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Pretoria Bariatric Surgery

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Pretoria Bariatric Surgery

On this page you will find information regarding bariatric/metabolic surgery. We share advice and interesting facts about this specialist weight loss surgery.

14/11/2023

Did you know bariatric surgery has been described as one the most effective ways to manage diabetes, and even reverse an early diagnosis? (This is in particular relation to Type 2 Diabetes)

🌍 Worldwide, 425 million people live with diabetes.

🇿🇦 In SA, 4.2 million adults aged 20-79 years were known be diagnosed with diabetes in 2021. Of these, 90% have Type 2 Diabetes.

Prior to bariatric surgery, it is vital to attempt to achieve better blood glucose management to improve overall morbidity and mortality (risk of complications and death).

👩🏻‍⚕️ An endocrinologist or specialist physician skilled in diabetes management can be invaluable in a patient’s journey towards and after surgery.

🍏 A dietitian who is also trained and skilled in helping you manage both your diet, weight and glucose levels every step of the way, is vital in achieving optimal results.

Our team consists of many medical professionals that provide skilled services in preparing you for surgery in the best way possible to improve your health pre-operatively, and promote optimal weight loss results and health after surgery.

❗️Note: With Type 1 diabetes, in very rare cases it can be performed in well controlled patients who are on insulin infusion pump therapy.

Reach out to our team for support in your bariatric journey 🫶🏻

10/11/2023

How is Mo-vember coming along for all the men out there?

In a 2022 publication, 23 studies comprising 2702,312 patients were reviewed to explore the relationship between the risk of prostate cancer and BMI.

The researchers reported that obesity was associated with increased prostate-specific mortality and all-cause mortality.

*There was a lack of data such as cigarette smoking and age, however the results indicate a link between a higher BMI and prostate cancer.

Maintaining a healthy weight will promote overall health and wellness.

20/10/2023

Obesity and osteoporosis have become major global health problems over the last decades as their prevalence is increasing. The interaction between obesity and bone metabolism is complex and not fully understood.

Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mineral density and progressive deterioration of the bone microarchitecture. Its major consequences are bone fragility and risk of fracture.

With more than 200 million people affected globally, osteoporosis is increasing in prevalence just as is obesity.

Some research studies indicate that abdominal adiposity is associated with osteopenia and osteoporosis, whereas other studies indicate that this association is probably more complex and site-dependent, with a lower risk for certain types of fractures but higher risk for others.

Obesity therefore is not a disease that only affect the heart or risk of developing diabetes, but also mobility and quality of life.

Reducing your weight can significantly reduce your risk of having fractures.

After bariatric surgery, there is however a higher risk of developing osteoporosis because of various factors- mostly due to decreased intestinal absorption of calcium from the diet and supplements.

Careful monitoring of calcium levels as well as lifelong supplementation is vital in maintaining healthy bone density.

Our team endocrinologist assesses each patient’s individual risks and plans the frequency of testing and treatment accordingly.

🩺 Be sure to talk to your team about your bone health next time you visit them!

11/07/2023

Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts.

There are three variants of which obstructive sleep apnea is the most common. During sleep, the throat muscles relax and prevent the flow of air into the lungs.

When you can't get enough air, you have lower oxygen levels in your blood. Your brain senses that you can't breathe, and briefly wakes you so that you can reopen your airway. This awakening is usually so brief that you don't remember it. You might snort, choke or gasp. This pattern can repeat itself 5 to 30 times or more each hour, all night. This makes it hard to reach the deep, restful phases of sleep.

Poor quality sleep die to this inability to breathe adequately results in inflammation and high levels of circulating stress hormones like cortisol that drive hunger hormones crazy the next day- causing you overeat and resultantly gain more weight. This in turn is a vicious cycle as weight gain further promotes worsening of sleep apnea.

Do you have any of the symptoms shown in the slides?

07/07/2023

Have you ever heard a doctor mention sleep as a contributing factor to weight gain?

Keep an eye on our page for the next post about how sleep can influence your weight and health.

03/07/2023

The American Heart Association recently voted in favour of urging American physicians to no longer use BMI as a sole indicator of evaluating an individual’s body weight and/or body composition.

