www.globalsurgerycenter.com

Lap-Band Surgery – Weight Loss Surgery

Safe, Rapid Weight Loss

It’s More Than a Question of Appearance!

Morbid obesity is not only unattractive, but life threatening. Even less severe degrees of obesity can be a major threat to the quality of your life. It has been estimated that 64.5% of all Americans are affected, to some degree, by problems related to obesity.

Obesity has been dubbed by some experts as “the mother of all diseases” because this condition either causes or exacerbates: dangerously high levels of cholesterol; high blood pressure; diabetes; impotency; hypertension; urinary stress incontinence; coronary artery disease; stroke; breast cancer; arthritic joints; sleep apnea; kidney failures; menstrual irregularities; asthma; swollen legs; depression; and dozens of

other health disorders.

Compared to a person of normal weight, a 25-year-old obese man or woman has a reduced life span, and can expect a loss of about 12 years of life.

Weight-loss surgery has been shown to improve one’s lifespan by reducing excess body weight. There are three common forms of weight-loss surgery:

• Gastric bypass surgery, a procedure that reroutes the digestive system, causing rapid weight loss.

Unfortunately, gastric bypass surgery also often leads to nutritional deficiencies that can cause

severe health complications.

• Gastroplasty, which also reroutes the digestive system, but is most notable because it restricts the amount of food that can be eaten by making the stomach smaller.

Bariatric Procedure –

• Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding (also known simply as lap-band surgery), a procedure in which an adjustable band is placed around the upper third portion of the stomach to create a small stomach pouch.

Healthcare professionals can adjust the dimensions of that band to hold 2, 4, or 6 ounces of food. Thus restricting the stomach gives the patient a feeling of fullness and thus prevents overeating, while at the same time allowing the food that is eaten to be released more slowly into the lower portion of the stomach for

healthier digestion.

Of these three approaches, Global Medical Service offers you Lap-Band surgery, which is approved by the FDA, is the only treatment that is reversible, and is the least invasive of all the procedures. The lap-band procedure can be performed in 30 to 40 minutes with the patient remaining in the hospital for as little as

one overnight. However, it is generally recommended that patients allow an additional week following the procedure to recover, and that they adhere to a carefully prescribed program of diet and moderate exercise during that period.

The Three Phases

There are three phases associated with the Lap-Band surgical procedure:

before the procedure, during the procedure, and after the procedure.

Before the Procedure

This phase involves a complete analysis of your medical history and medical records by the Lap-Band Surgeon who may also interview you by phone or face-to-face to determine the treatment course.

If you accept the recommendation by the Surgeon, you will be asked to comply with a prescribed regimen of diet and exercise in advance of the actual procedure. During this time, we will help you to finalize your travel and resort accommodations. Every detail of your itinerary will be documented for you, describing what will happen from the moment you arrive at your destination, how you will be transported to the resort, the full range of dining and entertainment options that will be available to you, and plans for returning you to the airport for your trip home.

During the Procedure

During your procedure you should expect to remain

in our 80-bed facility for, at most, two days.

All of the costs associated with your stay at the Center are included for this service. That includes the surgery, the anesthesia, your medications, your meals, the over-night stay with a 24 hour nurse, post surgery garments per your surgery, follow up visits, your transportation between the Hospital and Resort, and any incidentals.

You never need to put your hand in your pocket, unless you want to bring home a souvenir.

After the Procedure

Assuming that you have devoted one-week, you will likely have time to enjoy the fun and sun of the

beautiful Dominican Republic. You will, however, be expected to follow any diet and exercise regimen prescribed by your doctors. For weight-loss patients, these procedures will vary, depending on your weight and weight-loss goals, but will typically involve your adopting and adhering to a new attitude towards eating, including:

• Initially eating only foods that have first been shredded in a food processor. For lap-band

patients, these foods typically include meats that are easily chewed and digested, or other forms of protein, low-fiber vegetables, and salads. (Protein intake is especially important to lap-band patients, who must consume 50-60 grams of protein daily. Prohibited foods will include bread, potatoes, fried foods, starchy vegetables, and any spicy consumables.

• You will be drinking protein shakes and relearning eating skills much the same as a new baby eats, and slowly adds new and chunkier foods to its diet.

Chances are, you will be heading home in about one week. Much of your post-operative time will be

devoted to ensuring that you know how to maintain the long-term benefits of this procedure. Your Global Medical Service Personal Care Manager will make follow-up calls to you, both to get any evaluative feedback you might have regarding this experience, and to help you adjust to the wonderful experience of becoming the new you!

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Losing weight is something that many people have to face at some point in their lives. For many people it is a lifelong struggle that results in them facing the medical problems associated with obesity.

When a person becomes morbidly obese they are actually facing a much shorter life span. The human body is not equipped to carry too much extra weight. With any additional mass, many of the bodys internal organs must work harder.

One solution that many people are now turning to is gastric bypass surgery. This is a medical procedure designed to help people who are obese lose weight so that they can go on to live longer and healthier lives. Gastric bypass is not designed for a person who has just twenty or thirty pounds to lose.

A doctor may suggest gastric bypass if a person has been struggling with an obesity problem for a number of years. There are many conditions which are a direct result of being obese including diabetes and coronary artery disease. For these people they simply need to loose weight in order to prolong their lives.

Before a person can have a gastric bypass procedure they need to undergo a battery of tests. These tests will help determine whether or not their body can survive the surgery. They will also speak with a psychologist who will decide whether they are mentally and emotionally stable enough to face the consequences.

Once the surgery has been performed the real work begins. Gastric bypass involves cutting off access to the stomach. The persons digestive system is revamped so that they now only have a small pouch that is used to store food. This means that they are very restricted in what they are permitted to eat. Because their food intake is so drastically reduced during the gastric bypass operation they can no longer absorb as many calories as they once did.

Many people who undergo a gastric bypass have to completely learn to change their eating habits. This can prove to be a challenge but if they continue to eat the same as before the operation they will suffer very serious complications.

Exercise is important as well after a gastric bypass. If a person is very obese they will have to begin slowly perhaps by walking for just a few moments each day until they begin to lose the weight. Once more weight is lost they can quickly increase their exercise time each day and include activities such as riding a bike and even lifting weights.

It can be very easy to fall back into old patterns once the weight has been lost but it is important to view gastric bypass as a second chance at life. If you are fortunate enough to have the surgery and lose the weight, take great care of yourself so you never have to face those same health problems again.