{"id":72571,"date":"2023-11-07T15:58:30","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T22:58:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=72571"},"modified":"2025-12-05T12:07:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T19:07:11","slug":"from-900-pounds-to-independence-katie-peterson-is-grateful-for-every-breath","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/from-900-pounds-to-independence-katie-peterson-is-grateful-for-every-breath\/","title":{"rendered":"From 900 pounds to independence. Katie Peterson gives thanks for every breath she takes."},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Katie
Katie Peterson and her daughter, Elyse, found a new home in Cheyenne after moving from their rural Wyoming town of Lusk, where healthcare services were limited. Their dogs, Chief (right) and Ace, have a big backyard to roam. Photos by Sonya Doctorian, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lately, Katie Peterson has found gratitude in unexpected places. Not only is she thankful for once again being able to drive a car and do laundry, but she\u2019s also grateful for the monumental journey she has taken on, already shedding 330 pounds.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, she\u2019s thankful for the support of those around her who helped make possible her biggest blessing: life.<\/p>\n

About two years ago, Peterson weighed nearly 900 pounds and had all but given up on ever finding help for her extreme obesity caused by a lifetime of food addiction and mental trauma.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew I was already on my way to dying,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Only 44 years old and a mother of two teenagers, she felt hopeless. Doctors had turned her down numerous times, saying she had to lose hundreds of pounds before bariatric surgery would even be an option.<\/p>\n

In what she figured would be her last attempt, she found a form on the internet. She entered her name, address, and telephone number and hit the send button. A few days later, her phone rang.<\/p>\n

That call was the start of Peterson\u2019s new journey toward living again. It is challenging and frustrating but it is now starting to give Peterson back her independence and offering her much to be thankful for.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing where I\u2019m at now \u2013 it\u2019s huge. I didn\u2019t think I\u2019d be here. I didn\u2019t think by now I\u2019d be alive,” Peterson said.<\/p>\n

\"Katie
Katie beams after weighing herself on medical scales. She thought she might have reached 600 pounds. She said she was happy to see 590, the first time in four years.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All but given up on weight loss and a normal life<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When Peterson first got the call from UCHealth, she lived in Lusk, Wyoming \u2013 a two-stop light town where she\u2019d grown up. She\u2019d barely left her house in over two years. Each morning, she moved from her bedroom to the living room couch and then back at night with help from her then 17-year-old daughter, Elyse.<\/p>\n

Before she headed off to school or to her nursing assistant job, Elyse would make her mother a lunch and place it in a cooler near her mom. In the evening, Elyse placed a folding table and a hot plate in front of her mom, and that’s where Peterson would make them dinner.<\/p>\n

Peterson helped where she could, but things like laundry, which required descending stairs into the basement, were impossible. Peterson had a valid driver\u2019s license but hadn\u2019t driven in years. When she did need to travel, it was usually facing backward in the back of her mother\u2019s minivan, with the seats removed.<\/p>\n

But then came that call of hope: UCHealth was willing to help.<\/p>\n

Peterson, weighing 890 pounds, made her initial trip to meet with bariatric surgeon Dr. Robert Quaid<\/a> in June 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we did nothing for her, she would die in a short time,\u201d Quaid said. \u201cThat\u2019s the balance. Someone must step up and help, or you leave her alone, and she dies at home. And because of our experience in terms of a program and staff<\/a>, this is not something we or I would normally say no to. Quite the opposite. We\u2019d say, \u2018Let\u2019s try to help you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Katie
Katie Peterson discusses a second bariatric surgery with bariatric surgeon Dr. Robert Quaid. He commended her on her progress.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In May 2022 \u2013 a year after that initial visit, numerous tests, a strict diet program and support from UCHealth\u2019s bariatric program nurse navigator Michelle Carpenter \u2013 Peterson underwent a sleeve gastrectomy<\/a>. During the procedure<\/a>, Quaid removed about 80% of Peterson\u2019s stomach, leaving a sleeve-shaped tube as her stomach, which limits the amount of food that Peterson can eat.<\/p>\n

It was a challenging surgery – both to perform and to coordinate. Peterson had to get help getting out of her house and into her mother\u2019s car to travel more than three hours from her home to UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital<\/a> in Fort Collins, Colorado. At the hospital, it all had to be carefully coordinated, from transporting her within the hospital to administering anesthesia and monitoring blood pressure to inserting a breathing tube and IV.<\/p>\n

Everyone played an essential part in making the surgery happen, Quaid said. And it went well. Peterson spent five days at Poudre Valley Hospital before returning home to Lusk.<\/p>\n

Over the next year, Peterson attended UCHealth\u2019s virtual bariatric support groups<\/a>, continued to speak weekly with her therapist to work through her emotional trauma and food addiction, and got resources from Carpenter.

