While we certainly hope that every patient considering surgery will use traditional evaluation methods to choose a surgeon, we also strongly encourage attending a seminar. In the bariatric world, most practices like ours offer regularly scheduled free seminars to those who are interested in learning more about bariatric surgery. The seminars are a key component of making your decision, because they offer insight into practice and give patients the opportunity to meet the doctors and in many cases former patients. This gives an insight into the practice that cannot be rivaled. We also suggest that you ask the practice to put you in touch with former patients who have undergone the procedure that you are considering. This will give you some first-hand insight into the process and how the practice works.

You should also attend some of the practice’s support groups, to see what life will be like after surgery. Remember, your relationship with the practice does not end at surgery, rather it continues for months and years afterwards. Understanding the support process at your practice can help you make sure that they are the right fit for you.

While there are many factors that will influence your decision, the bottom line is that you should choose the practice that is right for you. We encourage you to take the time to research the practices in your area, but nothing can substitute for face-to-face time where you can truly understand if you have a connection with the practice you are considering.

The last thing that we want to see is a patient who stays on extremely strict diet, depriving themselves of anything that makes them happy and eventually succumbs to binge eating. Further, an overly restrictive diet and too much exercise may trigger anorexic or bulimic behavior, especially in those who have addictive personalities or they suffer from psychological disorders.

When it comes to diet and exercise, moderation is the key. After all, a lack of moderation may have been the reason why you gained weight in the first place. You will be consulting with our dietitians who create a plan based on your particular situation, the goals that you and your surgeon have developed and your daily needs and desires – none of these should be overlooked. We encourage you to stick to our strict but fair diet plan. And just bear in mind that moderation, not starvation, will be a key to your long-term success.

If you have any questions about your diet or exercise plan or if you feel that you can no longer handle your diet, please consult with us. We can help you we can help work through these issues.

You may also wish to choose a practice with multiple surgeons. A practice such as ours, with three surgeons, is able to offer round the clock care, 24/7 and 365 days a year. You’ll know that you have someone to speak to if you every have an emergency. And make sure that the surgeons, like our practice, work on cases together, so that each is aware of the particular circumstances of every patient.

First and most importantly, patients should ask their insurance company for a written summary of why the pre-authorization was denied. This offers the patient and our surgical office the opportunity to see if it was a simple omission, a clerical error or a substantial issue that must be corrected. No matter what the reason for denial, if the patient has coverage for bariatric surgery and meets all of the criteria to undergo bariatric surgery through insurance, there should be a way to reverse the denial.

Do not go at it alone. Use the resources available to you at our office and speak to one of our insurance specialist today.

Medicare and Medicaid do not have a defined preauthorization system. In fact, patients will not know if they are covered until after they undergo the surgical procedure. Because of this, it is especially important to make sure that all the criteria that these public forms of insurance expect from a patient have been met. As a result, it is important to check and double check that the application is filled out completely and accurately and all the supporting documents for coverage are organized and included.

While this may seem daunting, don’t worry. You will have a knowledgeable insurance and financing team available to you through our office as well as through the hospital at which you will be undergoing surgery. However, spending the time to ensure that your paperwork is correct and complete will save you time and aggravation by helping avoid a denial. Please speak to us and contact your insurance provider to fully understand the requirements they expect you to meet in order to receive coverage for your procedure.

Local anesthesia targets a small part of the body, allowing the patient to stay awake while being numb. General anesthesia, on the other hand, puts the patient to sleep entirely.

The local anesthetic is preferred over general anesthesia for many reasons, the most obvious and important of which is safety. Since the anesthesia only targets the specific area in which the surgery is being performed, it carries fewer significant risks. General anesthesia, while also relatively safe, does have the slightly added risk of aspiration – where a blockage of the windpipe is possible and can cause fluctuations in blood pressure that must be monitored closely.

The choice of anesthesia also makes for different recovery experiences. Patients who undergo the Smartlipo procedure will begin to recover immediately after the procedure since they will already be awake and alert. Those who have undergone a traditional liposuction procedure with general anesthesia will need to first awaken from the anesthesia to begin their recovery only after they are fully awake.

