“It was clear to me that he was genuinely committed to making a meaningful change in his life. He wasn’t just focused on physical appearance but his future,” said Jafri. “He was looking forward to staying active, spending quality time with his family and embracing a healthy lifestyle. I believe his decision to receive the robotic sleeve gastrectomy was entirely driven by a desire to be healthier and keep doing the things he loves.”

Flowers said he had no complications after his surgery, and everything went smoothly. Since his surgery last November, Flowers has gone from 370 pounds to 275 pounds. Now he eats half as much as he used to and can do the things he loves – all while staying committed to a healthier lifestyle.

“I play golf two or three times a week. I was not able to do that before I had the surgery,” said Flowers. “I was outside last weekend chasing one of my grand youngins, and we raced back to the house. I used to not even be able to jog through the living room.”

For Jafri, patients like Flowers are the reason he became a bariatric surgeon. Seeing patients live their lives to the fullest is the most rewarding part of his job, something he credits to the invaluable support of  his physician assistant, Taylor Schram, and bariatric coordinator, Rilla Hemmingsen.

“The reason I became a surgeon was because I wanted to make a change in people's lives,” said Jafri. “Patients like Barry, and bariatric surgery in general, give me the opportunity to really make a change and improve someone’s future. This is why I do this. If they enjoy a happy lifestyle, that is the biggest achievement for me.”

Now Barry is able to live the life he always wanted, thanks to the bariatric services at MUSC Health Florence Medical Center.“Without this kind of care close to home, I would have never gotten a procedure like this done.”

He said for those ready to make changes and lose the weight, this surgery is a great option for them.

“If you’re looking to really change your life and you're ready to go down that road, while putting in the work to maintain the weight loss, then I would definitely suggest this for you,” said Flowers.