Teen Slims Down With Gastric Bypass

(CBS)  Life has never been easy for Ashlee Montgomery.

"The first memories that I have of school are of kids calling me names and stuff cause I was the little chubby girl," she told CBS News correspondent Cynthia Bowers.

That chubby little girl grew into a heavy pre-teen. By 17 she was considered super-obese at 409 pounds — and her health was failing.

"Sometimes my heart aches in my chest and I have arm pains and stuff and it just gets scary," she said.

She tried different diets like Weight Watchers, the Atkins diet and the South Beach Diet. Nothing worked. Ashlee's problem was much bigger than what she ate — she was genetically predisposed to obesity. Three years ago her father, Dave, topped 400 pounds before he had gastric bypass surgery and lost half his weight.

"It's changed my life," he said. "I mean I've gone from pretty much just being in the house to where I have a life now."

Ashlee has wanted a new life, too. The gifted singer and poet, who has loving friends and family, knew there was a thinner, healthier Ashlee inside, waiting to get out.

"This body almost is a prison to me and I really don't want to be in prison anymore," Ashlee said.

So she joined the growing number of teenagers going under the knife — a number that jumped from just 161 in 1998 to more than four times that in 2003. If the pace keeps up with overall trends, more than a thousand will undergo gastric bypass surgery this year. And because one-fifth of America's children are overweight or obese, the trend could continue to grow.

On the day of her surgery, Ashlee was nervous but ready.

"I'm excited about getting through the next couple weeks and then becoming the person I know I can be," she said.

Her sister Amanda said she hopes Ashlee will get "everything she deserves" from the surgery as she choked back tears.

Ashlee's surgeon, Dr. Constantine Frantzides, is a pioneer in teen gastric bypass. He was the first in Illinois to perform the procedure. Many doctors choose not to because possible long-term complications with teens are still unknown.

"Is there enough scientific data to tell us this is the best to do?" he said. "No. Is there gonna be in the near future? Most probably! More surgeons now say, 'Yes, this is the way to go.' "

The laparoscopic surgery creates a golf-ball-sized pouch from Ashlee's football-sized stomach. The new pouch is attached directly to the intestine bypassing the large stomach.

Ashlee's surgery was a success. One month later, for the first time in Ashlee's life, she looked forward to stepping on the scale. It turned out that she had lost 50 pounds, nearly 12 pounds a week.

"I wanted to jump up and down but I was afraid that the scale would break," she said.

Finally, she said she was able to see her feet.

"I haven't done that in a very long time so I looked down the other day and I said, 'My feet,' " Ashlee said. "They're pretty."

Her relationship with food may be changed forever, but she's OK with that. Ashlee's just waiting for her outer beauty to catch up to her inner beauty, one tiny bite at a time.

Learn more about gastric bypass surgery visit LapObesitySurgery.comand ObesityHelp.com.

[NaturalCatFood]

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[jhalsey117]

It must be really hard, dealing with a genetic pre-disposition to obesity. I've heard that gastric bypasses are extremely risky, especially for someone so young, but if other <a href="http://www.quicklylooseweight.com/">weight loss</a> programs simply aren't working, what option do you have? I hope everything works out well for her.

[tm07-2009]

As the Mom of Ashlee, I feel that I need to respond to some of the comments that were posted here. People that have never had a weight problem, or had to worry about their health because of their weight, really should not have much to say to those who do. You need to walk a mile in Ashlee's shoes. When things like weight loss programs are tried and the most you can lose is 25 pounds, and you keep working and nothing more is lost, it gets very frustrating. Ashlee is genetically pre-disposed to being overweight because her Dad got up to 400 pounds, his side of the family has struggled with weight. I am considered overweight, and my side of the family has had the same struggles. So, gee, what does that say? I think it says that she was going to be overweight. Also, her metabolism is almost non-existent. Since the surgery, she is happier, her eyes are brighter, and she is looking forward to going to her senior prom next year a lot smaller than she was. So, people that have to be negative will be there is probably nothing that will change them. But, my daughter is an inspiration to other teens who may be super obese and do not know what to do. She is an inspiration to me because it takes a lot of courage to go through all of this, and she has more quality of life now.

