When Should You Consider Weight Loss Surgery?
by Dr. Hamilton Le, medical director for the INTEGRIS Weight Loss Center
Weight loss surgery can be an effective way for someone struggling with obesity to manage their weight or help with other medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes or sleep apnea. But when should you consider a surgical option? Dr. Hamilton Le, the medical director for the INTEGRIS Weight Loss Clinic, explains the options and benefits weight loss surgery can provide people struggling with weight loss.
Hello, my name is Hamilton Le, and I'm the bariatric surgeon and medical director for INTEGRIS Weight Loss Center. We're here today to talk about a very serious health condition, obesity, and its epidemic that's spreading across Oklahomans.
Did you know that six out of 10 Oklahomans battles with being overweight or obese? In fact, someone who battles with obesity spends, on average, $1,400 a year on health care costs. That is a total of about $2 billion a year for Oklahomans.
Now, when should someone consider weight loss surgery as an option? It's typically someone that's failed at traditional approaches, including diet and exercise.
And we think of surgery as a tool to help someone achieve a healthier weight and maybe alleviate some medical problems, like high blood pressure, diabetes, or sleep apnea, but also improve on your quality of life. And we take a comprehensive approach to weight loss. In addition to a medical evaluation, you'll work closely with a bariatric dietitian, an exercise physiologist, as well as a psychologist.
We work together as a team, with your help, to help choose the right procedure that fits you. Those may include a laparoscopic adjustable gastric band, the laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy, or the laparoscopic roux-en-y gastric bypass.
If you're interested in learning more about our program or the procedures, please visit our website at integrisweightloss.com. Thank you.