jeanne

The right care, right here.

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Click to Watch Jeanne's Commercial

Since I work at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, I know that personal health has a big influence on your quality of life.

I had struggled with my weight since I was 12 years old. And from the time that I was 30 until I was 52 years old, I was morbidly obese. I tried every diet I could and sought medical advice for my condition. I worked with my doctor to make healthy lifestyle choices, and I worked with a nutritionist to evaluate my diet. My blood pressure kept getting higher, even with medication. My cholesterol continued to climb, and my blood sugar level was through the roof. I had to check my blood sugar four times a day, and I was rapidly becoming diabetic. My joints hurt when I moved, and I easily ran out of breath. I had no energy, and on top of everything else, I was taking prescription drugs to deal with my depression.

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Jeanne Payton & M. Whitney Parnell, MD
General Surgeon

lifestyle

Cheyenne Regional Medical Center's Lifestyle Management Center addresses the problem that an estimated 70 million Americans face, obesity. Our Center offers two programs: Surgical Weight Loss and Medical Weight Loss. Cheyenne Regional's Lifestyle Management Center has been designated as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the Surgical Review Corporation

Our team includes a psychologist, dietitian, exercise physiologist, nursing staff and surgeons- all specially trained in bariatrics.

The center offers:

  • Assessment of Lifestyle Behaviors
  • Diet & Nutrition Supervision
  • Education
  • Exercise
  • Screening
  • Treatment

For more information about our Lifestyle Management Center, please click here.

Two and a half years ago, I had gastric bypass surgery at Cheyenne Regional. This surgery was my last chance. I wouldn’t have thought of going anywhere else. My surgeon, Dr. Whitney Parnell, one of the co-founders of the hospital’s surgical weight loss program, helped me to feel confident about the procedure.

"Within 1 year, I had lost 140 pounds..."

- Jeanne

I had a wonderful experience – the professionals at the Lifestyle Management Center walked me through the entire process, including pre-operative education and post-operative follow-up. Within one year, I had lost 140 pounds, and I’ve maintained it to this day.

One of my favorite stories related to my weight loss occurred when my son, Steven, returned from Iraq one year after the surgery. At our reunion he hugged my husband and my other son, but walked right past me without the slightest hint of recognition. His brother said, “Steven, here’s Mom,” and Steven said to me, “Mom, where did you go?” Any other mother might have been upset at not being recognized by her own son, but it didn’t bother me.

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Jeanne and her son, Steven.

I know now that being morbidly obese didn’t just affect me – it also affected my family. Now, I can do things with them that they had been doing without me for years – activities like whitewater rafting, snowmobiling and hiking. I went to Cheyenne Regional for weight loss surgery to save my life, but it did more than just that. It gave me a life that I couldn’t have imagined before. If you have struggled with obesity and are ready to make that change that gives you your life and family back, contact the Lifestyle Management Center at Cheyenne Regional today.