Dietitian helps patient shed three stone overall following life-changing surgery
“She put me on the right path.” A patient shares how Registered Dietitian, Siema Ali was able to help him lose three stone after being told he would need to lose weight for life-changing knee surgery.
The 64-year-old male patient had been experiencing debilitating knee pain as a result of osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease that is the most common form of arthritis in the UK.
Following medial assessments, the patient was told he would need surgery to help improve his symptoms and overall quality of life, but in order to make it safe to operate, he would need to achieve a target weight of 114kg.
To safely reach weight loss target, Highly Specialist Primary Care Network (PCN) Dietitian, Siema, supported the patient by educating him on what a balanced, nutritional diet looks like and recommended weight loss medication to make this a reality. The patient was also referred to the Active Wellbeing Society for tailored exercise plans to start gaining more mobility, building muscle and strength.
Siema shared:
“After speaking with the patient, I was able to understand the profound impact his osteoarthritis had on his quality of life and knew immediately that I wanted to try and help as best I could.”
With compassionate care from Siema and commitment from the patient, he was able lose nearly eight percent of his body weight and was later approved for surgery.
Reflecting on his transformational care, he said:
“Siema has inspired me. I couldn’t have done this without her, I didn’t have the motivation. She explained how my medication worked and gave me guidance on how to use it properly, she spoke to me about alcohol and how it was hindering my efforts to lose weight. Because of this, I have not touched alcohol since January this year. I used to eat highly saturated fatty foods like cheese, so I’ve stopped eating that too. She put me on the right path.”
The hard work didn’t just stop after surgery. Siema’s care has had a long-lasting impact on the patient as he has now lost a total of three stone from when the pair first met, emphasising how important patient-centred care is.
Siema works alongside our Nutrition and Dietetic colleagues at Birmingham Community Nutrition at BCHC.
Our Nutrition and Dietetic team offer a city-wide service provided at venues including GP surgeries, health centres, residential care facilities, a patient’s own home, community hospitals and early years settings. Together, the team support patients with conditions such as diabetes, malnutrition (including tube feeding), stomach and digestive problems, allergies, food sensitivity, obesity and more.
For more information, please visit our website.