Weight Loss Surgery
What’s Your Ideal Post-surgical Weight?
Bariatric surgery is primarily a disease improvement and resolution procedure, but we always discuss weight loss numbers and ideal weight with our patients. After all, it is called weight loss surgery, and virtually every patient has expectations. Some of these expectations are very lofty, while others are reasonable, and we, as bariatric surgeons, must offer each of our patients a goal or target that makes the most sense for their circumstances. Now, if you have researched bariatric surgery, you’ll know […]
Five Things We Want Every Bariatric Patient to Know Before Surgery
Surgery has grown in popularity, along with the significant rise in morbid obesity in the United States and worldwide. Unfortunately, exercise only works for about 5 to 10% of people who lose a substantial amount of weight (and maintain it) without medical or surgical intervention. Even today, long-term weight loss is not guaranteed with new weight loss medications, for example. As such, we must discuss the five most pressing concepts we want every bariatric surgery patient to understand before surgery. […]
Insurance Versus Self / Cash Pay Bariatric Surgery a Preliminary Discussion
How you pay for a bariatric procedure is likely top of mind, and rightly so. While bariatric surgery does not represent an intervention for an emergency concern, we all know the physical and psychological problems that plague patients with obesity. Further, surgery is expensive, no matter how you cut it, so the ideal circumstance would be to have health insurance pay for the procedure. There are some distinct pros and cons of going through the insurance process to cover bariatric […]
Why Does the Bariatric Surgery Process Take So Long?
What stands out to most patients when they begin their bariatric journey is how long it takes to go from the initial consultation to surgery. After all, we’re all aware that obesity is a disease that causes several follow-on metabolic disorders that can be debilitating or even life-threatening. We also know that the obesity problem is not improving in the United States or worldwide. Unfortunately, while weight loss medications and injections that are currently so popular do offer a short-term […]
Regaining Weight? Don’t Quit Your Support Group
You’ve heard it repeatedly, starting from before your procedure, support is essential to long-term success in your bariatric journey. Support groups are not just places to commiserate with people in the same position as you are. Instead, they are important forums for discussion about strategies to lose additional weight, places where you can celebrate your successes with others, who are cheering you on, and a place where you can turn to get practical advice and help when you’ve gone off […]
Will We Remove Your Gallbladder During a Primary Bariatric Procedure?
Of the many questions you will want to ask before surgery, understanding gallbladder disease and how it relates to your bariatric procedure should be on your list. It’s well known that obese female patients in their fertile years – prime candidates for bariatric surgery – are at significantly higher risk of developing symptomatic gallstones. To answer this question, we must distinguish gallstones from symptomatic gallstones. Gallstones are extremely common and can form in just about anyone. Typically, there are several […]
What If My Insurance Doesn’t Cover Bariatric Surgery
When patients think of surgery, the first thought that pops into their minds is the cost, and rightly so. Surgery is, by any measure, an expensive proposition. When it comes to semi-elective procedures like bariatric surgery, there may not be the immediate desire to pay out of pocket, unlike more urgent surgical needs where there’s simply no choice. As such, patients quickly look to their insurance company to see if bariatric surgery is covered. The sad truth is that many […]
Addiction Substitution After Bariatric Surgery
We know that food, particularly sugary foods, can be addictive. Some studies suggest that the addictive properties of sugar are as powerful, if not greater than some illicit drugs. It is, therefore, no wonder that it is so difficult to “just lose weight.” While many of us start a new diet with great enthusiasm and success, a few weeks or months later, this focus tends to fall by the wayside, and we eventually regain the weight, sometimes adding even more […]
New Bariatric Surgery Guidance Released by ASMBS and IFSO
While excess weight and obesity are some of the most researched topics in modern-day society, mainly due to the incredible rise in weight-related comorbidities, we do not often get the exciting news of new surgical guidance or suggestions from influential organizations. When they happen, it’s a big deal and something we should consider carefully. Just that happened last month when the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic […]
Who Needs to Know You Are Considering Bariatric Surgery?
Let’s cut right to the chase. The decision to have bariatric surgery is a very personal one. Many factors come into play when you make that decision, and whom you tell is, frankly, entirely up to you. We have some patients that wish to tell everyone they know about their decision, while others don’t say a word to anyone but their medical team. Either way is acceptable, but there are a few considerations: If you keep your decision about bariatric […]
Older Posts