Integrated Bariatric Lifestyle Program
Weight Loss Surgery Home Run: It's All About Your Performance at the Plate
Gastric bypass surgery is a complex procedure that requires several hours of work in the O.R. by a skilled surgeon. But that's hardly the only work required for successful weight loss surgery, said Gus J. Slotman, M.D., medical director of the bariatric surgery program at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center.
"Gastric bypass is a surgical treatment for medical problems caused by a psychological disorder, an eating disorder," said Dr. Slotman. "It will not succeed unless the psychological eating disorder is addressed long-term."
The bottom line is that patients must make a commitment to a drastic change in his or her eating lifestyle, a lifestyle more drastic than they have ever tried before, he said. It's a mountain of a challenge.
But the patient has a team of helpers available from Dr. Slotman, his staff and the Lourdes Wellness Center, all of whom work for months to prepare the patient for successful surgery. The counseling is part of the Integrated Bariatric Lifestyle Program of Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center.
"The patient first talks with my office manager about the requirements of their insurance company, and then they get a list of medical evaluations I need to determine if they are safe for surgery," said the physician.
Then the surgeon interviews the patient.
Dr. Slotman tells morbidly obese patients that statistics indicate they will cut some 12 years off their life if they do not lose significant amounts of weight, that they are not likely to lose enough weight by themselves once they are 100 pounds or more overweight, and that gastric bypass surgery will shed two-thirds of the amount they are overweight over a 2-year period if they follow the diet and exercise program the team recommends.
But bariatric surgery is not a magic cure, is rather a tool that requires a lifetime commitment, he tells the patients. And he urges the patient to consider whether this is the right time in their lives to have such surgery.
"That's when we start a lifetime relationship with the patient," said the physician. "We see them before surgery, get them involved with Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, where they have a "Prepare for Surgery" class, see the hospital floor, talk with the nurses, talk to a nutritionist. They develop a long-term relationship with us."
After surgery, Dr. Slotman sees the patients at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 2 years and then annually after that. Each time he reviews the patient's diet success or failure and counsels them on required changes.
Also on the patient's side is the expertise of the Lourdes Wellness Center, where people such as Kathryn Friedman, director of integrated health care, counsel patients whose surgery is in the past but who are struggling now. In the patient testimonial video, she discusses some of the issues discussed during the counseling and the courage of those who work their way to success with weight loss.
Dr. Slotman said patients must adjust to the major psychological change of taking responsibility for their own lives, which can be challenging to people who have depended on others even to tie their shoes. The integrated program also includes a Cherry Hill psychologist whose specialty is assessing the patient's emotional dependence on food, said the physician.
To locate a Lourdes Health System bariatric surgeon by phone, call 1-888-LOURDES.
