Medical Weight Loss After
Bariatric Surgery
Do I need to see a Medical Bariatrician for weight loss after Bariatric Surgery?
Simply put: YES.
After your bariatric surgery, whether you had the lap band, gastric bypass, the gastric sleeve, or the intragastric balloon, we advise you to follow up with your bariatric surgeon as scheduled. Most bariatric surgeons typically will schedule to see you at one week and one month after your bariatric surgery. During that period (one week to one month) after your bariatric surgery, there are important surgical concerns that your surgeon must monitor, to ensure that your immediate post-operative period is a success. After that, many bariatric surgeons will have you follow up with their office less frequently.
However, it is vital that you follow up with an experienced Bariatrician, like Dr. Obi, after your weight loss surgery. At Worthy Weight Loss, our “Medical Weight Loss After Bariatric Surgery” protocol is suited for you if you are struggling to lose weight after Bariatric Surgery. Our treatment protocol will help you achieve your complete transformation after weight loss surgery.
Only a Bariatrician (Obesity Medical Specialist) who is experienced in treating patients, both in the immediate and the distant post-operative period after bariatric surgery, has the clinical tools and knowledge on how to manage some of the health concerns that you may be faced with after your bariatric surgery. These post bariatric surgery health concerns include:
1. Medication Adjustment
Weaning off, lowering the dose of, or discontinuing some of the medications you were taking prior to weight loss surgery.
2. Post Bariatric Surgery Meal Plans
Developing healthy meal plans to keep the weight off after bariatric surgery and promote a strong metabolism.
3. Manage other Obesity-related Medical Conditions
Ongoing surveillance and treatment of all medical conditions associated with obesity.
4. Treat Post Bariatric Surgery Vitamin Deficiencies
Vitamin and nutrient deficiencies can be a long-term complication after bariatric surgery. These vitamin and nutrient deficiencies can lead to nerve pain, excessive fatigue/weakness, excessive hair loss, bones that break easily and poor memory. The research is clear that weight loss surgery patients are at a significantly increased risk for long term deficiencies in folic acid, vitamins B1 and B12, vitamin D, calcium, protein and iron. The good news is that these nutrient deficiencies are easy to identify and corrected before it’s too late by simply following the Bariatric Surgery Aftercare that we have created for bariatric surgery patients at Worthy Weight Loss. As part of this protocol, we carefully screen for these nutrient deficiencies (using lab tests) to ensure that they do not occur. Should you develop one of these deficiencies, we immediately place you on the proper nutrient and vitamin supplements to quickly correct them. If you are not following this type of bariatric surgery after care treatment plan, then you may develop a silent nutrient/vitamin deficiency that you may not feel early but may lead to severe and irreversible long-term health consequences.
5. Post Bariatric Surgery Emotional Support
Some patients experience emotional difficulties after bariatric surgery due to factors such as adjusting to the “new me,” adjusting to new expectations from others, and from within; dealing with questions from friends, co-workers and relatives, just to name a few. It’s important to work with an experienced medical bariatrician that collaborates with a team of trained professionals to help you address these issues.
6. Manage Post Bariatric Surgery Hunger
It is not a secret that hunger eventually comes back at some point after bariatric surgery. Most patients who underwent bariatric surgery will readily admit that at some point around Month 6, Month 9 or so after their bariatric surgery, they noticed their hunger coming back. Bariatric surgery is not a permanent fix for hunger. However, it is an important tool (in the weight management tool box) that helps reduce hunger. When your hunger comes back after bariatric surgery, you need a trained and experienced medical bariatrician like Dr. Obi, to put you on the appropriate FDA approved hunger control medication (at the appropriate dose and regimen) to manage your post bariatric surgery hunger, as part of your long-term weight loss maintenance plan.
7. Avoid and Control Post Bariatric Surgery Weight Regain
Current medical research has shown that a high percentage of weight loss surgery patients regain a significant portion of the weight that they lost during the first year or two after surgery. Researchers (Karmali, et al., Obesity Surgery Nov. 2013) have found that weight regain after bariatric surgery can be caused by numerous factors including, emotional, nutritional, hormonal/metabolic and physical inactivity, just to name a few. In addition, most research studies have shown that the most common underlying factor contributing to patients regaining weight after weight loss surgery, is the lack of a coordinated after-care, post bariatric surgery protocol. At Worthy Weight Loss, we have designed a comprehensive and effective post Bariatric Surgery Aftercare program designed to assist you avoid/halt weight regain after bariatric surgery.
