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Now that you have a better understanding of obesity, the various treatment options and the risks and benefits of gastric bypass surgery, where do you begin? K. M. MacKenzie, MD. Inc. believes the process leading up to and after weight loss surgery should be a multidisciplinary approach that involves you, your family, primary care physician, and any specialist you see as well as psychological and/or nutritional councilors. All of these people will be instrumental in the pre and postoperative process, and will help ensure the journey you are about to begin to a new healthier life will be smooth, safe and complication free. Step 1: Submit your preliminary information Step 2: Attend a consultation with our nurse Step 3: See your primary care doctor Step 4: Have a Psychiatric Evaluation Step 6: Write your patient letter Step 7: Get a Family Member Letter Step 9: Attend a Nutrition Appointment Step 10: Review the consent form Step 1: Submit your preliminary information This information is important as it gives the staff at K. M. MacKenzie, MD. Inc. an idea of who you are, and your general medical condition. It makes it much easier for us to assist you on your journey, and answer questions you, your family, or doctor may have. This information will enable us to help you to decide if the LapBand ® procedure is best for you. Step 2: Attend a consultation with our nurse This consult visit should be done prior to the other steps. The visit will give you a chance to meet the staff at K. M. MacKenzie, MD. Inc. At the consult, we will discuss the surgery, risks and benefits of surgery and address any questions you may have. The consult lasts about 1 hour. Step 3: See your primary care doctorTo assure long-term success and good quality care, your primary doctor will play an important role. A variety of complications, problems and illnesses can occur after any operation. It is imperative that you have a local physician who has the interest and the knowledge to follow you in conjunction with K. M. MacKenzie, MD. Inc.. Prior to weight loss surgery your primary care doctor will need to complete a full history and physical, and send a copy to K. M. MacKenzie, MD. Inc.as part of your pre-operative packet. You will also need a referral letter from your doctor addressing the following issues:
In addition, you will need letters and in some cases, lab work, from any specialists that you may see. Return to Top » Step 4: Have a Psychiatric EvaluationIn accordance with all bariatric recommendations and guidelines for weight loss surgery, all potential patients of K. M. MacKenzie, MD. Inc.are required to have a psychiatric evaluation prior to surgery. This may be completed by a psychologist or psychiatrist. Generally, the evaluation takes about 1 hour to complete. The evaluation is used to:
Step 5: Join a support group. This can be an online support group or our local LapBand ® support group. Contact the office for more information about support groups. Step 6: Write your patient letterWe feel this is one of the most important steps of the patient education process. It is easy to see all the benefits of surgery and gloss over the risks. By writing this letter you have to stop and rethink your decision to undergo weight loss surgery and decide if this is really right for you. Remember, this is a life changing event and you will have to make lifelong commitments. This letter is also an opportunity for K. M. MacKenzie, MD. Inc.to get to know you a little better, and make sure that you understand the risks and benefits of having the LapBand® Procedure. Write the letter as if you were writing to yourself or your best friend, and explain why you feel this is the best choice for you. The letter should also include at least one paragraph on each of the following topics:
We ask that you please type this letter and remember that in this case, too much is a good thing. If your letter is too brief, or does not touch on all of these points, we will ask you to rewrite the letter, or to elaborate more. We cannot stress enough how important this step is in the process. Step 7: Get a Family Member Letter Have a family member write a letter in support of your decision to have surgery. It is important that your family knows and understands why you want to have the LapBand® Surgery. Family support is vital in the postoperative process. Your family must understand and know the signs of possible complications as well as the changes that you will undergo. Physical, emotional and lifestyle changes will not only affect you, but all members of your family. If you are married we ask that this letter be written by your spouse, otherwise it can be written by a parent, sibling, or adult child. Ideally the person who writes this support letter will be the same support person who comes to clinic with you and who accompanies you on your day of surgery. This letter must be signed and notarized before being sent to K. M. MacKenzie, MD. Inc.. Step 8: Take Photos We ask that you send at least 2 photos, one a full frontal view and the other a full side view. If you have any abdominal scars (except for C-sections), please send a close up of the belly as well. Bathing suit photos are ideal, but tight fitting clothes are fine. These pictures will help to document your size and shape both before and after surgery. Many patients at the 3, 6, and 12 month mark are surprised by the change in appearance in these photos. The photos can be regular or digital pictures that are e-mailed, or printed and mailed. Please be sure to write your name, date of birth, height, and weight on the back of the photos. Step 9: Attend a Nutrition Appointment Attend a nutrition appointment with a Surgical Obesity Staff member. This visit will give you a chance to address any dietary concerns or questions you may have after surgery. At this point we will reinforce the pre-surgical and post-surgical diets. We will give you information as well as examples of these diets. Step 10: Review the consent form Review the consent form. This is required in addition to the surgical consent required by the hospital. When you come for your preoperative exam before surgery, you will be given a marked copy of this consent that you will need to take home and fill out. Do not sign it until the morning of surgery. It must be signed in the presence of your nurse. If you have any questions, concerns, or religious beliefs that are in conflict with the consent, please let us know prior to surgery. General GuidelinesThese steps do not need to be in any particular order, but we do ask that you submit the information form and join the support group as early in the process as possible. These two steps allow us to help you more effectively. Due to the waiting time at most doctor's offices you may also want to schedule your primary care doctor's and psychiatric exam as early in the process as possible. K. M. MacKenzie, MD. Inc.does not have a waiting list for surgery. Once we receive the completed packet of information we will notify you and begin the review process. This usually takes about a week, and once approved we can in most cases schedule you for surgery within 2-3 weeks of your approval. |
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K. M. MacKenzie, MD. Inc.a surgical weight management practice specializing in Lap Band surgery with complete pre and post operative management and support to the residents of Central California and surrounding areas. Karen MacKenzie, MD. is a general and bariatric surgeon dedicated to providing minimally invasive surgical procedures to morbidly obese patients. Copyright © 2006 K. M. MacKenzie, MD. Inc. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Site Map | Website developed by ifXmedical |
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