Doctors answer weight-loss surgery questions

The December Deseret News/Intermountain Healthcare Hotline focused on surgery to help severely overweight people shed pounds. In addition to answering phoned-in questions, several readers submitted questions by e-mail.

Dr. Sherman Smith, director of bariatric surgery at LDS Hospital, and his colleague, Dr. Rod McKinlay, a general and bariatric surgeon at LDS and St. Mark's Hospital, tackled the main themes that were submitted.

The hotline is held the second Saturday of each month and addresses a different health issue each time.

Question: I had bariatric surgery and lost a lot of weight, which I kept off for 18 years. Then, around 2000, I quit smoking and have been gaining weight ever since. What can I do? Is a redo even possible after all this time?

Answer: First, congratulations on quitting smoking. That's a great step toward better health, even though it seems to have been met by an increase in weight.

A surgical revision of your gastric bypass, or "redo" is possible. Of course, most people gain weight because their diet has changed, and if you revert to the type of diet you followed immediately following the gastric bypass, you may lose a lot of weight again.

But for people who feel they need surgical help again, there are options available. Simply put, the gastric bypass can be redone, or a band can be placed around the gastric pouch. To find out more about these options, you can come to an informational seminar that we have at our office on Tuesday night or Saturday morning, without cost or obligation. You can call our office at 801-268-3800 to find out more. Our office staff will probably put you in touch with one of our medical assistants who may ask you some questions about your bypass, your current weight, etc., to make sure that you would be a good candidate for a revision.

In brief, a revision does carry a higher risk than the original surgery, and results are not as predictable for your weight loss. (McKinlay)

Question: Since gastric bypass has now been around for a very long time, is it routine enough that it's safe to go somewhere like Mexico to have it done? I did some looking and it's much less expensive there. I don't think my insurance will cover it here, there or anywhere, so cost is important.