3 Healthy Weighs

Baylor Medical Center at Southwest Fort Worth now offers three weight-loss surgery options.

From the color of your iPod^® to the wheels on your car, it seems like everything these days is customizable.

Quality medicine can be customized as well. That’s why Baylor Medical Center at Southwest Fort Worth now offers three types of weight-loss surgery—so you can work with your doctor to find the one that suits you.

“The weight-loss surgery program at Baylor Southwest is truly an exceptional program,” says Gregory Barnes, M.D., medical director. “We owe much of our success to our full-service program, including both psychological and nutritional support, as well as counseling to help patients determine the best surgical path for them.”

Here are some things to consider when determining which option is right for you.

By Shelley Flannery

	LAP-BAND®	SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY	LAPAROSCOPIC ROUX-EN-Y GASTRIC BYPASS
WHAT IT IS	Band placed around stomach to limit food intake	Portion of stomach is removed to create a tube-like sleeve	Stomach converted to 1.5-ounce pouch; intestinal bypass
ADVANTAGES	Easily reversed; short recovery period	Rapid weight loss; portion of stomach that produces hunger stimulant hormone removed; intestine kept intact	Considered “gold standard”; rapid weight loss; controls intake of sugar; next-day outpatient surgery; decrease of hunger
DISADVANTAGES	Adjustments necessary; weight loss is slow; higher possibility of failure than other options; more hunger	Not reversible; removal of portion of stomach; some patients need second surgery; not covered by most insurance companies	Complex surgery needing a laparoscopic gastric bypass specialist; need vitamins and pepcid