New Bariatric program appointments with the nurse practitioner are made once we receive your personal history form. An evaluation appointment with the surgeon is usually booked 4-6 weeks after we receive a clearance letter from your clinical nutritionist or bariatric physician. Once a patient is seen by the surgeon and the surgeon and patient agree surgery is appropriate, the operation can usually be scheduled within 8 weeks.

New evaluation appointments are usually booked 4-8 months in advance. Once a patient is seen, if the surgeon and patient agree it is appropriate, the operation can usually be scheduled within 8 weeks. Why so long? There is more need for weight loss surgery than there are qualified bariatric surgeons.One of the obstacles at CCS has been working with our patients to get insurance approval.

There are several different kinds of surgical procedures to help people who are significantly overweight. By reducing the size of the stomach, these procedures restrict the amount of food you can consume. Long-term success depends in large part on permanently following a restricted diet and making major lifestyle changes.

The lap band procedure is reversible and does not modify your internal anatomy. Stomach stapling is designed to be permanent, but in general gastric bypass procedures are reversible. But ask your doctor about your specific procedure.

Surgery is sometimes the best option for severely obese people who cannot lose weight by traditional means or who suffer from serious obesity-related health problems. The surgery promotes weight loss by restricting food intake and, in some operations, interrupting the digestive process. As in other treatments for obesity, the best results are achieved with healthy eating behaviors and regular physical activity.

This really depends on the type of weight loss surgery you have and the type of job you do. For lap band surgery the procedures are usually done laparoscopically and don't require stapling or rearranging of your stomach anatomy, thus your hospitalization is usually less than 24 hours. And your recovery can be as little as a few days. For gastric bypass surgery, most patients can proceed with a regular activities after 6 weeks.

Answer: Weight Loss Surgery has been performed at Palms of Pasadena Hospital since 2000. Palms of Pasadena Hospital was the first hospital in Pinellas County with a unit dedicated to Gastric Bypass patients.

A3. Patients undergo a thorough screening process at the Weight loss institute of Arizona to identify whether they are appropriate candidates for surgery. Surgical candidates need to be at least 100 pounds overweight. A more accurate measurement is the Body Mass Index or BMI. Surgical candidates need to have a BMI above 30 or a BMI above 30 with other obesity-related conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.

You will want to obtain a copy of your current insurance policy to determine if these procedures are covered. Insurance details can be difficult to navigate, and our insurance specialists will gladly assist you in determining if these procedures are a covered benefit in your plan.

Weight loss surgery is considered successful when 50% of excess weight is lost and the loss is sustained up to five years. For example, a patient who is 100 pounds overweight should lose at least 50 pounds; a patient who is 200 pounds overweight should lose at least 100 pounds. And they should be able to maintain loss successfully for the following five years. Ninety-five percent of patients reach that goal after gastric bypass surgery.

If you're lucky, the weight loss institution you choose will handle insurance matters for you. In any event, you might be surprised to learn that many insurance companies will cover the treatment of health problems caused by obesity but not obesity itself. So it is a good idea to have a basic understanding of what your insurance will cover prior to setting up a meeting with a bariatric surgeon.

Your personal surgical history and the technique to be used are discussed at your surgical consultation.