Last month I had the honor of attending and presenting at the 2012 American Society for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery annual meeting in San Diego, CA. There was emerging theme and sense of urgency in the field of bariatrics; preventing and overcoming weight regain and relapse after bariatric surgery. This is an area not regularly discussed, often shooed under the carpet and managed on a case by case basis.
At least once a week I receive an inquiry for revision surgery due to weight regain. This concern is not solely related to gastric banding, but every single bariatric procedure available including gastric bypass and gastric sleeve. In my opinion, the goal is not to wait for the patient to falter, but to aggressively prepare individuals for the road that lies ahead, identify barriers to success and nip relapse "in the bud" as soon as it starts to rear it's angry head.
This week's support group will be focused on identifying symptoms of relapse, looking at barriers for success and developing a plan or strategy for preventing or overcoming relapse. I hope to see you there. Don't let yourself be a statistic of weight regain and relapse.
Monday 7/9/12 at 6 pm.
Nursing Education Center
20201 S. Crawford Ave.
Olympia Fields, IL 60461
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