Adjustable Gastric Band | Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital

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We’ll customize the right solution for your weight loss.

The program features the use of the adjustable gastric band. The band, along with exercise and diet modifications, help lose the excess weight.

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Before having the surgery, certain qualifications must be met. Some of the qualifications are:

BMI of 40 or greater or BMI 35-40 with certain co-morbidities or medical
conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and GERD.
Obese for five or more years
Age 18 or older
Attend a Phoebe pre-surgery seminar
Clearance by your primary care physician
Have made serious attempts to lose weight in the past and have had only
short-term success.
You are willing, able, and prepared to make major changes in your eating habits
and lifestyle.
Do not drink or use drugs to excess.

Other qualifications may be required by your insurance company or requested by the surgeon, such as:

Psychological evaluation
Nutritional evaluation
Supervised weight loss attempt
Blood work to rule out untreated endocrine problems

Many insurance companies do pay for the surgery if all qualifications are met.

For more information or to find out if weight loss surgery is right for you, please call (229) 312-0269.

Being overweight is defined as weighing 10 to 20 pounds more than the recommended weight for your height. Obesity is often defined as being 20 to 30% over ideal body weight. Morbid obesity is a more severe form of obesity in which the person is 100 pounds or more overweight.

The National Institutes of Health recognizes obesity as a disease. Many medical problems are caused or made worse by obesity which can lead to more serious issues such as heart disease, diabetes, sleep apnea, and GERD.

The surgery is laparoscopic and done on an outpatient basis the majority of the time. Laparoscopic surgery leaves small scars and the recovery time is generally faster than traditional surgery. In May, single incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) was introduced at Phoebe. With SILS only one incision is made in the abdomen instead of three or four incisions.

Follow-up is needed for the best success after adjustable gastric banding. The band is adjusted by means of injecting sterile saline through a small port which is located just under the skin. As fluid is injected into the band the opening to the stomach gets smaller which helps the client feel satisfied with small meals and not feel hungry.

During each follow-up visit, a series of questions are asked to help determine if an adjustment is needed and how much. The weight loss goal for most patients is 1-2 pounds per week which is equivalent to over 100 pounds in a year’s time.