Timely surgery and the best surgery facility available is a must for many of our patients. To bring you that experience, we’ve partnered with Victoria Surgery Clinic. To read the whole story, got to WL&S Support
Video – Dr Amson performs Mid-Band Gastric Surgery
Video – created and made available by Wayne Dupuis MultiMedia Services VIHA
WARNING – Explicit Medical Surgery Video
Video – Dr Amson shows Band fill/adjustment after surgery (done in office)
Video – created and made available by Wayne Dupuis MultiMedia Services VIHA
WARNING – Explicit Medical Surgery Video
Recommended Reading for Band Patients
Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding
Achieving Permanent Weight Loss with Minimally Invasive Surgery
Jessie H. Ahroni, Ph.D.
Publisher: iUniverse, Inc.
Weight Loss Surgery with the Adjustable Gastric Band
Everything you need to know before and after surgery to lose weight successfully
Robert W. Sewell, M.D. and Linda Rohrbough
Publisher: Da Capo Press-Lifelong Books
Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies
Marina S. Kurian M. D., Barbara Thompson, Brian K. Davidson
Publisher: Wiley Publishing Inc.
Mindless Eating – Why We Eat More Than We Think;
Author: Brian Wansink, Ph.D.
Publisher: Bantam Dell
The Rules of “Normal” Eating
A Commonsense Approach for Dieters, Overeaters, Undereaters, Emotional Eaters, and Everyone in Between!
Author: Karen R. Koenig, LICSW, M.Ed.
Publisher: Gurze Books
Announcement:
Dr Amson is holding a seminar on the Mid-Band
Saturday Nov 7th
12:30 – 3:30 pm
Songhees Suite
Delta Ocean Point Hotel
Victoria BC
There will be several Post-ops as well as Dr Amson who will describe and answer any questions related to the Mid-Band procedure. Everyone welcome.
1st STEPS
Dr Brad Amson MD
The first step in making the decision to have Laparascopic Adjustable Band Surgery (LAGB) is to acknowledge that you need the help of a TOOL to be successful. You see the LAGB that we use, the MIDBAND, is just a tool that helps you be successful. Without the MIDBAND your chance of success is in fact quite dismal. If you have been morbidly obese BMI>35, or >100 lbs. above your ideal body weight for more than 5 years, your chance of having long term sustained weight loss is < 5% at best. With MIDBAND Surgery the success rate at 5 years is 50% and in some series, such as ours considerably higher at 85%. The MIDBAND helps control the volume of food you can eat at one sitting and gives you the control you need. You must combine the surgery with daily exercise and good food choices (natural unrefined food, fruit, vegetables and lean protein) to be successful. We feel it is very important for you to contact patients that have had the surgery before you make your decision to have surgery. You can do this through our support groups or through Internet chat forums. If you decide to have your MIDBAND surgery with us you will be required to speak to our patients before having surgery. Our patients understand the need to change their behaviour in order for the MIDBAND to be successful. Their journey and experience with the MIDBAND will be very beneficial to you.
We also ask you to immediately start an exercise program. The amount of exercise you can do depends on your degree of obesity, your co-morbidities, and your fitness level. We generally request that younger more healthy obese patients commit to the equivalent of walking 1 hour daily. If you have significant, arthritis etc and can not walk then a water based exercise program is indicated (you weigh 1/8 of your weight in water).
We ask that you keep a journal of your exercise and review it with your family physician or personal trainer on a biweekly basis. Your commitment to exercise regularly and set fitness goals for yourself is essential if you are to be successful with MIDBAND Surgery. Our patients regularly do such fun events as 10k walk/runs, triathlons, swimming events, martial art retreats, cycling,ballroom dancing,geotracking ,kayaking,playing hockey,raquet sports etc. You must become active. YOU MUST BECOME A DOER NOT AN OBSERVER.
You are also requested to change your eating habits prior to surgery. Our dietitian will go over healthy eating with you, but again this is not rocket science. Most patients know what they should eat, but often end up eating the wrong foods in the wrong proportions. It takes effort and commitment on your part to ensure that you eat the regular meals that are composed of healthy unrefined, natural food. GET THE JUNKFOOD, STARCHES, and FATS OUT OF YOUR HOUSE. Fill your fridge and pantry with fruit, nuts, vegetables and lean protein. Get rid of the pop and juice. Drink water, tea or skim milk.
We recommend support group attendance or an Internet support group. Other good groups to belong to are TOPS, Over Eaters Anonymous, and Food Addicts Anonymous. Emotional/Stress eating and addictive eating behaviour is often the underlying cause of obesity and patients must recognize and deal with these issues.
If you do the above 1st Steps , you are well on your way to success with MIDBAND Surgery.
If you do the above and change your behaviour pre-op and put in the necessary work and effort, you will be successful with your MIDBAND Surgery. We look forward in helping you achieve success and become the healthy happy fulfilled person you deserve to be.
Band Rules.
By Brad Amson M.D.
- The Band is a TOOL that you must use to lose weight. You are the ultimate reason the band or for that matter any bariatric/metabolic surgery works.
- Exercise 1 hour per day. Do the equivalent of a 1 hour walk per day. As you lose weight and your fitness and health improves you can increase the intensity of your exercise. As little as 15 minutes of high intensity exercise 4 times per week has been shown to increase longevity and decrease the chance of regaining weight.
- EAT BREAKFAST and 3 meals per day. Sit down at a table with friends or family to eat your meals. Turn off the TV and enjoy social interaction when you eat. Eat slowly and enjoy the experience. Do not grab food and eat on the go.
- Eat vegetables, natural fruit and lean protein. Eat small amounts of whole grain carbs.
- Do not consume high caloric liquid or semi liquid food such as juice, pop,alcohol, ice cream etc. Occasional treats of small amounts of the above are permitted.
- Avoid fatty foods and starches. Avoid fried food and white bread, and man made food with white flour (cake, cookies etc). THROW THE JUNK FOOD OUT.
- Follow the 5/5 rule. Do not eat food with more that 5 grams of fat or 5 gram of sugar in them.
- Read labels and educate yourself on the calories in food
- Do not snack incessantly at night. Do anything to avoid this. Go for a walk. Talk to a friend. Take up knitting or basket weaving.
- ABOVE ALL BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. Use support groups and the experience of others to help you through difficult times.
Welcome to Victoria Band Surgery.
Dreams Do come true! Your dream of health, fitness and a new slim body can be a reality. Let us help you on your journey back to the healthy and fit person you deserve to be.
