july 2006
YOUR
health matters
N e w s F r o m m e m or i a l h e r m a n n MEM O R IAL C I T Y H O S P I T AL
Reaching for the Stars at NASA and Beyond
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elissa Deaver never shied away from the dance floor, even at 300 pounds. “I was living a very full life, even though I was overweight,” says the 35-year-old Pasadena resident. She had achieved a great deal of personal happiness as a newlywed, combined with professional success as a public relations professional for NASA. She also was an outspoken champion of the beauty of fullfigured people and never saw herself Melissa Deaver having weight-loss surgery. Before Surgery But her opinion changed as she learned more from friends and colleagues who had the surgery, and she became increasingly concerned about her health. “Even though I felt healthy, I knew it would catch up with me eventually. Dieting didn’t work for me. So I began to look at having surgery as an investment in my health and a chance to open up my world so that it would be even bigger.”
Melissa Deaver After Surgery
inside this issue: Your Spiritual and Emotional Health
page 2
Weight-Loss Surgery: Is It Right for You?
page 3
Need Help? Join Our Weight-Loss Surgery Support Group
page 4
memorialhermann.org
A Team of Compassionate Experts In December 2004, Melissa had gastric bypass surgery at Memorial Hermann Memorial City. Her surgeon was Adam Naaman, MD, bariatric medical director at Memorial Hermann Memorial City. “Words cannot describe how phenomenal he is,” she says. “He is a highly skilled surgeon, and we are very lucky to have someone like him in Houston.” continued on page 4
Your Spiritual and Emotional Health by kimberly p. taylor, bariatric program manager
Tips for Weight-Loss Surgery Success You can start preparing for your weight-loss surgery by incorporating these simple things into your lifestyle now: Begin walking up to 30 minutes a day. You can accomplish this by walking several times throughout your day. For example, start with
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eight-loss surgery will not solve all of the problems in your life. It will take care of your diseases, it will assist in increasing your selfesteem and it may even reduce depression. It will not, however, fix your life. Incorporating fitness into your life is not enough either. Physical fitness is only one part of the equation for shaping a healthy life. Nurturing your emotions and your spirituality can have a profound effect on your overall health.
five minutes six times a day, gradually working up to 15 minutes twice daily, prior to surgery. As the weight comes off quickly after surgery, you’ll be well on your way to walking for 30 minutes at a time with ease. Begin taking your chewable multivitamin twice daily for life. We recommend Adult Centrum® chewables or Flintstones Complete® chewables. Both products can be found virtually anywhere in the United States, and they contain essential vitamins and minerals that you must supplement for the rest of your life in order to maintain good health. Sip, sip, sip. Water will become one of your best friends in your journey to freedom from obesity. Staying hydrated helps your body break down and flush out fat, helps with cognitive thinking, and even helps with the elasticity of your skin. Taking three small sips every 15
Once the weight begins to come off, you will see that the emotional reasons you ate before surgery are not gone. They still reside in you and you will be driven by them. Connecting the stomach to your emotions is the single most difficult struggle that patients deal with after surgery. You
cannot escape “who” you are. This task is not easy; it requires an incredible amount of work so that you can finally be free and not run the risk of regaining weight. You must make the emotional Kimberly P. Taylor connection to have longterm success. Too many patients believe that surgery will take care of everything. They do not stop to think about what it will take to lose and maintain the weight. You have probably lost hundreds of pounds over your lifetime. That part you have down. The part that is the most difficult is keeping it off. There are many ways in which to deal with these emotions and behaviors. Seek the assistance of a behavioral therapist or attend support group meetings, as a start. Spiritual health can affect physical health. By learning to love yourself, appreciate your life, feel grateful and trust yourself, you will become a better person, friend, partner, parent and member of the community. The art of being still. The art of loving yourself. Turn off the television and enjoy the silence. Without distractions, you can tune into yourself, your emotions, your thoughts, your heart, your soul. Revel in the silence and enjoy the moment. Take care of yourself and remember to take one day at a time. n For upcoming support group meetings, turn to page 4.
minutes is the goal.