They are pointing out that BMI has many biases and inaccuracies inherent to the method, and that physicians working with individuals who are in need of obesity medicine, rather be evaluated using the following:
▫️Visceral fat (fat deposits around organs)
▫️Metabolic & genetic factors
▫️ Fat, muscle and bone percentages and/or mass

These are better indicators of what an unhealthy and healthy weight for a specific individual might be.

🔎 In our unit, we make use of body composition analysis equipment as well as very thorough medical assessments to adequately assess and manage our obese patients.

🤔 Do you think BMI needs to be made redundant?

02/07/2023

Pre-operative and post-operative care of an obese patient is essential in ensuring the success of the bariatric surgery in the long term.

Why is it important to follow up with the whole team involved with the care of a bariatric patient?

Because, obesity is a complex disease with a large number (around 75%) of patients also diagnosed with other conditions like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnoea.

These conditions significantly increases the individuals risk of early death. These conditions also do not resolve immediately after surgery and require continuous monitoring to ensure that the patient remains healthy and complication free in the long term.

Short term monitoring is advised every three months after surgery for the forst year and after that at least once a year (sometimes even more frequently for those with more advanced health risks).

Do you follow up with your team frequently?

29/06/2023

Bariatric surgery is performed laparoscopically. Laparoscopic surgery is a surgical technique in which the surgeon will make several small incisions, about 1.5cm long, and use long, narrow instruments to perform the surgery.

Typically the surgeon will make 5 to 6 incisions on the abdomen. These incisions are sutures closed from the inside with absorbable material.

Using small incisions, promotes better and quicker healing. Although uncommon, you want to be aware of the risks of wound infections. Wound infections after weight loss surgery are infrequent, typically much less than a 1% risk.

A common problem with wound care is some patients try to get their incisions too clean. Avoid scrubbing the incision or removing scabs that form. You don't need to wash the incisions with alcohol either.

We recommend that you shower and wash your body as you usually would. Unless specifically instructed otherwise, a gentle wash with soap and water is more than adequate.

Keep the wounds dry and contact your surgeon with concerns you might have.

Our surgeons see patients a week after surgery to inspect wound/incision sites and ensure healing occurs as expected.

21/06/2023

Dehydration in the early post-operative period but also in the long term is a concern for bariatric patients as their pouch (stomach) volume does not allow for large volumes of water to be consumed as they were used to before surgery.

Be sure to look out for the warning signs of dehydration to help you keep track of how much water you are consuming.

An aj1500ml is required daily for bariatric patients.

Do you drink enough water? Let us know in the comments and we can give you some tips on how to improve your water intake 💡

16/06/2023

Our youth is our future
In South Africa, obesity incidence among the youth is on the rise.

We have a dedicated team ready to help our country’s future be more healthy!

13/06/2023

Who agrees??

After bariatric surgery, many patients compare themselves and their weight loss progress to that of others.
Although this is a normal human response, it can be detrimental to their emotional well being in an already emotional journey.

Our team counsels patients on focusing on their own journey and how to cope with their own expectations and realistic happenings.

Focusing on each day, one step at a time and keeping your focus on YOUR goals is vest at maintaining good motivation and courage.

11/06/2023

Iron deficiency is common after bariatric surgery due to various reasons:
🔻Reduced iron absorption from food due to a reduced secretion of hydrochloric acid
🔻Reduced iron intake from food due to smaller portions and food aversions
🔻Non adherence to dietary supplements
🔺Increased loss of iron through blood reserves in females whose hormones involved in menstrual cycles are better balanced and leading to female patients having more frequent menstrual bleeding than before surgery when they were not menstruating.

For all these reasons, iron supplementation above the general population recommendations are vital to adhere to post-operatively.

Intravenous iron infusions are sometimes required for those patients who are unable to correct the deficiency through diet and oral supplements alone.

Symptoms of iron deficiency to be aware of:
Weakness and tiredness
Headaches
Rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath
Hair loss and brittle nails
Pale skin and conjunctiva
Unusual cravings for things like ice, chalk, or clay

Address

Zuid Afrikaans Hospital, 293 Bourke Street, Muckleneuk
Pretoria
0002

Opening Hours

Monday	08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	08:00 - 17:00
Thursday	08:00 - 17:00
Friday	08:00 - 16:00

Telephone

+27723259327

Website

http://www.pretoriaphysician.co.za/

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