A New Beginning: How Bariatric Surgery Transformed Jessica Causey’s Life

By: Miranda Torres

Jessica Causey, 36, struggled with her weight for several years before meeting the bariatrics team at Jackson Health System. Prior to starting her weight-loss journey, Causey weighed 344 pounds and was experiencing knee pain, back pain, and shortness of breath. With her nieces and nephew getting older, she knew she wanted to make a drastic lifestyle change to be able to keep up with her family.

In 2018, Causey met with Elias Chousleb, MD, FACS, a bariatric surgeon and medical director of the Bariatric Surgery Center at Jackson North, to discuss weight management options that would be a good fit for her. As a Jackson employee, Causey wanted to make a change that would allow her to continue her work as an executive assistant.

After her initial consultation, Dr. Chousleb and his team decided that the gastric sleeve would be the best option for Causey, given her age, weight, and lifestyle.

“Jessica was the ideal candidate for bariatric surgery because she was young, motivated, and followed all of the guidance we gave her,” said Maria Medina, an advanced practice nurse at Jackson North Medical Center.

Since bariatric surgery is a life-changing decision, the team at Jackson North connected her with Gisela Alvarez, a nutritionist, and a mental health coordinator before surgery to ensure she understood all of the changes she was about to experience.

“Mentally, bariatric surgery was a non-negotiable for me,” said Causey. “My ‘why’ is because I want to live a healthy life. At the bariatric seminar I attended, I heard stories from other people. You hear these stories all the time, but you never think it could be you. I was always encouraged by their stories.”

In January of 2019, she underwent a gastric sleeve surgery, a bariatric procedure in which 70 to 80 percent of the stomach is removed, leaving behind a banana-like tube or sleeve that restricts the amount a patients can eat.

However, Causey didn’t lose as much weight post-surgery as the bariatrics team had hoped she would, and she was experiencing extreme acid reflux. They decided to come together once again and discuss the possibility of a gastric bypass, which is a minimally invasive surgery that reduces the stomach’s size and reroutes food to bypass a portion of the small intestine.

In October of 2020, Causey underwent the gastric bypass, also performed by Dr. Chousleb. Since her surgeries, she’s been managing her weight loss by making changes to her diet and exercise regimen.

“I know what foods make me feel good and what foods don’t agree with my body,” Causey said. “I still get to cook my gumbo and jambalaya, and get that satisfying feeling without putting my body through pain and eating things that don’t agree with me, which is especially important to me as a New Orleans native.”

So far, she’s lost 138 pounds, and is meeting frequently with Medina and Dr. Chousleb to help oversee her weight management.

“Having been through so much, Jessica is always very upbeat and motivated and excited to improve, which is very unique to her,” Medina said. “Everyone on the team has a better day when she comes around because she is so sweet, and really puts in 100 percent effort to be as healthy as possible.”

According to her weight-loss plan, Causey should reach her goal weight in the next seven to eight months.

“My family, friends, church community, and colleagues have all helped and supported me along this journey,” she said. “I’m eternally grateful to Dr. Chousleb, Maria, and the entire team because without them, I wouldn’t be able to walk in this new body have a new lease on life.”