is affecting their health the surgi- cal care, counseling and support they need to
change their lives, said. Ginny Patrick, bariatric specialty leader at St. Mary's.
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THE HEALTH SOURCE ‘It completely changed my life!’ Amanda and Patrick Hansen can run around with their 12-yearold twins, and be involved in their sporting activities. Krista Stewart can play basketball with her son, take him to amusement parks and run on the treadmill. A few years ago, none of that would have been possible. All three were battling obesity and the health problems related to it. They turned to the Weight Loss Surgery Center at St. Mary’s Medical Center to help them lose the weight that was keeping them from the activities and lifestyles they wanted. “It completely changed my life!” said Stewart, a 35-year-old mother from Myrtle, W.Va., who had bariatric surgery at St. Mary’s in 2009. “Before surgery, I was almost 300 pounds, had high blood pressure and high cholesterol and was probably going to have to have knee replacement surgery within a few years. Now, I’m about half that weight. I’m much more active, and have gone from a size 28 to a size three to five.” St. Mary’s Weight Loss Surgery Center offers patients whose obesity is affecting their health the surgical care, counseling and support they need to change their lives, said Ginny Patrick, bariatric specialty leader at St. Mary’s. Weight loss surgery is not a silver bullet or quick fix for people with obesity, Patrick said, but a powerful tool that works with lifestyle changes to drastically improve the lives of people who are ready and committed to losing weight. Weight Loss Surgery at St. Mary’s At St. Mary’s Weight Loss Surgery Center, patients are offered the latest care, including a choice of three surgical procedures, which are all performed laparoscopically using minimally invasive techniques for a faster recovery. “We do the laparoscopic banding, or Lap-Band®, procedure, the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and laparoscopic gastric bypass,” Patrick said. Each technique has its advantages and benefits for individual patients. “The surgeon goes over all of the risks and benefits, and he and the patient decide the best option.” “The Lap-Band is a silicone band that is placed around the upper part of the stomach, restricting the amount of food the patient can eat,” she said. “The patient comes in about every six weeks for an adjustment in which saline is injected into the band through a small port beneath the skin in the abdomen. The more saline, the tighter the band. Patients may continue to have adjustments that will make the ring tighter until they achieve optimal weight loss.” The Lap-Band is a less invasive surgery, Patrick said, with the surgeon not removing any tissue, but instead placing a band around the stomach to make it smaller. Because the stomach remains intact, the procedure can be reversed. Stewart chose Lap-Band surgery because of the adjustability and reversibility, she said. “I like that if I start getting hungry, the band can be filled more,” she said. “Also, the fluid can be removed with just a needle if needed,
Patrick and Amanda Hansen before weight loss surgery at St. Mary’s.
Tim Robarts, MD, FACS, FASMBS, surgeon and medical director of St. Mary’s Weight Loss Surgery Center. like if I got pregnant.” In laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, the surgeon removes about 85 percent of the stomach, making a small banana-shaped sleeve, Patrick said. This surgery doesn’t require adjustments like a LapBand, and the patients start losing weight right after surgery and tend to lose it more quickly, she said. The Hansens chose gastric bypass, which restricts the amount of food a person can eat and also reduces the amount of calories and nutrients the patient’s body absorbs by bypassing part of the small intestine. After surgery, patients must take vitamins and minerals because they’re not absorbing all of the nutrition from their food, Patrick said. Like the sleeve gastrectomy, Patrick and Amanda Hansen after weight loss surgery at St. Mary’s. gastric bypass does not require ad-
Staff at St. Mary’s Weight Loss Surgery Center help patients through each step of their education and surgery. Pictured are: (L-R) Mary Lynne Thacker, secretary; Ginny Patrick, RN, bariatric nurse coordinator; Lisa Collins, MSN, CFNP; and Terri Gray, MS, RD, LD. justments and leads to rapid weight loss. St. Mary’s Weight Loss Surgery Center provides comprehensive care for patients, including: • Care from a board-certified surgeon skilled in bariatric surgery • Coordination of care by a bariatric nurse specialist • Personal instruction from a dietitian experienced in the nutritional needs of people undergoing weight loss surgery • Psycho-emotional counseling, as necessary, before and after surgery • Intensive education, as well as individual and group support “The team at St. Mary’s is great,”
Weight loss surgery patients report many types of benefits after they lose weight. Below are a few of the comments from patients at St. Mary’s: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
surgery and during the weight loss process. If they identify their problems and work through them, they tend not to gain back. We help them work on changing their eating habits to eat good, healthy food.” Hansen said the change isn’t easy. “In everyday life, it sometimes seems that everything is about food,” she said. “You go out with friends, and you eat. At the holidays, you eat.” She and her husband have changed not only their own lifestyles, but their whole family’s as well. “We don’t have sugar and sugary foods in the house,” she said. “The kids eat what we eat. We’ve changed the way they eat, so they don’t have to go through what we’ve gone through. I don’t want them to be called names or not get a job because of their weight or the way they look.”
