Support Groups
Surgical Bariatrics Northwest offers support groups to all of our patients to ensure they recieve the best care necessary for a quick and healthy recovery. Meetings are held every week in our offices by Dr. Edwin Hutchinson. The point of the groups is to help patients adjust to their new bodies, or prepare for the bodies they will soon have.
Click here to view the times of our next support groups to see if you can attend.
Life After Surgery
After surgery, success is in your hands. The changes you make need to be lifelong commitments. Follow any instructions on nutrition and activity. Be aware that how you see yourself and how others see you may change. Turn to those close to you for support. They can help you adjust to your new life.
Most laparoscopic gastorintestinal procedure patients will experience rapid weight loss in the first few months after the operation,weight loss is more gradual with LAP-BANDŽ. This depends on how they use the tool to maintain intake of low calorie healthy foods. It is further strongly influenced by whether or not they exercise with regularity. In general, weight loss becomes maximal at 12 to 18 months after gastric bypass surgery, 36 months after lap-band surgery. A patient's weight then stabilizes or may increase slightly. It is not uncommon to gain back 10 or 15 pounds. Most people will lose 60 to 75% of their excess body weight after gastric bypass. For example, a person who weighs 200 pounds more than ideal would be expected to lose 100 to 150 pounds. This total overall weight loss is more variable after LAP-BANDŽ surgery. Individual discipline and effort influence the final result.
Although weight loss is a desired effect of this procedure, the true benefit is seen in overall improvement of health. Many of the severe medical problems associated with obesity are diminished after surgery. Ninety percent of people with diabetes, sleep apnea, GERD, hypercholesterolemia, or obesity hypoventilation syndrome experience major improvements in these medical problems. In fact, in most of these patients the problem is completely eradicated. Hypertension, arthritis, asthma, headaches and depression are other conditions that can be expected to improve after successful surgery. Overall, 95% of patients report that their quality of life has improved dramatically.