90 Pounds Down

A career change in 2000 required Russell to travel. On the road, he often ate out. Over time, his diet caught up with him and he started putting on pounds.

After a back injury, he got a serious wake-up call. If he didn’t lose weight, he would need fusion surgery, a major procedure to stabilize his spine.

Russell was young and didn’t want to live with a fused back. So he took his wife’s advice and looked into bariatric surgery. It didn’t take long until he was convinced that weight-loss surgery was the right choice.

“The first time I met Dr. Schrapps, I knew he was who I wanted to take care of me,” Russell says. “He answered questions I didn’t know to ask and assured me I would do fantastic.”

Dr. Schrapps was right. In addition to losing 96 pounds, Russell has cut his blood pressure medication in half. His treatment for sleep apnea has been cut down to almost nothing. And he can eat anything he wants in moderation.

“People say I look amazing, but I feel even better,” Russell says. “You don’t have to go to Houston for bariatric surgery. The best is right here in Beaumont.”