Carrying extra pounds on your body can put you at risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and even cancer. Losing weight will help improve your overall health. Avera’s bariatric team can help patients achieve weight loss success with different options – including surgical and non-surgical.
Gina Mehlhaff is finding things in life a lot easier after losing over 100 pounds.
“I’m down 130 pounds from my highest,” Mehlhaff said. “Exercise is easier, travel is easier, everything is easier, going up a flight of stairs, life in general.”
Her successful weight loss is thanks to bariatric surgery. After discussing with her primary care physician, she decided it was a journey she wanted to take.
“We had talked about weight loss surgery off and on and I didn’t know if I wanted to go down that route, so then I thought maybe I need to have those conversations and start meeting with the team. I’ve always heard great things, so I made an appointment. I wanted to find out more about the journey, what it entails, what are options, what are things that are going to work for me specifically and so I started,” said Mehlhaff.
Procedures for Significant Weight Loss
There are different options when it comes to weight loss surgery, including surgical and non-surgical. The team at Avera can help patients decide which option might work best for them.
“We have a whole medical team with Avera called Comprehensive Weight Loss Management and that team has a board-certified bariatric doctor, and some nurse practitioners that help take care of patients pre-surgery, post-surgery, and sometimes the patients in between that aren’t sure if they want surgery, so it’s really a team approach,” said Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Director, Avera Bariatric Institute, Bradley Thaemert, MD.
For Gina, she had gastric bypass surgery.
“About 35% of the surgical procedures are the Roux-en – Y gastric bypass, done robotically or laparoscopically and those people spend about one night in the hospital typically,” said Dr. Thaemert. “The surgical procedures are really the mainstay in America right now. The sleeve is a case we do minimally invasive, they’re typically outpatient procedures for the sleeve; you remove about 80% of the stomach.”
“I went home the next day, and then it was just adapting to the new lifestyle they talked about, making sure you get your calories, pushing your fluids," said Mehlhaff.
Seeing Results After Weight Loss Surgery
Weight loss surgery isn’t a quick fix but can be used as a tool to help patients achieve a healthier lifestyle.
“You have to use the tool appropriately. If you listen to your body and use the tool, which is that you feel restricted with a little bit of food you will do well. It’s a journey that takes people awhile, it’s a major transition of eating slower, chewing your food, taking your time and eating less,” said Dr. Thaemert.
While Gina has lost weight, she has gained better health.
“It’s a full team effort with your physicians, dietitians, the nurse practitioners are amazing. So have the meeting. It’s your health, it’s something that is going to affect everything,” said Mehlhaff.
Non-surgical procedures for weight loss include a gastric balloon and endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty.
Learn more about options for weight management.