• Experience and qualifications are important. Studies show that patients who employ an experienced surgeon will have fewer complications after surgery. Also find a surgeon with ACS and ASMBS distinction awards. These are practices that have been thoroughly vetted.
• Meet the team. The surgeon may be the quarterback, but the entire team matters significantly. You will be seeing your surgical team for months and years after surgery, so you want to make sure you click.
• Go to seminars. Most surgical practices will offer a free seminar or information session. Attend one or more of these to get an idea of the practice and surgeon.
• Speak to former patients. The practice should be more than happy to put you in touch with former patients so you can learn more about the practice and their manner of care.
• Go local. As mentioned before, bariatric surgery is a lifelong process that requires follow-up. Having your surgeon nearby will make the follow-up process much more convenient.

Just remember, there is no best surgeon for everyone. It takes time, and rightly so, to find the right practice for you. Ask lots of questions and make an informed decision.

For example your body will be changing rapidly for between 12 and 18 months after bariatric surgery. This means that undergoing a liposuction procedure within that time maybe counterproductive as your body and fat cells are still in flux. After pregnancy, the wait time for liposuction or any other cosmetic procedure may be a bit shorter, to the tune of about 4 to 6 months.

In both cases however, there are considerations to take into account. The patient’s overall progress in recovering from surgery or pregnancy is key. Other considerations such as recovery or complication from a C-section or the breast-feeding habits of the mother may make a difference.

However, by undergoing a Smartlipo MPX^TM procedure versus the traditional liposuction, patients will be able to minimize the risk of poor results because of the precision of the system. No matter the benefits, it is still very important to consult with your medical team to ensure the right timing for your procedure. Our goal, first and foremost, is your safety and the effectiveness of the procedure you choose.

But what does “exercise” mean? Do you have to run 5 miles a day, lift weights, spend hours in the gym? Well, that really depends on your goals, but for the moment let’s take exercise down to its lowest common denominator — movement.  If you are not friends with exercise, that’s OK. Just start with movement. Try coupling what you don’t like, aka exercising, with something you do like, say shopping.  Choose a shopping mall, park far away, take a few extra laps around the mall and just window shop. Movement — that’s all it takes. Ditch that helpful garden wagon and make multiple trips across the yard. Stop eyeballing the stairs and try using them. Movement.

Will this make you friends with your gym routine? Probably not. Oh sure, you’ll need to acknowledge one another a few times a week, but in between just keep moving. Swim, walk the dog, garden, wash the car, rake the leaves — anything that requires you to stand, move, bend, and flex, because all movement counts.

As the name suggests, Smartlipo MPX^TM leverages traditional liposuction technology, adding a laser-based component to improve upon the effectiveness and precision of liposuction procedures. The results, compared to traditional lipo, are staggering, and patients will experience significantly less pain with better results.

In order to illustrate the degree of pain, which of course depends largely on the patient’s unique circumstances, you can click on the following link to see a pain chart comparing traditional lipo to Smartlipo MPX^TM. You will also notice a chart that shows the average time it will take to return to normal activity after each of the procedures. This is probably the most tangible evidence of the benefits of this newer laser-based procedure.

http://nygetfit.com/smartlipo/images/pain.jpg

What the chart does not illustrate is the fact that Smartlipo MPX^TM is performed under local anesthetic while traditional lipo requires a general anesthetic – yet another safety and recovery benefit.

Will there be some pain and discomfort? Yes, there will. However, this new technology has been able to minimize it. Further, with the experience that Dr. Maffei and our entire staff bring, complication rates and pain can be minimized even further.

As bariatric surgeons, we cannot stress enough that you need to be mentally prepared for surgery in order for you to lose weight consistently and safely. Obesity is certainly a qualifying factor, but true success will only come with psychological preparation for surgery. While this does seem like a big responsibility, and it is, you can be confident that you have a team to support and advise you. We hope that you use our team of professionals to make sure that you are doing everything you can to make yourself successful.

The psychological changes after surgery are many. First and foremost, you will be fighting the temptations to return to your old diet and perhaps sedentary lifestyle. You will need to follow a proper, limited diet and spend plenty of time in the gym or performing physical activity.

In order to ensure the very best outcomes after surgery, it is important that you know the responsibilities that you will bear after the procedure. Make sure you ask lots of questions and understand the ins and outs of the procedure. It is also imperative that you take advantage of all of the support tools available to you after surgery. Combining knowledge before surgery and support after will give you the tools you need to make an educated choice about bariatric surgery and be successful over the long term.