Patient stories

Jenelle Bayer

I got good results from my ultrasound today, my velocity levels have dropped by 20 and I continue to feel amazing!!! I (my parents as well) wanted to thank you in person once again for truly changing my life.  I’m sure you get these emails all the time, but truly, your advocating for me and supporting me through this whole process has meant more than you could ever know.  It’s hard to believe it’s been a year, some days it feels like I had this surgery years ago and other times, it feels like it was just yesterday.  Either way, no amount of words could ever truly express my gratitude for all your team has done for me.  Like I said, you truly have touched my life and changed it for the better.  I will never forget all that you have done for me.  You do not realize how much you touch people’s lives each and every day!! Take care and thanks again.

Hi, my name is Brooke Lewis and I was a patient at the University of Chicago Medical Center for MALS. For almost seven years I suffered with difficulty eating and the last two years I could not eat or drink by mouth at all and had to subsist on a feeding tube. Every time I ate, I had severe upper abdominal pain along with nausea, occasional vomiting, and bloating. I was diagnosed with gastroparesis but the usual treatments for it were of no help to me. I saw a lot of different doctors and had many, many tests performed but a reason for my eating difficulties and subsequent weight loss of 25 pounds could not be found.  At one of these visits, an ultrasound was performed that found compression of my celiac artery from the median arcuate ligament but the doctors did not believe my symptoms came from MALS and because they only did open surgical procedures which are very invasive to correct MALS they decided I was not a good candidate. I did not give up however, and my doctors back home in Utah did an angiogram during which they found the compression of my celiac artery was much worse than thought at the other hospital. It was then decided that a laporoscopic approach would be best for me because it would offer a shorter and easier recovery but no one in my home state performs such a surgery. That is when I found Dr. Christopher Skelly as I was investigating the MALS procedure on the internet. I was so glad to find an email address where I could contact him directly but I had doubts that a doctor would actually write me back. Dr. Skelly did and he answered all of my questions. Records were then sent and appointments made. My visit to Chicago was wonderful! The staff on the MALS team at University of Chicago were very accommodating to make all of my appointments in one week to avoid multiple trips for me. The staff were all very kind, friendly and answered all of my questions. Dr. Skelly was especially personable and helped me understand everything I would need to know to make a good decision regarding the surgery. The best part of my whole story is that the surgery went remarkably well and it worked! Within two days of surgery I was able to eat again for the first time in two years!! I cannot even describe the first sip of Apple Juice I took; it tasted wonderful and after a few sips, when I realized I was not getting pain or feeling sick both my husband and I cried for joy! I had quite a good time the next few days ordering anything I wanted off of the menu to eat! The hospital staff treated both my husband and I very well and I loved the care I received from my nurses. I was discharged from the hospital just 4 days following surgery and my recovery went very well. What a miracle the MALS team made possible for me! I will always be so grateful to them.