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Links and Frequently Asked Questions Click for links to sites where you can find books with information about weight loss surgery. Click on any of the links below to find more information about weight loss surgery. WeightLossSurgeryOptions.com (from the makers of the Lap-Band®) National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Disease W.I.N.G.S. Around Atlanta (Support Group)
Weight Loss Surgery Center (wls.com) Association for Morbid Obesity Support (ObesityHelp.com)
Frequently Asked Questions Is this considered cosmetic surgery? No. Although patients feel much better about their appearance after weight loss, the purpose of surgery is to become healthier. Weight loss surgery may alleviate or help the patient avoid weight related diseases. From an insurance standpoint, the surgery is definitely not cosmetic. How much time from the first visit to surgery? After an initial phone interview with a member of our staff, an appointment with the doctor is scheduled. The first visit is mostly informational, where we learn about you and you learn more about us. You then have a complete physical examination with us and are scheduled for appropriate pre-operative testing. As you go through this process, our office assists you in obtaining insurance approval for surgery. When this is accomplished, your final visit is made to go over all your remaining questions, review all your pre-operative test results, and again go over the goals, risks, options, and benefits of surgery in detail prior to surgery. The length of the entire process varies somewhat depending on your insurance carrier’s speed of approval, but in general it takes two to three months. Do you perform this surgery laparoscopically? Yes. Atlanta Bariatrics offers laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and LAP-BAND procedures.. Although most of our patients have the surgery in this manner, not everyone is a candidate for a laparoscopic approach. In those rare cases the procedure can be performed through an open incision approach. How long is the hospital stay? The typical stay is two nights in the hospital after gastric bypass or one night after LAP-BAND placement, but these stays may need to be extended depending on each individual’s medical situation. The bottom line is that each patient stays until the surgeon feels that it is safe for the patient to go home. Does insurance cover the surgery? Some insurance plans now understand the medical necessity of weight-loss surgery and will give approval. However, each insurance carrier has its own idiosyncrasies. Our staff can help guide you through the insurance maze. For those patients for whom insurance does not cover obesity surgery, our office can provide you with information on other payment methods. Do you perform laparoscopic gastric banding (adjustable band, Lap-Band) ? Yes! The LAP-BAND® system has received FDA approval for use in the United States. Recent advances in surgical technique for LAP-BAND placement as well as improvements in follow up adjustment strategies have made the LAP-BAND an attractive option for surgical weight loss. Do you have a dedicated registered dietician as part of your program? Yes. Part of our comprehensive weight-loss program includes scheduled visits with our dietician. She will meet with you in our office and help you develop proper eating habits before and after surgery and work with you to achieve your nutritional goals. Does your program offer support groups following surgery? We offer a support group that meets on the first Wednesday of each month. We encourage you to attend the meetings both before and after surgery. The meetings allow the opportunity to discuss various health topics, get information from guest speakers, and talk with individuals going through the same experience. Why do I need to stop smoking before having weight loss surgery? There are multiple reasons to stop smoking. Patients overall will have fewer complications if they no longer smoke. Smoking damages the lungs and this can lead to higher anesthetic risks and pneumonias following surgery. It takes about a month for the lungs to recover - so stop now! In addition, weight loss surgery is about improving your health. Smoking directly contradicts this goal. Why don’t you always remove the gallbladder at the time of the gastric bypass? During the time of intense weight loss, you are at risk of developing gallstones. However, most people who develop gallstones do not have any symptoms from them and gallstones will actually cause problems in only 5-10% of patients. In addition, the trocar placement required for the laparoscopic gastric bypass isn’t optimal for removal of the gallbladder. If you are having current symptoms from gallstones, we will discuss with you the risks of removal of your gallbladder and consider doing it at the time of your bypass. How long does the operation take? Most of the laparoscopic gastric bypass procedures can be performed in approximatley 1 hour. It may take longer if you have had previous surgery or there is anatomic difficulty accessing your stomach such as an enlarged liver. The LapBand procedure usually takes less than an hour to perform. What supplements are necessary after surgery? -after gastric bypass: Gastric bypass surgery alters the way your body absorbs many vitamins and nutrients. It is important to take supplements the rest of your life to avoid the deficiency problems that can develop without supplementation. Most vitamins and minerals can be replaced with a good adult multivitamin. This will have the full complement of water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins, iron, zinc, and other minerals needed. The vitamin supplement should be chewable during the first three weeks, but afterwards can be in pill form. The second supplement needed is calcium. Calcium is absorbed in a part of the intestine that is bypassed, so it takes additional supplementation to avoid the thinning of bones and subsequent fractures that can occur. The preferred calcium supplement is Calcium Citrate and the recommended daily intake is 1200mg. The third supplement is Vitamin B-12. This vitamin is normally absorbed from the diet after it combines with a protein called intrinsic factor. This protein is made in the bypassed stomach and therefore can no longer be absorbed in the diet or in pill form. Vitamin B-12 is important to help prevent anemia and also functions in spinal cord nerve function. Supplementation requires daily sublingual tablets (under the tongue) or intermittent injections. -after Lap-Band: Gastric banding does not alter the absorption of the foods you eat. However, you will be eating less. We recommend a simple chewable multivitamin once daily for our patients who have the Lap-Band procedure. When can I start exercising? We will strongly encourage you to start walking on the day of your surgery. You will increase your activity level during your hospitalizations and should be able to walk without difficulty at your discharge. Can I take ibuprofen or similar medications after surgery? Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), Naprosyn, Aleve, indomethacin, Celebrex or other similar medications should not be taken after surgery. It is okay to take Tylenol. When can I become pregnant after weight loss surgery? We strongly advise against becoming pregnant during the first 1-2 years following surgery. The reason is there is real potential for the fetus to suffer from the poor nutritional intake during the weight loss period. This requires the mother to take in high nutritional requirements to protect the baby. The mother will then lose no further weight during pregnancy and often will not lose any further weight after delivery. She will therefore miss the benefits of weight loss surgery. It is important to note that women can actually become more fertile as they experience weight loss. Fat produces estrogen which can cause hormonal imbalances and even infertility. As you lose weight, your hormone levels can become more regular and leave you with an increased chance of becoming pregnant! Please take precautions and talk with your gynecologist about contraception techniques to avoid pregnancy. After your weight loss is over, pregnancy is safe. Many of our patients have had very normal pregnancies and deliveries. Will I lose my hair? Hair loss can accompany the rapid and significant weight loss seen after gastric bypass surgery. Some patients notice this while brushing their hair around 4-6 months post-operatively. This can occur with any significant stress to the body and is usually similar to that seen in pregnancy or trauma. The hair follicles return to normal after the weight loss and virtually everyone has re-grown their hair once their weight stabilizes. Poor protein intake and some mineral deficiencies such as zinc can also contribute, so supplementation is important. Can I have a “tummy tuck” at the same time? No. We strongly recommend that you wait until you have lost the weight (1 to 2 years) before deciding if you want to have any “extra” skin removed.
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