Bariatric surgery

Weight loss doctors in Savannah, Georgia

Memorial Health is home to the only comprehensive bariatric surgery program in Savannah. Bariatric surgery, or weight loss surgery, can help patients experiencing obesity reach a healthy weight and improve their overall well-being.

Our bariatrics team is committed to helping you succeed in your long-term weight loss goals. We provide post-operative resources to ensure that you are able to lose weight and keep it off. Bariatric support groups are offered, so you can discuss your experience with other patients who are going through the same process.

Completion of our bariatrics program can result in dramatic weight loss, increased confidence in physical appearance and mental health benefits.

About our weight loss center

Bariatric surgery is considered a major medical procedure that requires preoperative education and post-surgical recovery. However, there are many benefits associated with significant weight loss including:

• Heightened self-esteem
• Improved health
• Increased mobility
• Longer life span

For most patients, the potential for health benefits exceeds any possible risks associated with surgical complications. Our weight loss surgeons take time to educate every patient about risk factors and their bariatric surgery options.

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Bariatric surgery is a tool to aid in significant weight loss, but it is only successful when patients follow the required postoperative lifestyle and eating changes. Every patient's success is dependent upon how closely they follow the diet, exercise and vitamin requirements following surgery.

Weight loss procedures

Our bariatrics clinic offers multiple options for weight loss surgery, including Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy and bariatric revision. Each procedure offers a different surgical strategy to weight loss, and your doctor will assist you in choosing the best option for you.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass

The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is considered to be the gold standard for weight loss surgery. This surgery is both restrictive and malabsorptive. The procedure works by modifying the digestive system so that you consume and absorb fewer calories.

When you have Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, your doctor uses a stapling device to create a small pouch at the top of your stomach. The remainder of the stomach is not removed, but is completely separated from the new pouch. Part of your small intestine is then shaped into a “Y” and connected to the new small stomach pouch. When you eat, food travels from the pouch directly to the small intestine bypassing the stomach remnant, effectively reducing the number of calories you consume.

Sleeve gastrectomy

Sleeve gastrectomy is considered a restrictive procedure, meaning it reduces the amount of food a person can consume. During sleeve gastrectomy, your doctor removes about 80 percent of your stomach, leaving a small vertical pouch in the shape of a banana. The result is that you eat less because you feel full after eating small amounts of food.

Bariatric revision

Sometimes, past weight loss surgeries need to be changed or redone. Revision surgery is offered regardless of where your first surgery was performed. There are several reasons why you might need to get revision bariatric surgery.

Your physician may suggest a second procedure if you’re not reaching your weight goals from your first surgery and are still obese, or if you have regained a significant amount of the weight you lost.

Complications and medical conditions may also prompt the need for bariatric revision:

• If you underwent gastric band surgery, the band can slip or may no longer inflate properly to limit eating. A surgery can adjust, replace, or most commonly recommended, removed completely.
• If you had a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, the tiny stomach pouch created in the original operation can stretch and become too large. A second procedure makes your stomach smaller to restrict eating or can shorten the small intestine segment that absorbs calories and can make the procedure more malabsorptive.
• If you underwent a sleeve gastrectomy, the sleeve or banana-shaped stomach formed in your original surgery may also stretch, and you may need to have a second bariatric surgery to lose more weight.
• If you develop an ulcer or hiatal hernia, you may need a revisional surgery.

Risks of bariatric surgery

Each bariatric procedure comes with its own potential for surgical complications. Common risks (less than 1%) include atelectasis, pneumonia, insufficient oxygen, pulmonary emboli, infection, bleeding, cardiac event, or leaks.

Additionally, patients may be at an increased risk for developing blood clots in the legs that can travel to the lungs. Patients can help lower this risk through early walking, using compression boots or anti-embolism stockings and taking small doses of a blood thinner.

Diet and life after bariatric surgery

During postoperative recovery, patients stay in the dedicated bariatric surgery unit. This unit is staffed by nurses with special training to meet the unique needs of surgical weight loss patients. Following hospital discharge, patients have access to a nurse 24/7 via telephone. Additionally, patients will attend scheduled appointments with their bariatric surgery, advanced practice professional and dietitian.

Patients are asked to attend regular weight loss support group meetings. Research has shown that adequate support is crucial to weight loss success. Meetings occur twice a month on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday both virtually and in-person. Please view our classes and events calendar for up-to-date schedules.

Required changes in eating habits

After weight loss surgery, permanent changes must be made to your daily eating habits, such as:

• Avoid carbonated drinks, alcohol, high-calorie nutritional supplements and milkshakes.
• Chew solid foods, such as steak, thoroughly.
• Cut out foods that list sugar as one of the first three ingredients from your diet.
• Eliminate foods with high-fat and high-fiber content.
• Limit snacking to between meals.
• Stop drinking fluids while eating, you must wait 40 minutes after the first bite of food before resuming drinking any type of beverage.
• Take vitamin supplements as directed by your doctor.

Following a sleeve gastrectomy

After a sleeve gastrectomy, you will remain in the hospital for one to two nights. Once you have recovered from the anesthesia, you will begin a liquid diet that you will follow for several weeks. You will also start doing simple exercises from your bed just four hours after surgery. You will experience slight discomfort following surgery, but pain relief will be provided as needed.

You will return to the hospital for postoperative follow-up visits after one to two weeks, five weeks, three months, six months, nine months and one year. Following the one year mark, you will return annually to ensure long-term success. During these visits a member of the bariatric team will:

• Check your strength
• Check your weight
• Measure certain parts of your body
• Perform additional tests as needed

Check-ups help make certain you are healthy and following diet and exercise guidelines.

Returning to life after surgery

Your ability to resume normal activities will depend on your physical condition and the nature of the activity. Many patients are able to return to their pre-surgical activity levels within six weeks following surgery. Patients who are eligible for a minimally invasive approach may be able to return to normal activities within a few weeks.

Non-surgical weight loss

Depending on your goals for weight loss, a non-surgical option may be the best solution. In addition to our comprehensive surgical approach to weight loss, there are nonsurgical treatments to support you toward a healthier and happier lifestyle. To learn more, call (800) 352-6762.

Pregnancy and weight loss surgery

It is strongly advised that women of childbearing age use at least two effective forms of birth control during the first 18 to 24 months following a weight loss procedure. Pregnancy places additional demands on the body that may result in increased complications during pregnancy. Talk to your doctor about your pregnancy plans and how to manage them throughout weight loss.