Brazosport Regional Host New Support Group
for LAP-BAND Patients
Brazosport Regional Health System is hosting a new Lap Band Support Group that will meet the second Monday of every month. The goal of the support group is to provide pre- and post- surgical patients the opportunity to provide emotional support to one another, share experiences, and reinforce positive behaviors to maintain long-term weight loss goals.
The Bariatric Center at Brazosport Regional provides comprehensive services for patients seeking relief from morbid obesity and weight-related health conditions through weight loss surgery. Board-certified general surgeons, Dr. Robert Thompson and Dr. James Maguire, are both certified in weight-loss surgery. In addition to the Lap Band Support Group, Brazosport Regional is pleased to offer other support groups for weight loss such as TOPS Weight Loss Support Group and the Gastric Bypass Support Group.
Recent research has shown that two-thirds of U.S. adults are officially overweight, and about half of those have graduated to full-blown obesity. The LAP-BANDŽ System is a solution that patients can use to reduce the health risks and facilitate long-term weight loss. This non-invasive procedure uses laparoscopic surgical techniques, placing the device around the top portion of the patient’s stomach, creating a small pouch. In addition to reducing the stomach capacity the procedure allows the patient to feel full after a small meal.
After the LAP-BANDŽ procedure, patients have a lot of changes in their lives which include dietary change and the development of a new lifestyle. Whenever changes occur sometimes there is a feeling of loss for the previous life patterns. Patients might have feelings of sadness, anger and frustration when dealing with so many changes at once. With this said, creating a support group is a way for patients to communicate these feelings and provide support to other Lap Band participants.
The next meeting for the Lap Band Support Group will be held on February 8, 2010 at 5:30 PM in Classroom A at the Health System. For more information about the support group or weight-loss surgery, please contact Tiffany Eckenrod, MS, RD, LD, Brazosport Regional Clinical Dietician at 979-285-1602.
About the Lap-BandŽ Procedure – LAP-BANDŽ System is a non-invasive procedure using laparoscopic surgical techniques. Unlike gastric bypass the procedure does not involve stomach cutting, stapling or intestinal re-routing. The device is placed on the top portion of the patient’s stomach, reducing the capacity of the stomach. This procedure helps patients achieve long-term weight loss by creating an earlier feeling of satiety while maintaining a healthy diet. Since the procedure is non-invasive there is reduced pain and a shorter recovery period.
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