Lidl will open its second store in Prince William County. A grand opening ceremony is planned next month. 

From a press release: 

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Prince William County resident Becky Turner had been living in pain for years.

“I had been to surgeons all over the area trying to get some relief. It was to the point where I had to use a wheelchair a lot of the time. At the very least, I had to use a walker,” explains the 62-year-old.

As her crippling back pain increased, so did her weight.

“Everyone said, there was nothing they could do for me,” she remembers.

Until her primary care physician suggested gastric bypass surgery, sharing how another patient received relief after undergoing the procedure. From there, an idea was born.

“I thought about it for a while and I thought, let’s see what’s involved,” says Turner.

That’s when she met Dr. Masoud Rezvani and the team at the Sentara Weight Loss Surgery Center, a designated Accredited Center by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP.) Her insurance said it would pay for the procedure, but Turner would have to undergo testing and complete a six-month dietary weight loss class.

After the class was completed, the insurance company gave the okay. Because Becky was a diabetic with an insulin pump, the decision was made to perform a Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch, also known as BPD-DS, using minimally invasive robotic surgery. Dr. Rezvani is one of the only gastric bypass surgeons in Northern Virginia, who performs this complicated procedure.  

“It’s very important to have the right procedure for the right patient,” explains Dr. Rezvani, “Every individual is a different package. Based on the patients’ age, gender, body mass index, past medical history, past surgical history and goal of the operation is going to determine what works best.”

In a BDP-DS operation, doctors reroute the intestines, which cuts back on how many calories a patient can absorb. As a result, patients feel less hungry, lose most of their excess weight within one year and keep the weight off, all while having significant health improvements.

“This surgery isn’t for everyone,” Dr. Rezvani says, “It requires a lot of maintenance. Not only is there a weight loss effect, there’s a metabolic effect which helps patients with conditions such as severe diabetes, sleep apnea and high blood pressure.”

For Becky, who was having issues managing her diabetes, it was a good fit. Her main concern going into her September surgery wasn’t the procedure, but the pain that could accompany it. It was something doctors worked with her to manage. “I never had the first bit of pain,” she says, “I don’t know if I’m the exception to the rule, but it was a good experience for me all the way around. Everyone was wonderful to me. All the nurses just went out of their way to be nice. I just adore Dr. Rezvani.”

In just three months since her surgery, Becky has already lost 92 pounds and dropped more than three sizes. “I’m shocked it’s coming off as quickly as it has,” and her back which had been in constant pain is already feeling better, “Though it’s not 100% yet, it’s about 70%. I can go and do stuff again. I can help with yard work,” she says smiling.

Becky is off her insulin pump and now taking insulin shots just twice a day. Her hope is, when she loses a little more weight, her diabetes will go into remission. She’s also is looking forward to becoming more active with her rescue pups, “Penny” and “Peanut.”

“Before my back really started hurting, I used to walk 5 miles each day. And I felt great. So, it has been about 6 or 7 years since I felt this good. I’m looking forward to getting back out there,” says Turner.

As she prepares to lace up her tennis shoes for those walks, she says she would recommend this procedure to anyone looking to change their life, “I would tell them to go for it, especially if you’re in pain. What do you have to lose? I was at a point where I was in so much pain, I was so unhappy, I didn’t have a life. And I thought –I’ve got to give this a try.”

Surgery isn’t for everyone. To learn if you qualify, head over to sentaranova.com, where you can watch our informational videos to discover if weight loss surgery is right for you. Or you can call 1-800-SENTARA to learn more.

Pictured: Becky before, Becky after, Dr. Dr. Rezvani

Commuter bus agency to drop PRTC moniker

There's OmniRide. That's the commuter bus service that each weekday takes people from Prince William County and Manassas to Arlington and Washington, D.C. and then back again.

Then there's OmniLink. Those are the local buses that serve stops within Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park.

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From a press release: 

The Prince William County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. will host its 28th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Program & Youth Oratorical Contest on Monday, January 15 at 11 a.m. at the Hylton Memorial Chapel, 14640 Potomac Mills Road, Woodbridge. Middle school and high school students from throughout the Prince William area will display their amazing oratorical skills and children of all ages will sing songs of celebration in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Choir.

This free event is one of the oldest and largest celebrations of Dr. King’s legacy in the Washington metro area. The Prince William Alumnae Chapter (PWCAC) has held a King Day recognition program for 33 years.  The program continues to grow and 2,000 people are expected to attend and witness the inspiring performances of Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park students.

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An effort by Prince William County Occoquan District Supervisor Ruth Anderson cleared the way to create the state's first multi-jurisdictional designated arts hub.

This week, Occoquan River Communities announced it had completed its mission of helping to establish an identity for the Occoquan area, to include the Workhouse Arts Center just across the Occoquan River in Lorton.

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Looking for new office space? There are rennovated offices ready to go at 8700 Centreville Road in Manassas.

From an email: 

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It took over a year planning and preparation, but then on Monday, December 11, 2017, their ship -- the International Space Station -- came in.

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Remember that growing pothole we reported this past summer in Woodbridge? 

The nearly 10-foot deep hole was located behind a Target and Value City Furniture stores in the Parkway Crossing West Shopping Center in Woodbridge.

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Ernie Krapfl is avid table tennis player. But, the 74-year-old’s game was nearly derailed by a severe shoulder injury.

“I had been losing a lot of sleep because of the pain. I had a separation and a torn rotator cuff,” he explains.

Krapfl had been living with the injury since his college days and kept putting off getting surgery because of the fear of a lengthy recovery.

But his primary care physician shared with him the many advances which had taken place over the last several decades and advised him to visit a specialist. That’s when Krapfl met board certified, fellowship trained orthopedic surgeon Cyrus Press, MD.

“The majority of my patients are baby boomers. They’re active and they want to remain active. They’re looking for solutions to their problems that extend beyond pain relief,” explains Dr. Press.

Dr. Press, a specialist at the Sentara OrthoJoint Center®, was the first surgeon in Northern Virginia to utilize stemless shoulder replacement surgery. Dr. Press thought Ernie Krapfl could be a good candidate for the state of the art procedure.

During a shoulder replacement, the ball and socket of the shoulder are removed. The ball is replaced with metal and the socket is replaced with plastic.

“The newer technology, which this patient received, is a stemless shoulder replacement. This minimizes the amount of entry we have to go into the bone in order to put this metal ball on,” explains Dr. Press.

That means less pain for stemless shoulder replacement patients.

And, for Ernie Krapfl, that means he’s been able to return to the game his loves,” I’m now ready to challenge Dr. Press to a match!” he says laughing.