Make A Change for Your Life!
The Center for Weight Loss Surgery (CWLS) at Northridge Hospital Medical Center, offers options that can transform the lives of severely obese people. Our weight loss program is a team approach that provides assistance after surgery through our support group.
As healthcare providers we are keenly aware of new medical services and technologies and the benefits of each. So when our Center made its debut, it didn’t take long for employees and family members to inquire about the two bariatric (weight loss) surgeries offered, Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass and Gastric Banding. Following are two employee success stories to read.
Be sure to check out the information provided in the right hand links, including our low cost cash pricing. The information includes articles on weight loss surgery, your body, balance in life, eating well, activity, attitude and an interactive body mass index calculator.
Call our toll free number for more information: 1-877-448-4448
DAREN AYRES
Director, Access Care Services
Weight Lost: 50 pounds since undergoing Gastric Banding (LAP-BAND System) surgery one month ago.
Why I Made the Change: I couldn’t walk without losing my breath. When I was diagnosed with diabetes, I decided it was time to change my life.
Recovery Time: Four weeks. The surgery was not a big deal. I had very little pain.
Biggest Benefit: I am able to walk without losing my breath. I am walking five miles a day and love it. I love the way I am looking.
Advice for Those Considering Bariatric Surgery: Take that step—it is no big deal. I originally was going to have the surgery in 2005 but was fearful so I canceled it. I finally had the surgery one month ago. I am so glad that I finallt did it.
There are many benefits to the minimally invasive laparoscopic technique. Patients experience a shorter hospital stay, faster return to work, greater postoperative comfort, and less visible scarring.
While the advantages are vast, our extended family here at Northridge Hospital had their own personal reasons for undergoing bariatric surgery—whether it was to improve self-image, lower blood pressure, control diabetes, treat sleep apnea or find a better alternative to a heart transplant.
Next, read Brande's story.
BRANDE MCILROY, RN, MSN, CCRN
Critical Care Unit
Weight Lost: Has maintained a weight loss of 175 pounds since undergoing Gastric Bypass surgery four years ago.
Why I Made the Change: I had reached my heaviest weight at 365 pounds and was beginning to have health problems. I was short of breath, unable to walk or push beds, and finding it difficult to care for patients in the Critical Care Unit.
Recovery Time: It took me about six weeks to recover with absolutely no complications.
Biggest Benefit: I have a whole new life! I have more energy, a better sense of well-being and best of all a new husband. I can also fit into airplane seats and public restrooms.
Advice for Those Considering Bariatric Surgery: Go for it! Your life will be more fulfilling.
You can read more weight loss success stories, and meet our physicians, in Spring 2008 issue of HealthSpeak, our community education newsletter.
Minimally Invasive Procedures
There are many benefits to the minimally invasive laparoscopic technique. Patients experience a shorter hospital stay, faster return to work, greater postoperative comfort, and less visible scarring.
Gastric Bypass is a combined restrictive/malabsorptive procedure that reduces the stomach to the size of a small pouch by stapling a portion of it. Then, a Y-shaped part of the small intestine is attached to the stomach pouch so that food can bypass the duodenum and extend to the initial portion of the jejunum. The bypasses of the small intestine are formed to decrease the absorption of food nutrients. Both surgeries alter the digestive process so that patients lose weight safely.
Gastric Banding, also called the LAP-BAND System®, is a minimally invasive procedure whereby an adjustable band is placed around the stomach to restrict food intake. They are usually performed laparoscopically with five to six buttonhole size incisions in the abdominal wall instead of a major surgical incision. During laparoscopic surgery, scopes and very thin instruments are controlled from outside the body, while the procedure is monitored on a video screen.
We invite you to explore the information provided in the right hand links. The more you learn the better prepared you can be when meeting with a physician to discuss the best options for you. We offer free informational sessions twice a month. Check the schedule for dates and times.
