Bariatric Surgery Patient Progress Dallas Ft Worth Texas

By admin on January 16, 2009 at 3:18 pm

MR. JOHN KANE: I feel those are very meaningful because our patients can interact with people that have gone through exactly what they are either going through or have gone through, and so I try to recommend that all of our patients attend some type of support group meeting.
MS. PAM KATEKARU: After surgery we have support groups. They meet on a monthly basis, and we’ve got the dates on our website. I’ll also give you a calendar of the dates and the topics during your pre-op class so you’ll know what support groups you want to come to. The support groups provide camaraderie, you can identify with people that have the same problems that you do. I think patients get a lot out of the support groups. I think they’re actually more successful if they attend regular support groups because they have that encouragement from other patients that have had the same surgery.
MR. JOSÉ AGUILAR: I like to come to the seminars to present my testimonials because I like sharing my experience. Now I want to be on this side of the presentation, giving out my experience, and I want to be helpful. What I want to do is people to don’t have fear for the surgery. A lot of people say well, let me think about it, let me try diet. The number one advice I give them every time I speak at that seminar is do not waste any more time. So the longer you take, the more you’re going to regret it. It took me eight years to decide to go for the surgery, and I regret I didn’t do anything about my weight eight years ago. I will continue to promote when I’m speaking to patients, hey, consider this and don’t waste any more time.

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Weight Loss Surgery Support Groups Dallas Texas Dr. David Kim

By admin on January 16, 2009 at 3:16 pm

MR. JOHN KANE: I feel those are very meaningful because our patients can interact with people that have gone through exactly what they are either going through or have gone through, and so I try to recommend that all of our patients attend some type of support group meeting.
MS. PAM KATEKARU: After surgery we have support groups. They meet on a monthly basis, and we’ve got the dates on our website. I’ll also give you a calendar of the dates and the topics during your pre-op class so you’ll know what support groups you want to come to. The support groups provide camaraderie, you can identify with people that have the same problems that you do. I think patients get a lot out of the support groups. I think they’re actually more successful if they attend regular support groups because they have that encouragement from other patients that have had the same surgery.
MR. JOSÉ AGUILAR: I like to come to the seminars to present my testimonials because I like sharing my experience. Now I want to be on this side of the presentation, giving out my experience, and I want to be helpful. What I want to do is people to don’t have fear for the surgery. A lot of people say well, let me think about it, let me try diet. The number one advice I give them every time I speak at that seminar is do not waste any more time. So the longer you take, the more you’re going to regret it. It took me eight years to decide to go for the surgery, and I regret I didn’t do anything about my weight eight years ago. I will continue to promote when I’m speaking to patients, hey, consider this and don’t waste any more time.

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Bariatric Post Operative Treatment Dallas Ft Worth Texas Dr. David Kim

By admin on January 16, 2009 at 3:14 pm

MS. PAM KATEKARU: After your surgery you’ll see Dr. Kim in his office in follow up appointments frequently that first year, and then after that you’ll see him on an annual basis. At any time during your post operative period your recovery, and you have questions, you can feel free to call us for any questions you have or any concerns you have. We’ve got plenty of people here in the office that can answer those questions for you. Dr. Kim gave you a tool, but now it’s up to you to start implementing.
We’re still here to help you. We’re not going to leave you out there, wondering what to do. We can answer questions, you can come to support group, get the support from other patients who have gone through the same thing you’ve gone through, and we want you to be successful.

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Bariatric Surgery Pre Operative Treatment Dallas Ft. Worth Texas Dr David Kim

By admin on January 16, 2009 at 2:45 pm

MS. PAM KATEKARU: After your surgery’s been approved by insurance or you’ve come in through the Fast Track Program, you’ll start a two week liquid diet, you’ll come in for a pre-op education where the dietician, myself, and the physical therapist will educate you on all the aspects of care. We want you to get as involved as you possibly can so that you have all of the information that you need to make this surgery a success.

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Bariatric Surgery Recovery Dallas Ft Worth Texas

By admin on January 16, 2009 at 2:29 pm

DR. DAVID KIM: With regards to recovery for my patients after surgery, patients who have had lap band surgery will go home the same day. My patients will typically return back to work in a period of five to seven days after the operation.
With laparoscopic gastric bypass or laparoscopic gastric sleeve resection, my patients will be in the hospital for approximately one to two days after the operation. When they’re able to swallow three to four ounces of liquids without difficulty, and when they’re comfortable, they can be safely discharged. These patients will return to work in approximately one to two weeks. I think it’s important, however, that all patients remember that they should allow themselves time to recover from their operations to transition through their diets without being in a hurry, and just allowing themselves enough time to heal and feel rested before they go back to work.
Laparoscopic gastric sleeve patients and laparoscopic gastric bypass patients can see a dramatic weight loss over the course of the first year. They will lose 80 percent of their excess body weight in over that first year, and they’re capable of losing weight up to 18 months. There are no adjustments to be made, follow ups are necessary to make sure that they’re doing well. The patients typically do get fairly dramatic results from these operations in a short period of time.
With lap band patients, they will lose weight more slowly. Patients will lose weight at approximately one to two pounds per week, so when patients are losing weight a little more slowly their target goal weight loss will be in a period of over two or three years.

