Weight-Loss Surgery Information Session

To find out if you are a candidate for weight-loss surgery, attend a free, physician-led information seminar at 6:30 p.m. Thursday July 5 or 10 a.m. Saturday July 21 at Baptist East's Education Center. Pre-registration is required.

To register for an upcoming information session, or for physician referral, call the Baptist Hospital East Information Center at (502) 897-8131 or e-mail BHEInfoCenter@bhsi.com. Please provide your name, complete address, telephone number and seminar date selected in your e-mail. Online registration is also available at baptisteast.com/weightloss.

Baptist Hospital East offers adjustable gastric banding weight loss (bariatric) surgery. The minimally invasive procedure is performed by surgeons G. Derek Weiss, MD, and John S. Oldham Jr., MD, of Bluegrass Bariatric Surgical Associates.

Bariatric surgery reduces the size of the stomach and, in some cases, alters the digestion process to curb the amount of calories and nutrients absorbed. Most patients lose about 50 percent of their excess weight in the first year after surgery.

Health problems associated with excess weight also usually improve after surgery, including problems with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and joint pain.

Success requires a drastic change in behavior, including eating very small meals.

The gastric band procedure involves placing a collar on the stomach to make it smaller. The band is adjustable so it can be tightened or loosened to regulate food intake.