Page 3 - TriLakes Extra January 2016

ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE TRI-LAKES EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
EXTRA FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 2016 • 3TT
sions and a cable system, and it takes 45 minutes to an hour, he said, adding that it is performed while the patient is under general anesthesia.
The Lap-Band is best for people who are 150 to 200 pounds overweight with a BMI of 35 to 45, he said, and people who follow pro- tocol can easily lose 50 to 100 pounds. He added that it is safer than a gastric sleeve or gastric bypass.
“I loved the fact that it could be more controlled,” Taylor said. She added that safety played a role in her decision, because one of her sisters had faced serious complications from a gastric bypass.
Although Luttrell said he now keeps Lap-Band patients overnight for observation, Taylor said she left the hos- pital the same day as her surgery. After some initial pain and nausea, she healed quickly and was back to her normal routine in two weeks, she said.
“I could see results im- mediately, and that was just thrilling for me because after experiencing, so many times, failure with these different weight-loss programs and not seeing any results, it was just electrifying,” she said.
She added that she no lon- ger feels hungry between meals. “That is the biggest trigger for me,” she said. “If I feel hungry, I want to eat. But with the Lap-Band, I never feel hungry, and that’s what I’m so thankful for. I can control my eating.”
Taylor has returned to the hospital twice because of complications with her Lap- Band, she said. The first time, the band slipped out of place, which Luttrell said happens to about 4 percent of Lap-Band patients.
Nonetheless, Taylor said she would recommend the procedure to others strug- gling with weight loss but
I could
see results immediately,
and that was just thrilling for me because after experiencing, so many times, failure with these different weight-loss programs and not seeing any results, it was just electrifying.”
— PatriciaTaylor
Lap-Band patient
added that patients must follow their doctor’s recom- mendations and cultivate healthy habits to see success.
Taylor now walks 5 or 6 miles a week, and she also joined a taekwondo group, which gave her the disci- pline to control her eating, she said.
Taylor said she generally maintains a healthy weight of about 150 pounds. Her blood sugar is manageable, and she hopes to stop taking her diabetes medicine, she said, adding that she no lon- ger has problems with high blood pressure or varicose veins.
She also got married to a man she met while she was still overweight. “He loves me for me and is proud of the weight loss,” she said. “It has been a tremendous, awe- some journey where I found out a lot about myself.”
The most precious part of her journey was the first time her daughter hugged her and was able to wrap her arms all the way around her, she said. “I’ll never forget that mo- ment, and I will never lose that moment again,” she said. “The fact that she could hug me and put her arms all the way around me—that has meant everything to me.”
ORBERA is a non surgical weight-loss balloon that curbs appetite by taking up space in the stomach. It received FDA approval in the U.S. in August 2015.
New weight-loss balloon gives alternative to surgery
By Sarah DeClerk
SPECIAL SECTIONS WRITER
People struggling with weight loss now have a new non- surgical option with ORBERA, a saline-filled balloon that sits in the stomach for six months to prevent overeating.
Dr. Rex Luttrell, medical director for the surgical weight- loss center at Saline Memorial Hospital in Benton, became the first surgeon in Arkansas to perform the procedure in September 2015. So far, he has placed about 20 balloons, he said.
During the procedure, Luttrell inserts a balloon into the stomach through the patient’s throat and then inflates it with saline, periodically checking its placement with a scope. The procedure uses light sedation, so recovery time is minimal, he said.
“The patient goes home in about three hours,” he added. Patients may feel nausea for the first few days after surgery, but they can pursue any physical activity after their stomachs adjust to the balloons, Luttrell said.
Although the balloons are removed after six months, Lut- trell and his staff counsel patients about diet and exercise while the balloons are in place and for six months after
removal, he said.
“At that point, the patient has been conditioned for a life-
style change, and they can kind of take it from there,” he said. If patients improve their habits, they can keep the weight off after the balloon is removed, he added.
People who have had previous stomach surgeries should not use ORBERA, which may cause them to have stomach ruptures, he said. “Other than that, the risks are negligible,” he added. “It’s the safest weight-loss procedure that’s being offered today.”
ORBERA is recommended for people with a BMI between 30 and 40, he said, and it can help patients lose 20 to 50 pounds. It is more effective than weight-loss drugs or diet and exercise alone, he added.
Although ORBERA has been used in other countries for about 20 years, it received FDA approval in the U.S. in Au- gust 2015, he said. He added that the out-of-pocket proce- dure costs $6,100.
“I think 2016 is going to be an exciting year for people who are looking for minimally invasive methods for weight loss,” he said. “We’re just happy to be able to provide that at Saline Memorial.”