[drnicholson2]

There are a lot of things to consider when determining which weight loss options are right for you. Particularly with teens, there are a lot of things to consider when looking at gastric bypass surgery. Many people are familiar with gastric bypass surgery, but there are other laparoscopic weight loss surgery options as well. My staff and I at the Nicholson Clinic - www.nicholsonclinic.com - regularly meet with teens and adults to discuss their options. It is important that you consider speaking with a board certified professional with plenty of experience in this area before making a decision.

[michellem99-2009]

It is sad the others can be so mean to those who are not trim,slim and oh so ptretty. A girl was picked on cos she has a wt problem. I knew she was hurt. I being legally blind was called names by my peers. It may be a health issue,meds they must take,family history ete.It not awaya over eating.
I have a friend who don't over eat but he is has type 2 diabetes plus other health problems.So he does his best to lose wt. and that is not easy.
I don't think people want to be fat or ask to be.
I will tell ya what is sad there are Mums who do over feel their little ones and Mum is the blame as the little get health issues due the parents' abuse. Their children get bullied,and made fun of.
They die cos their heart gives out.
The parents ask why. I am trying to be genlte here but be truthful.
I am 52 and I try not go over 125. My late Gram said I eat like a bird. My room mate said the same.
Best whishes in your goals,

[angelerin77]

I've known Ashlee for a couple years now. We met in middle school and were pretty good friends. She has always been optimistic about everything and every time I saw her she was smiling and laughing. Hearing her sing is one of the most amazing moments I've ever witnessed. She's an inspirational girl and I am honored to say that I know her. I wish her luck with this step shes taking and I'm really proud that she's speaking out and sharing her story with all these readers. Good luck Ashlee!

[sheila1346]

I am 60 years old and my mother took DES in the 1940's to prevent miscarriage when she was pregnant with me. In the 1960's I was part of a test group of children of Mothers who took this hormone in pregnancy. Back then they &quot;KNEW&quot; that children (and now grandchildren) of DES Mothers were not only born with twice (or more) of the normal # of fat cells but that low cal diets caused these people to go into starvation mode and they start storing more body fat as well as gaining more fat cells. Suddenly all the funding was pulled for the study to find a cure for this as well as all the DES symptoms. (including all kinds of cancer and hormonal problems that are severe) We were told the chemical and pharmaceutical companies put pressure on every one from congress to the FDA to prevent this information from being general knowledge. So many woman were given this drug over a 25 year period and they were afraid of all the law suites from the children and grandchildren. True story I am living proof starting with the first of numerous cancer surgeries at 8 with numerous hormonal problems and obesity that does not respond to diet or exercise. Look it up its real.

[bigbarryw]

My sister had bypass surgery. She lost a substantial amount of weight (over 100 pounds). She has become more active, watches what she eats, and is enjoying life again. It has improved her outlook on life as well as her health. She recently had a bone densilty test and for a woman turning 60 in July has the bone structure of a 30 year old. I am proud of her and know that she is a much happier person and that makes the whole family happy and proud of her.

[rae529]

Let me say that Jared is really not an inspiration. I work at Subway and honestly, you can't just go and get whatever you want. I've heard that Jared only ate 1/2 of a six inch for lunch and the other for dinner and walked a lot. He may have been determined, but now he's just determined to make money. Ashlee is someone who is brave. She tried to lose weight by conventional means and couldn't. There is only so much you can control when it comes to food. As for genetic dispositions, I believe that it's similar to addictions/depression in that it's not so much a physical disease as a mental one. Once you create a food dependency and addiction it's very hard to stop. Sometimes major life changes, such as surgery, help to push the addict into relief.

[rae529]

Let me say that Jared is really not an inspiration. I work at Subway and honestly, you can't just go and get whatever you want. I've heard that Jared only ate 1/2 of a six inch for lunch and the other for dinner and walked a lot. He may have been determined, but now he's just determined to make money. Ashlee is someone who is brave. She tried to lose weight by conventional means and couldn't. There is only so much you can control when it comes to food. As for genetic dispositions, I believe that it's similar to addictions/depression in that it's not so much a physical disease as a mental one. Once you create a food dependency and addiction it's very hard to stop. Sometimes major life changes, such as surgery, help to push the addict into relief.