Bariatric Surgery Resources

Qualifying for bariatric surgery requires time, patience and organization. The qualification process is meant to help ensure the safety and comfort of the patient, while also being sure that bariatric surgery will offer the most effective weight loss outcome possible. Since every person’s circumstances are unique, the testing required before surgery can vary. Following are the commonly required criteria to ensure that the procedure is indeed right for the individual.

• Age plays a critical role in qualification for bariatric surgery. The National Institutes of Health guidelines stipulate that patients should be between the ages of 18 and 65 in order to have the best chance of recovering with the fewest complications. There are programs that offer bariatric surgery for those under the age of 18 and those over the age of 65. However, they are few and far between. For adolescents, there is debate as to whether they can properly conform to the required post-operative lifestyle changes. For geriatric patients, the issue of extended recovery time and complications is a concern.
• The BMI or Body Mass Index is a quick calculation to see whether or not a patient is obese. Patients with a BMI of 35 or over, presenting with one or more diseases associated with obesity or patients with a BMI of 40 regardless of the diseases associated with obesity may qualify for bariatric surgery. The BMI gives the patient, surgeon and insurance company alike an idea as to whether a patient would be suitable for a weight loss surgery procedure.
• Good faith attempts at weight loss through dieting and exercise are also an important part of qualifying for surgery. The patient will be encouraged to try dieting and exercise before they consider bariatric surgery. Most surgical practices and insurance companies will expect to see some form of documentation that the patient has tried and failed with more conservative weight loss methods.
• The patient’s general health will also go a long way in determining whether or not bariatric surgery is suitable. The purpose of these diagnostic tests is to ensure that the risks of surgery do not outweigh the benefits. Testing, including heart, lung, kidney and liver function may be performed. Patients will also be expected to stop smoking well before their procedure.

There are many qualification criteria, tangible and intangible, in determining the patient’s suitability for surgery. Indeed, even a patient’s attitude and outlook toward the post bariatric surgery lifestyle will help us determine whether or not they are ready. To learn more, we ask that you attend one of our weight loss surgery seminars. A subsequent consultation will help you understand more about your particular circumstance and what needs to be documented in order for you to be cleared for surgery.

If you’re reading this page you may have just undergone a life-changing bariatric surgery procedure. If so, congratulations! However the hard work is not yet done; in fact it is only just beginning. During our seminar and at your consultation, it will have been impressed on you that much of your success is a direct result of your lifestyle changes after surgery – with the help of your bariatric procedure of course. Your ability and willingness to modify your diet and exercise regimens can determine the course of your long-term success in weight loss and disease resolution after surgery. Therefore, it is imperative that you get right to working on changing eating habits, implementing new diets and starting an exercise regime slowly, but consistently.

Immediately after surgery, hospital staff will ask you to get up and walk around as much as is comfortably possible in order to jumpstart your circulation. This helps fight off infection and speeds up healing. This will be the first of many exercises that will be prescribed to you after surgery that will not only help you lose weight, but allow you to maintain muscle mass, increase bone density and even ward off depression. It is for those reasons, and more, that exercise is so important after a successful weight loss surgery. Exercise can truly help you in many different ways, allowing you to lead a fuller and richer life while losing weight and maintaining excellent long-term weight loss.

Your diet will also change significantly in the few months after surgery. To start, you will be placed on a liquid diet (straw diet) for about 2 weeks. This will not only help speed recovery, but also start a patient on the path to improving high cholesterol and type II diabetes. Depending on the type of procedure you had, liquids can be progressively changed to pureed, then soft, then regular foods. Each procedure has a varying length of time that the average patient takes before being able to advance to the next phase. Ultimately, you should be able to return to solids, but with a significant decrease in portion sizes. That is when you will start to follow a nutritional plan that will be a good friend for years to come. Diets high in protein allow you to feel fuller sooner and for longer. Digesting protein actually requires additional calories when compared to digesting fats are sugars. Fats and sugars provide mostly empty calories and should be avoided after surgery, especially after gastric bypass.

Recovery times will vary between patients, but generally speaking, the patient will be able to return to non-strenuous work within 2 to 5 weeks after surgery. During those weeks, very strenuous activity or the lifting of heavy packages can cause serious complications and should be avoided.

While bariatric surgery offers a drastic lifestyle change, patients do not have to feel like their lives are in any way abnormal. For example, the amount and types of food will, of course, be restricted. With some creativity, patients will be able to lead a very normal life and one that allows them to perform activities that they may never have been able to before. No matter what aftercare program is prescribed post-surgery, it is important that patients follow it closely as it has been tailored to their specific needs. It will strike a healthy balance between safety and weight loss.

