People often ask about the Bariatric Surgical Weight Loss Clinic. Our team − which includes a physician, a nurse practitioner, a registered dietitian, a clinical psychologist, a medical assistant and front office staff − provides medical support to bariatric surgery patients. The patients who come to us are typically 100 pounds or more overweight; many have medical conditions that impact their mobility and quality of life, have battled their weight for years and are contemplating having bariatric surgery. The team at the Bariatric Surgical Weight Loss Clinic, located at Flagstaff Medical Center, essentially practices lifestyle medicine, with a focus on weight management and bariatric surgery.
Bariatric surgery is a powerful tool to help people lose a significant amount of weight and improve or resolve weight-related medical conditions in a relatively short time. Before the surgery, many patients are taking multiple medications, including insulin, and are able to leave the hospital two days after surgery with their insides rearranged, needing half or fewer of the medications, and requiring no insulin. It is amazing. Over time, many patients trade a handful of medications and specialists for a regimen of vitamins and an ongoing commitment to nutrition monitoring and lifestyle medicine.
A typical patient’s pre-operative preparation program lasts four to seven months, though some insurers require up to a year. Our team evaluates each patient’s initial medical and nutritional status. We help patients develop diet and lifestyle regimens appropriate to their current conditions. This helps make surgery safer, and lays the foundation for long-term lifestyle management of health. We encourage our patients to design their home and work environments to promote nutritious eating, activity, stress management and overall well-being in whatever way works for them.
After surgery, we follow patients along with their surgeon, with an eye for complications. We encourage all patients to see us at one, three, six, nine and 12 months after surgery, then yearly forever. We monitor nutrition, adjust diet and supplements, and continue to foster the lifestyle medicine approach to long-term wellness. Most patients do well. The lifestyle medicine part can be more fun with less excess weight and fewer medical conditions.
Bariatric surgery is a powerful tool, but it is not an “easy way out.” There is no escape from the lifelong need for us to pay attention to our lifestyle as a form of medicine. It is encouraging to see the propagation of workplace wellness programs, on-site fitness facilities and offerings of fresh fruit and vegetables in place of fries or chips. It’s a start. We all benefit when our environment is altered and maintaining our health feels less like constant swimming upstream.
Is weight loss surgery the right option?
Weight loss surgery is major surgery, not to be taken lightly. It is not a magic bullet, but a tool to use alongside dietary and lifestyle modifications. Northern Arizona Healthcare’s Bariatric Surgical Weight Loss Clinic helps patients prepare well in advance of their surgery. The clinical team works together to guide patients to make behavioral changes before and after surgery. Surgery is not a guarantee. The success of each patient’s surgery depends on the patient’s commitment to lifelong behavioral changes, including exercise and eating habits as well as fluid and vitamin intake.
Attend a free information session
If you are considering weight loss surgery, Northern Arizona Healthcare’s Bariatric
Surgical Weight Loss Clinic invites you to attend a free information session prior to making an appointment with our surgical staff. Information sessions are held the second Tuesday of each month from 6 to 7 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 1175 W. Route 66 in Flagstaff. These sessions include a presentation by our surgical staff regarding the causes and health complications of obesity, as well as the types of surgeries available. To register, call 928-214-3737. To learn more about the Bariatric Surgical Weight Loss Clinic, visit NAHealth.com.
By Patricia Olm, M.D.
Patricia Olm, M.D., is a physician at Northern Arizona Healthcare’s Bariatric Surgical Weight Loss Clinic.
Northern Arizona Healthcare is creating healthier communities by providing wellness, prevention and medical care through Flagstaff Medical Center, Verde Valley Medical Center, Verde Valley Medical Center – Sedona Campus, Northern Arizona Healthcare – Camp Verde Campus, Northern Arizona Healthcare Medical Group – Flagstaff, Verde Valley Medical Clinic, the Cancer Centers of Northern Arizona Healthcare, Northern Arizona Healthcare Orthopedic Surgery Center, EntireCare Rehab & Sports Medicine, Bariatric Surgical Weight Loss Clinic, the Heart & Vascular Center of Northern Arizona – Cottonwood, the Sleep Center, Guardian Air and Guardian Medical Transport. We also provide comprehensive imaging, laboratory and pharmacy services throughout the region. Many of the services we provide receive major funding through the NAH Foundation, including Fit Kids of Arizona, The Taylor House and Valley View Care.
For more information on Northern Arizona Healthcare programs and services, visit NAHealth.com. “Like” NAH at Facebook.com/NorthernArizonaHealthcare.
Leave a Reply