Read more about Peterson’s life and her journey through surgery in our first article, \u201c900 pounds and hopeless.\u201d<\/a><\/div>\n

Peterson also shared her story through UCHealth. And the support readers showed her was \u201cmind-blowing,\u201d she said. Strangers sent her letters, emails and Facebook messages. Some shared their stories and words of encouragement, while others explained how her story had inspired them to seek help.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was nice to know that I\u2019ve touched that many people and am giving hope to people,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cI am telling my story to inspire others and let people know there is help, not to give up. That’s where I was, and if I hadn\u2019t gotten help from UCHealth, I wouldn\u2019t be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Elyse
Elyse Richards fluffs her mother\u2019s hair before Katie\u2019s appointment in September 2023 with Dr. Robert Quaid at UCHealth Bariatric Center of the Rockies in Fort Collins.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Believing in herself and making the changes necessary to succeed<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Besides shedding 330 pounds, a lot has changed since surgery. On Aug. 1, 2023, Peterson and Elyse moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming, about an hour north of Fort Collins. It was a difficult transition, but it helped push Peterson forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe move (to Cheyenne) has been good but a very hard emotional battle with myself. I have to keep remembering that I can do this. I\u2019m still on this journey, doing this on my own. I have a great support system – that\u2019s not a question – but it\u2019s a mind game when it comes to addiction. It\u2019s the willpower and getting over so many roadblocks that I still battle with.\u201d<\/p>\n

During their first month in Cheyenne, Elyse worked 12-hour shifts as a CNA at a rehabilitation center. During those hours, she only had 30 minutes for lunch to go home and check on her mother. Though a bit lonely for Peterson, it forced her to do more things herself, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an adjustment for me. It was good but scary at first, and (Elyse) was worried too \u2013 what if something happened? I\u2019d have to call and have someone help me,\u201d Peterson said.<\/p>\n

But soon, Peterson was walking throughout the house by herself to let the dogs outside or to make lunch and dinner in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was doing everything on my own,\u201d she said. \u201cI had been doing a lot more since surgery, but this helped give me even more independence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peterson then began conquering stairs, first the five steps at the front and back doors, then the 13 steps downstairs to do laundry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI missed doing laundry,\u201d Peterson said with a chuckle.<\/p>\n

And now that she’s not having to lug her oxygen tank around during the day, she’s been practicing walking without her cane.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the little things like that which are adding up, making a huge impact on how I\u2019m looking at things now,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cI\u2019m able to do so much more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recently, she got behind the wheel of her daughter\u2019s Ford Fusion and drove for the first time in four years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the biggest boost, just to know I can have that freedom again of driving,\u201d Peterson said.<\/p>\n

\"Katie
Katie Peterson loves the freedom of driving again after a four-year hiatus. After Katie shed 330 pounds, her daughter, Elyse Richards, encouraged her to try her Ford Fusion.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And she got another boost in September when she visited Dr. Quaid for a follow-up visit.<\/p>\n

For several months, Peterson\u2019s weight seemed to have plateaued at 630 pounds. But during her visit to Poudre Valley Hospital, she weighed 590 pounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the lowest now than I’ve been in … I don’t know how long,” she said.<\/p>\n

Quaid was happy with Peterson\u2019s progress and encouraged her to keep up the hard work.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe looked good,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m happy with how she is doing, and it was great to see some of those life changes that were very dramatic for her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"After
After getting downstairs to the basement, Katie rests for a few minutes and then walks without her cane to do laundry. She\u2019s free from hauling around an oxygen tank. \u201cIt\u2019s the little things like that which are adding up, making a huge impact on how I\u2019m looking at things now,\u201d Katie said. \u201cI\u2019m able to do so much more.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What are the next steps <\/strong>for this bariatric patient?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Generally, after bariatric surgery, a person’s weight loss begins to level out about a year and a half after their surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe plan all along was to let Katie get better and get that weight loss where it wants to be, then we add on another surgery that would increase the effect and help her lose more,\u201d Quaid said.<\/p>\n

That additional surgery would be SADI or Single Anastomosis Duodenal Switch<\/a>. In this procedure, Quaid would bypass 60-75% of the small bowel.<\/p>\n

Quaid said he uses SADI as an add-on to the sleeve gastrectomy that Peterson had done in May 2022. But SADI comes with risks. Not only is the surgery more intense, but it involves a strict diet and regimen of vitamins afterward. A person must be committed to those changes. He said he feels Peterson has demonstrated that commitment. Still, since she is continuing to lose weight, he wants to wait a while longer.<\/p>\n

She will visit with Dr. Quaid again in December to re-evaluate her progress and next steps.<\/p>\n

For Peterson, her next steps are just ensuring she’s taking them.<\/p>\n

\"Katie
Katie didn\u2019t feel strong enough to back down the stairs to the laundry room when she and her daughter moved to Cheyenne in August. Yet every week, Katie takes on household tasks that she didn\u2019t have the strength to perform before bariatric surgery 18 months ago.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThere are still things I want to do but physically cannot do yet, but I\u2019m getting there, and that\u2019s keeping me going,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cI don\u2019t have the pain like I used to. I\u2019m able to travel, ride and walk better. And I keep reminding myself daily that if I take five more steps than I did yesterday, that\u2019s a feat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI might be 45, but I still have a lot of life to live. I\u2019ve lost a lot of time that I can\u2019t do anything about, but I have a whole future that I can shape and mold to what I want it to be,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m thankful for my second chance.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lately, Katie Peterson has found gratitude in unexpected places. Not only is she thankful for once again being able to drive a car and do laundry, but she\u2019s also grateful for the monumental journey she has taken on, already shedding 330 pounds. Most importantly, she\u2019s thankful for the support of those around her who helped […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2164,"featured_media":72624,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFrom 900 pounds to independence: Katie Peterson is grateful for every breath - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Katie Peterson has lost 330 pounds so far since bariatric surgery and reflects on her challenges ahead and everything she\u2019s grateful for.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/from-900-pounds-to-independence-katie-peterson-is-grateful-for-every-breath\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From 900 pounds to independence. 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