| Bariatric Surgery Obesity can put you at risk for a number of serious illnesses and medical conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, joint problems, cancer, and stroke. It can also affect your relationships, your mobility, and your ability to work productively. Thanks to advances in surgical techniques, many people who are 80 to 100 pounds overweight or over are increasingly choosing bariatric surgery to lose weight and improve their health. Bariatric surgery decreases the size and absorption of the digestive tract so that obese people can lose weight. Bariatric surgery can lead to an increase in self-esteem, improved job satisfaction, and the elimination of social phobias. Over the past 40 years, minimally invasive techniques and improved surgical technology have made bariatric surgery safer and more dependable for patients whose obesity may be life-threatening. Patients may lose up to three-quarters of their excess weight within one to two years of bariatric surgery. Holy Name Medical Center's bariatric surgeons have special expertise in obesity and related diseases. They practice state-of-the-art techniques in use today, including:
Patients considering bariatric surgery are screened carefully and must speak with a psychiatrist or psychologist before scheduling the procedure. Following surgery, patients usually spend three to four days in the Medical Center's 6 Marian nursing unit, where they receive nursing care specific to their bariatric needs. Recovery at home usually takes about three weeks. Because bariatric surgery restricts the amount of food patients can eat, they must follow a specific post-surgical diet of liquids, then pureed foods, then small amounts of solid foods for the rest of their lives. For more information about the bariatric surgery program at Holy Name, call 877-HOLY-NAME (465-9626) for a referral to a Holy Name bariatric surgeon. You may be a candidate for weight loss surgery if you:
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Bariatric Services
