Weight Loss Surgery

Obesity is the most common form of malnutrition in the Western world and is considered by some researchers to be the second leading cause of preventable death in North America. It is reported that about 66% of Americans are either overweight or obese. Severe clinical or morbid obesity is defined as being about 100 pounds above the "ideal weight" or having a body mass index (BMI) of over 35 and cannot be treated through diet and exercise alone. People suffering from morbid obesity need to undergo weight loss surgery (bariatric surgery) to reduce their weight or else they face the risk of a number of other illnesses. Obese people have compromised lifestyles because they very low energy and immunity levels. Secondary diseases associated with morbidity obesity include high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, high lipids, high cholesterol, and high triglycerides, joint and back problems, respiratory failure, infertility, increased risk of cancer, heart failure, blood clots and much more. In order to reduce the risk of potential death, weight loss surgery is an important consideration for all those suffering with BMIs over 35.

Drs. William Graber and Matthew Fitzer offer weight loss surgery at Faxton- St. Luke's Healthcare. The weight loss surgery program began in 2002 and today, Dr. Graber has treated over 1400 patients with weight loss surgery at St. Luke's campus. On offer are the laparoscopic gastric bypass and the LAP-BAND procedures of weight loss surgery. The success of the weight loss surgery program offered by Dr. Graber has been met with admirable approval from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), Excellus BlueCross/BlueShield, MVP Healthcare, the National BlueCross/BlueShield Association and the Ontario Ministry of Health, Canada. The most important step in weight loss surgery is gathering the information you need and asking the doctor every question in your mind. You can gather a lot of information via the Internet but ultimately, the doctor who carries out the weight loss surgery will be the best person to consult. If you would like to learn more about weight loss surgery or discuss an appointment for this procedure, you can contact Drs. Graber and Fitzer via their website, www.drgrabermd.com, where all your information will be treated as highly confidential. You can even register online as a new patient or gather more information if you are already a patient and all information that is passed between you and the doctors is kept confidential.

There are two approaches towards weight loss surgery that include a restrictive procedure that reduces food intake and a malabsorptive procedure that alters digestion. Dr. Graber offers the laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass which is a combination of the restrictive and malabsorptive procedures of weight loss surgery and the gastric banding procedure which is a simple restrictive procedure. The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the most common form of weight loss surgery and the use of laparoscopic technology has reduced the hospitalization time and recovery period substantially. While the gastric banding procedure is a simpler form of weight loss surgery, not as much weight is lost as compared to the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. As with any surgical procedure there are many benefits but also various risks involved. More in-depth information on weight loss surgery at St. Luke's Healthcare and the risks involved can be found at www.drgrabermd.com. If you are suffering from morbid obesity and you would like to have a better quality of life, be sure to make an appointment with Dr. Garber; weight loss surgery can give you back control of your life!