Thinking About Bariatric Surgery?

I will be “mom” again.

Thinking about bariatric surgery, but not sure where to turn?

HCA Houston Healthcare has the answer.

For Heather Sarten, one particularly difficult memory she lives with involves a trampoline.

Her children had just received the big-ticket item for Christmas, and Sarten’s son was begging her to join him for some bouncing. When Sarten agreed, and started climbing up, something caught her eye – the trampoline tag. Sarten couldn’t help but notice she exceeded the weight limit all on her own.

“I proceeded to sit in my yard and cry,” Sarten said. “This was the moment I knew something had to change.”

The situation was hard to swallow, but it was a turning point for Sarten. She began looking into her options and learned about lap band surgery.

“I decided I would take that path,” Sarten said. “I had the surgery and started losing weight, and feeling so much better.” Sarten is now the director of Bariatric Navigation with the Redefine Clinical Weight Loss Program at HCA Houston Healthcare. Her story is inspirational, uplifting and incredibly relatable. So many people in this country struggle with their weight for a myriad of reasons. Having the strength to change your circumstances makes the difference.

Sarten, for her part, was never obese until her early twenties. That’s when her thyroid stopped working and she gained 100 pounds in nine months. She tried improving her diet and exercise routine, but struggled to lose the weight, even after undergoing thyroid treatment.

If that powerless feeling sounds familiar — or you’re unsure whether bariatric surgery might be an option for you, we’ve turned to the experts from the Redefine Clinical Weight Loss program to help answer some of your biggest questions.

Bariatric surgery helps limit food intake and absorption, and allows for the maintenance of long-term, healthy weight loss goals, according to HCA Houston Healthcare. Weight loss procedures can dramatically improve and control complications from health conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and sleep apnea. Benefits can also include increased fertility during childbearing years and relief from depression due to improved body image.

Who is a good candidate for bariatric surgery?

“A person with a body mass index (BMI) higher than 40, or who is more than 100 pounds overweight; a person with a BMI over 35 who also has at least one or more obesity-related condition such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea and other respiratory disorders, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, osteoarthritis, lipid abnormalities, gastrointestinal disorders, or heart disease; or someone who has been unable to achieve a healthy weight loss sustained for a period of time with prior weight loss efforts,” says Dr. Khoi Du, general and bariatric surgeon with HCA Houston Healthcare.

What are the different types of bariatric surgeries?

There are several, but among the most common is gastric bypass. This reduces the size of your stomach, then reroutes your small intestine to limit the number of calories and fat your body absorbs. Sleeve gastrectomy is also common, which removes about 80 percent of the stomach, leaving a smaller “sleeve” in its place. Duodenal switch is the most complex, essentially combining sleeve gastrectomy with gastric bypass. This type of surgery can offer greater weight loss and metabolic effects, but it also carries a higher risk of complications than the other two types.

How do you decide which procedure is best for you?

Sleeve gastrectomy is best for those who have had multiple abdominal surgeries, along with high-risk patients, severely morbidly obese (those more than 500 pounds), and people who take multiple medications. The duodenal switch is good for patients with severe obesity, are good at following doctor’s orders, and those with metabolic diseases.

What’s involved in preparing for the surgery and how does your life change afterward?

After gastric bypass the stomach is the size of a D battery; after a sleeve, the stomach is the size of two stacked C batteries. To prepare, patients should start practicing a healthy diet with fewer carbohydrates and more protein long before their surgery. Patients should also start an exercise routine, as exercise will be very important for them afterward to help shed the weight and keep it off.

In the weeks leading up to a patient’s surgery, a psychiatric evaluation may be required. This is to ensure patients are doing the surgery for the right reasons, have realistic expectations, and are prepared for the limitations of their new way of life. Rigorous blood tests, sleep apnea tests and a liquid diet in the days immediately preceding surgery may also be required.

How invasive are the surgeries?

Almost all bariatric surgeries are now minimally invasive, with surgeons making six small cuts in the abdomen. Recovery time is much faster than it used to be, with most patients going home the day after surgery and feeling fully recovered within two or three weeks.

How does COVID-19 impact people with high BMIs?

Obese patients typically have more fatty tissue in the trunk area that decreases air flow. Many also have other conditions like high blood pressure, fatty liver and diabetes which can make recovery from COVID-19 more difficult. Excess weight also makes it harder to intubate when breathing becomes difficult.

For anyone who might be interested in talking to an expert, HCA Houston Healthcare wants to help. The Redefine Clinical Weight Loss program is unique in that it wants to assist its patients every step of the way. Deciding to undergo bariatric surgery is no small consideration, and experts from the program can get involved early when it comes to insurance, determining whether surgery is the right option and what kind of surgery each person might require. From pre-surgery counseling and preparation to post-procedure support and education, Redefine Clinical Weight Loss is there.

Take it from Sarten, who had been working as a wound and ostomy nurse prior to her weight loss surgery. It was a twist of fate that landed her in her current role with HCA Houston Healthcare.

“The surgeon I worked with asked if I could help him get the program started,” Sarten said. “I realized that was exactly what I wanted to do – help others feel as great as I did. I eventually lost 110 pounds. I looked and felt healthier.”