“I can sit in chairs with ease.” “My shoes are more comfortable.” “I received a compliment from someone.” “My blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar are lower.” “I look forward to my daily walk, instead of dreading it.” “I’m snoring less.” “Exercise has become part of my routine and I feel good when I exercise.” “I’m sleeping better.” “I have more energy at the end of the day.” “I can play sports with my kids.” “I don’t feel winded after climbing stairs.” “I can touch my toes, and can tie my shoes and clip my toenails more easily.” “My legs aren’t as swollen.” “I can share clothes with friends.” “I’m not hot all the time.” “I feel more confident.” “I can wear high heels without pain.” “I feel good about what I’m doing for myself.”
Stewart said. “They will work with you and do anything they can to help you. They have counselors for the patients, and you can always talk to Ginny.” Amanda Hansen said that she would recommend St. Mary’s to anyone considering weight loss surgery. “Dr. (Tim) Robarts did the surgery for me and my husband, and he was terrific,” she said. Candidates for weight loss surgery Weight loss surgery provides great benefits to many people, but it isn’t for everybody, Patrick said. “We consider weight loss surgery for people who are morbidly obese,” she said. “Generally, that means they’re at least 100 pounds overweight and have a body mass index of 40 more. It also may be an option for patients with a body mass index of 35 to 39, but they must also have a co-morbid condition, such as hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, coronary artery disease or type II diabetes.” For insurance to pay, the surgery has to be deemed a medical necessity, she said. Patients must be at least 18 years old, have been overweight for two to five years or more, and have already tried diet, exercise and other non-surgical weight loss methods, Patrick said. “They also have to be dedicated to making a lifestyle change,” she said. “To sustain the weight loss, you have to manage your diet and exercise, and you can’t drink alcohol in excess.” Amanda Hansen had struggled with her weight all of her life. “I would go on a diet, then get hungry, then eat, then gain weight, then go on a diet again,” she said. “It went on for years.” She recommends that others in her situation consider weight loss
Krista Stewart before weight loss surgery at St. Mary’s.
Krista Stewart after weight loss surgery at St. Mary’s. surgery. “It’s a huge, huge decision and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly,” she said. “But when I did it, it was such a big relief.” Stewart had been prescribed a diet by her doctor and had tried Weight Watchers. “I would lose a little bit and then gain it back,” she said. “When I was younger, I was very active. I was a scholarship basketball player.” But, after pregnancy and then some time on birth control pills, she found that she had quickly gained more than 60 pounds, and it was taking a toll on her joints. “This was the right decision for me,” she said. “I would absolutely do it again.” Lifestyle changes after surgery “Whatever weight loss surgery patients choose, it’s only a tool to help them lose the weight,” Patrick said. “It will not keep the weight off if they don’t make the lifestyle change. “Some people think it will do everything for them,” she said. “With any of the three surgeries we offer, they can gain the weight back if they don’t change.” Patients need to pay attention to their mental well-being as well as their physical health, she said. “Once they lose the weight and then maybe gain a little back, they can panic and go right back to having eating issues,” Patrick said. “We offer counseling to help them before
The process has made them closer as a family, Hansen said. “We’ve done it together and we support each other.”
Benefits of weight loss surgery From a health standpoint, the benefits to weight loss surgery are numerous. “The majority of patients are able to go off oral diabetic medications or reduce the amount of insulin they take,” Patrick said. “They don’t have to take as much medicine for high blood pressure or reflux disease. It reduces high cholesterol, swelling of extremities, the effects of diabetes and degenerative joint disease, among others.” The benefits go well beyond what shows on a medical chart, though. “We find that patients are more confident,” she said. “They’re able to play with their children. They can fit in regular-size seats, which is a tremendous benefit. They’re also more productive. People who are obese often don’t have the confidence to go out and do something. After surgery, they’re more assertive. You can tell it in their posture, with their heads up and chests out.” “I can run with my children now,” Hansen said. “I can be active with them without being out of breath. We both have more energy, and now we go from daylight until dark and beyond.” St. Mary’s Weight Loss Surgery Center is on Facebook! Check out the online community by going to Facebook.com and searching for St. Mary’s Weight Loss Surgery Center.