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Laparoscopic Bypass Surgery Risks Dallas Ft Worth Texas

By admin on January 16, 2009 at 2:10 pm

DR. DAVID KIM: Patients often present with concerns of major tragedies that have occurred after bariatric surgery. Many times these stories have been spurred on by the lay press. Please take heart in knowing that there are different risks involved with all the different procedures. As well, we have been nationally recognized as having some of the lowest complication rates in the country as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence. And finally understand that the risks of living with this disease of morbid obesity is far greater than the risks of surgery alone.
Some of the more common risks are blood clots and bleeding. Please understand that there are different risks with each operation, so I think it’s important that you take the time to learn about these operations. Also take note that as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence we have been nationally recognized to have some of the lowest complication rates in the country.
Lastly I believe living with this disease of morbid obesity is a far greater risk than the surgery itself.

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Weight Loss Surgery Procedures Dallas Ft Worth Texas

By admin on January 16, 2009 at 1:49 pm

Choosing your Treatment- You will be educated on your options to choose the right procedure for you.
DR. DAVID KIM: I’m often asked what kind of surgery should I have as the best operation for me, and I think that the best operation should be decided upon by a patient, in most cases. I think when a patient becomes educated with regards to the risks and the options, they will choose a surgical option that’s most appropriate for them, their risk tolerance, and their lifestyle.
It should be remembered that all the operations we perform are done laparoscopically. That means that we’re going to be making a series of small incisions, approximately five or six one inch incisions, as opposed to a six or ten inch incision along someone’s abdomen to do the surgery. This is important because the patient will recover quicker, they will have less pain, they will have a quicker return to work with a less chance of infection and hernia formation.
In addition to what I’ve said, I believe there is a benefit to laparoscopic surgery. I started performing open surgery years ago, and I found that my visualization was far superior with laparoscopic surgery. The scope can be maneuvered into every small area of the body, and this allows us to have superior visualization throughout the operation.
Finally it should be remembered that, though there are risks of every operation with regards to bariatric surgery, that the risks of doing nothing are far greater than the risks of these procedures, because we must remember that obesity is a disease, and patients can shorten their lifespan by as much as 20 years from living with this disease.

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Bariatric Surgery Candidacy Dallas Ft Worth Texas Dr David Kim

By admin on January 16, 2009 at 1:09 pm

DR. DAVID KIM: Let’s review the Live Life Again process. First call the toll free number that you see on the website. You will be courteously greeted and given one of two options; you can either have a direct consultation with me, which generally does not require the referral of a primary care physician, or you can be invited to one of our free Live Life Again seminars. These are very informative seminars that I run on a group setting, where you will learn about the surgeries we perform, the risks, the benefits, as well as these options.
Please, as soon as possible fill out the online patient medical history form and we can determine whether you are a suitable candidate for surgery. You will be contacted by our insurance and financial experts so we can expedite the entire insurance process, or if you would like, you can also enter our Fast Track Program.
After insurance has been approved you will then enter Bariatric University, which is our pre-operative education program, and you will learn about your operation in detail, as well as how best to take care of yourself afterwards.

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Fast Track Program For Bariatric Surgery Dallas Ft Worth Texas

By admin on January 16, 2009 at 12:55 pm

DR. DAVID KIM: The Fast Track Program is designed for patients who have decided that they want surgery as soon as possible. Oftentimes when patients have decided that they want an operation they want it to be performed in a couple of weeks and maybe within a month, and not six months, which is often required when somebody enters the entire insurance process because of all the steps that many insurance companies require.
Most of our patients entering the Fast Track Program have already had insurance approvals elsewhere or they would like to seek patient financing to pay cash for these operations to bypass the insurance step.
My patients will then come in, have a private consultation with me, we will assist them in financial matters. After surgery has been approved we will then enroll you into Bariatric University, where we teach you as much as possible about the surgery you have chosen, and how best to take care of yourself. After the operation you will become a permanent part of our Live Life Again Center Program, and you’ll be invited to follow up in our after care programs, as well as the support groups to ensure that you continue to do well.

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Weight Loss Surgery Financing Dallas Ft Worth Texas Dr. David Kim

By admin on January 16, 2009 at 12:48 pm

MS. MELISSA BERNARD: A lot of people are worried how they’re going to pay for their surgery, and I’m here to let you know that there are insurance companies out there that will pay for it. There are a lot of requirements for it, but we know what the requirements are, and we’re here to help you through every step of the process of going through the insurance company.
MS. KATHY POWELL: We also have many financing options available for folks whose insurance doesn’t cover it or who want to pay cash and avoid going through the insurance process.
We can help you with financing. We have several options available. I’ll help you get through the process of applying for those, and many of them have very reasonable finance rates, where if you can finance your surgery for 60 months your payment is going to be 2 to $300 a month and that’s, you know, comparable to a car payment really. In fact it’s cheaper than the average car payment.
The number one thing that patients say to me when they are asking about bariatric surgery is that they want to get their health back. You can’t really put a price on your health, it’s just priceless to you.

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