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Memorial Hermann
Your Health Matters
Weight-Loss Surgery: Is It Right for You? By Carlos A. Ferrari, MD
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besity is increasing in epidemic proportions worldwide, particularly in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 65 percent of American adults are either overweight or obese, and 4.7 percent are morbidly obese — 100 pounds or more overweight. The adverse effects of obesity on health are well recognized, as obesity is associated with increased risk of diabetes, sleep apnea, hypertension, urinary stress incontinence, infertility, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), prostate cancer, breast and uterine cancer, and death. There are many different ways to lose weight, including diet, exercise and medication. However, nonoperative methods have proven to be ineffective in maintaining long-term weight loss for morbid obesity. Bariatric surgery is the most effec-
tive treatment for morbid obesity and obesity-related medical problems today. The number of bariatric surgeries performed in the United States has significantly increased over the last 10 years; 120,000 cases are being performed every year, and advances in technology have made bariatric surgery safer and less invasive. In addition, the laparoscopic approach has dramatically reduced patient disability and discomfort. As a bariatric surgeon having performed over 3,000 bariatric surgical procedures in Houston over the last 10 years, I have had the privilege of witnessing the expansion and evolution of this magnificent field. Bariatric surgery has come a long way: from open incisions and staples to minimally invasive surgery where patients may go home the day after surgery. Procedures performed today are different from those performed 10 years ago. Excellent
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memorialhermann.org
instrumentation, high-tech optics and a minimally invasive approach have changed the field and provide significant benefits to patients. The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RNY) is considered the “gold standard” in bariatric surgery today. It is the most commonly performed bariatric procedure in the United States. The RNY is done using laparoscopic techniques. Although it is a complicated surgical procedure, it is very safe and is associated with few complications and extremely low mortality rates. This complex procedure is difficult to master, but if performed by an experienced surgeon within a well-established program and hospital, the surgery is associated with excellent results. After surgery, a patient can expect to lose 60 percent to 80 percent of his or her excess body weight (EBW), and an improvement — or complete resolution — of obesity-related medical illnesses is seen. The RNY provides consistent weight-loss results and, in my opinion, is the best bariatric procedure for someone struggling with the life-threatening disease of morbid obesity today. Although the RNY is an effective treatment for obesity, it is only a tool. One must be committed to making lifestyle changes, which include eating healthy foods and increasing physical activity. If a person is motivated to make these changes, the RNY will provide consistent weight loss, and lifestyle changes will promise long-term results. n For more information, please contact Kimberly P. Taylor, Bariatric Program Manager, at 713-242-4290, and mention this article.
Physician Referral 713-222-CARE
Memorial Hermann Memorial City Hospital 713-242-3000.
921 Gessner, Houston, TX 77074. Call
Reaching for the Stars at NASA and Beyond continued from page 1
Following her surgery, Melissa followed the post-op diet to the letter. “It was a strict program, but it really helped me change my behaviors. After the fourth week, I made a true emotional disconnect from food.” Madame “Butterfly” At the time of her surgery, Melissa weighed 324 pounds and wore a size 30. Since the surgery, she has lost 166 pounds and now wears a size 8 or 10, but she’s not hung up on the size issue. “Sure, it’s nice to go down so many sizes, but what’s really nice is to not feel like a ticking time bomb,” she says. “There are not many chances in life to have a doover. But this is a do-over. I feel like I’ve emerged from a cocoon and turned into a butterfly. I feel reborn. How amazing is that?” n For more information about
Need Help? Join OUR WeightLoss Surgery Support Group
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ark your calendar for Memorial Hermann Memorial City Hospital’s weight-loss surgery support group!
Meetings are held the second Sunday, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., and fourth Thursday, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., of every month. Sunday meetings focus on education while Thursday meetings cover the personal journey and provide emotional support. Please note the schedule is subject to change:
July 9 Wedded Bliss or Not? How’s Your Love Life After Weight-Loss Surgery? Sherry Duson, licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT)
July 27 The Personal Journey Continues:
Where:
Emotional Support
Memorial Hermann Memorial City Hospital 921 Gessner Road
August 13 Baby Talk: Fertility, Pregnancy and Delivery After Weight-Loss Surgery Steven Rockman, MD, obstetrician and gynecologist
Houston, Texas 77024 Meetings are held in the large conference center, first floor. Park on Frostwood, one block west of Gessner. Go through the west lobby and turn left at the first hallway; the confer-
August 24
ence center is on the left-hand side before you
The Personal Journey Continues:
reach the Lindig Center.
the Bariatric Surgical Services
Emotional Support
Program, call Kimberly Taylor,
September 10
Kimberly P. Taylor, Bariatric Program Manager
Bariatric Program Manager,
Dealing with Excess Skin After
921 Gessner Road
at 713-242-4290.
Significant Weight Loss
Houston, Texas 77024
John LoMonaco, MD, board-certified plastic
[email protected]
surgeon
713-242-4290
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