Remember, that while weight loss surgery is a huge help, the successes that you will and have achieved are the result of your dedication to changing your life for the better. Once again congratulations!

What you do immediately after bariatric surgery goes a long way to helping your long-term surgical recovery. In order to speed recovery after what is, by any account, a major surgical procedure, bariatric patients have several considerations to bear in mind. Further, obese patients have health problems that those who are not obese may not have, including side effects and complications that are a direct result of their weight. Finally, it is important to remember that patients who have had open surgery may require more strict recovery protocols.

Circulation and Healing

Obese people may have poor circulation due to type II diabetes. Maintaining good circulation is very important for recovery and healing after surgery, so it is all the more important that, after surgery, patients make a point of getting up and walking as soon as they are able. Walking and exercise helps stimulate blood flow, speeding up healing and helping fight off infection. Exercise also releases endorphins, which can improve mood and outlook. The more a patient walks, within their physical limits, the more quickly they may be able heal. It will also start the process of burning calories and kick starting the weight loss process. Patients will continue to increase their activity level over the course of several weeks and in doing so will kick-start their lifestyle change.

Wound Care

It is important to follow your post-op guidelines when taking care of your incisions. You will be given a detailed set of instructions for keeping the wound clean and making sure that infection stays at bay. You will always want to wash your hands thoroughly before touching the wound or the area surrounding the incisions. The wound should be redressed every time the dressing is removed in order to keep it clean and sterile. Do not get the incision wet for about 48 hours and if you have steri-strips, let them fall off naturally (it will take 1-2 weeks). Some swelling and redness is normal. If you notice a great deal of pain, unusual discharge, if bleeding increases or if the incision starts to give off an odor, call your surgeon immediately; these may be signs of infection. High fever and numbness in extremities may also be signs of a problem. A full list of things to look out for will be provided to you by the office after surgery. Recovery can be quicker and less painful than you expect, if you follow the orders prescribed by your surgeon.

Diet After Surgery

You will begin with a liquid diet lasting about two weeks. At that point you may begin eating soft foods, if you can. Soon after you will graduate to solid foods, but follow guidelines as not all foods are appropriate after surgery. Carbonated drinks can stretch your stomach pouch and cause irritation. Caffeine and alcohol are also not recommended after surgery as they act as diuretics and can lead to dehydration. Further, they can cause irritation to the stomach pouch. Beverages high in empty calories, like sugary drinks, will work against your weight loss goals, providing very little nutrition. Your dietician will create a plan that is tailored to your particular circumstance – be sure to follow it.

In the end, following the guidelines provided to you by our office after the procedure will allow for the quickest healing time with the fewest complications. Remember, weight loss surgery is just a tool and the degree to which you change your lifestyle, for the better, will determine your level of success.

A word regarding supplements. I feel certain supplements are mandatory for everyone. I also feel that a few people should have more supplements then others. The difficulty is finding the people that need additional supplements and finding high quality products.

In my opinion there are a lot of poor quality supplements in the market today. It is difficult to separate the good quality products from the bad.

Bariatric Advantage:

Specializing in surgical weight loss malnutrition and supplemental support. They offer a full line of vitamins, minerals and protein products designed specifically for gastric band, gastric sleeve, and gastric bypass patients. For More information, click the following link: https://www.bariatricadvantage.com/service/referrerCode?referrer=WLCO

Individual analysis is the only way I know to identify a person’s nutritional needs. If this testing defines an area of deficiency then this should be addressed with either dietary changes or individual high quality supplementation until that parameter is normalized. Nutritional deficiencies can cause a wide variety of adverse health issues. Ignorance or avoidance of deficiencies leads to adverse health issues like decreased energy, chronic pain syndromes, hair loss, poor skin and nail health, muscle wasting, heart disease, joint disease, and poor healing to name just a few. I have treated numerous patients with supplements and have found that sometimes the addition of a few products has enabled patients to lose weight more efficiently, resolved co-morbidities like hypertension, joint pain, poor blood glucose intolerance, lower cholesterol, etc. I feel it is important to understand supplements so we can live longer healthier more productive lives.

Feel free to view the sites and order online or through our office. Let me know how you feel regarding the products you use and feel free to ask questions regarding supplements you are unsure about.

Have a wonderful and productive day.

Dr Russell Gornichec, MD, F.A.C.S.