- ArthritisObesity is a risk factor or an aggravating agent for more than 30 conditions. They are: arthritis (osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis), birth defects, cancers (breast cancer in women, breast cancer in men, cancers of the esophagus and gastric cardia, colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, renal cancer), carpal tunnel syndrome, cardiovascular disease, chronic venous insufficiency, daytime sleepiness, deep vein thrombosis, end stage renal disease, gallbladder disease, gout, heat disorders, hypertension, impaired immune response, impaired respiratory function, infections following wounds, liver disease, obstetric and gynecologic complications, pain, severe acute biliary and alcoholic pancreatitis, sleep apnea, stroke, surgical complications, traumatic injuries to teeth, type 2 diabetes, and urinary stress incontinence. (Press Release. HHH News – DHHS, New Report Documents Improvement in Americans' Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC, June 10, 1999.
- Medical Weight LossBariatric Surgeon, Dr. Lee Schmitt proclaims the superiority of weight loss surgery over medical weight loss clinics and issues a bold challenge to them to compare results.
- Nutritional CounselingYes. Nutrition counseling is very important prior to bariatric surgery. You will attend a nutrition class led by a dietician prior to surgery and you can meet with the dietician individually after your surgery.
- Pediatric CareApproximately 25% of children and adolescents are overweight, a figure which has doubled in 30 years. (Troiano, R.P. and Flegal, K.M. Overweight Children and Adolescents: Description, Epidemiology, and Demographics. Pediatrics 101(3):497-504, 1998.)
- Primary CareWell, August 28 will be the 7th anniversary of my gastric bypass. I am GREAT! Had my checkup with my primary care physician this morning and I am freakishly healthy. BP was 90/64, cholesterol was 175, all my vitamin levels are great. My pre-op weight was 314 and this morning I weighed 149. At almost 6’ tall, I still come in officially ‘skinny’ (YAY!). My total re-gain has been only 11 pounds. The only issue I have is being hypoglycemic and some very selective acid reflux. I am attaching a picture from Christmas – not the best but just haven’t had any occasion for a picture lately. You can at least tell I am still a pretty skinny old lady. Am also attaching the pre-op picture for you again for comparison. I have come a long way since the 314 pounds I weighed the first time I came in to see you. I still believe gastric bypass saved my life. Looking back through my chart this morning, Dr. Wilhite said I very likely would not be here today if I hadn’t had it.
- Family Practice
- High Cholesterol
- Electrocardiogram
- Urinary IncontinencePersons with obesity are at risk of developing one or more serious medical conditions. Obesity is associated with more than 30 medical conditions. Strong relationships have been scientifically established between obesity and at least 15 conditions, including arthritis, breast cancer, heart disease, colorectal cancer, type 2 diabetes, endometrial cancer, end-stage renal disease, gallbladder disease, hypertension, liver disease, low back pain, renal cell cancer, obstructive sleep apnea, stroke, and urinary incontinence.
- Diarrhea
- Pregnancy
- Kidney StonesWhen you are losing weight, there are many waste products to eliminate, mostly in the urine. Some of these substances tend to form crystals, which can cause kidney stones. A high water intake protects you and helps your body to rid itself of waste products efficiently, promoting better weight loss. Water also fills your gut and helps to prolong and intensify your sense of satisfaction with food. If you feel a desire to eat between meals, it may be because you did not drink enough water in the hour before.
- EndoscopyYou have had prior stomach or intestinal surgery or bariatric surgery. It is not for patients with: a large hiatal hernia, greater than 5 cm or intractable gastroesophageal reflux symptoms, structural abnormality in the esophagus or pharynx such as stricture or diverticulum, achalasia or any other severe dysmotility disorder, gastric mass, inflammatory disease of the G.I. tract, potential upper G.I. bleeding conditions, severe coagulopathy. Orbera is contraindicated in patients receiving aspirin, anti-inflammatory agents, anticoagulants or other stomach irritants. Other contraindications include: serious or uncontrolled psychiatric illness or disorder that could compromise patient understanding of or compliance with follow-up visits and removal of the device after six months; alcohol or drug addiction; patients unwilling to participate in an established medically supervised diet and behavior modification program, with routine follow-up; patients who are known to be pregnant or breast-feeding; hepatic insufficiency or cirrhosis; presence of more than one intragastric balloon at one time; any other condition that would not permit elective endoscopy; patient is known to have or suspected to have an allergic reaction to materials in Orbera.
- Lung CancerConsider this: most people can distinguish between smoking and lung cancer. One is a behavior and one is a disease. Or problem drinking of alcohol and liver disease. One is a behavior and one is a disease. Sunbathing without protection is a behavior; skin cancer is a disease.
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Depression
- Diabetes Care
- EndocrinologyAACE/ACE Obesity Task Force. Position Statement on the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Obesity [online]. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and The American College of Endocrinology, 1998 revision. Available at http://www.aace.com/clinguideindex.htm)
- MRIThe staples used on the stomach and the intestines are very tiny in comparison to the staples you will have in your skin or staples you use in the office. Each staple is a tiny piece of stainless steel or titanium so small it is hard to see other than as a tiny bright spot. Because the metals used (titanium or stainless steel) are inert in the body, most people are not allergic to staples and they usually do not cause any problems in the long run. The staple materials are also non-magnetic, which means that they will not be affected by MRI. The staples will not set off airport metal detectors.
- X-Rays
- General SurgeryDr. Lee Schmitt is a Leeds, Alabama native and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Alabama. He received his M.D. Degree from the University of Alabama School of Medicine and completed his Internship and Residency training in General Surgery at UAB. He has been a St. Vincent's East surgeon since 1995. Dr. Schmitt is Board Certified in General Surgery and currently specializes in all types of laparoscopic surgical procedures including weight loss surgery, anti-reflux surgery, and surgery of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Robotic SurgeryDr. Wood is a Birmingham, Alabama native and graduated from The University of Alabama. He received his medical degree from The University of Alabama School of Medicine, then completed general surgery residency at UAB where he served as Chief Surgical Resident. Dr. Wood has been a surgeon since 2002 and has a special interest in bariatric surgery and minimally invasive procedures such as laparoscopic and robotic surgery. During surgical residency, Dr. Wood trained under Dr. John Gleysteen who was a pioneer of early surgical weight loss procedures. He has now been trained under Dr. Robert Leslie Miles Jr. and Dr. Lee Schmitt with Alabama Weight Loss Surgery to continue to provide the best care in bariatric surgery.
- Knee ReplacementI called my orthopedist the first of March and told him I had lost 100 lbs. and wanted to proceed with the knee surgery. He put the paperwork into motion to get insurance approval and on 29Mar05, I had a total right knee replacement, also without complications. I had lost an additional 22 lbs. by the day of knee surgery. When I went to my primary care physician, in August, for my annual checkup, he acted like the nurse had put the wrong patient in the room with my chart.
- Reconstructive SurgeryAs a 48 year old, I have lost a total of 125 lbs 10 months. I look forward to the remaining weight coming off and toward the reconstructive surgery that needs to take place. I am very happy with my new look -- so is my husband. Thank you Dr. Miles for being there and for being God's instrument to so many hurting people who had no where else to turn.
- Plastic SurgeryMany people heavy enough to meet the surgical criteria for weight loss surgery have stretched their skin beyond the point from which it can "snap back." Some patients will choose to have plastic surgery to remove loose or excess skin after they have lost their excess weight. Insurance generally does not pay for this type of surgery (often seen as elective surgery). However, some do pay for certain types of surgery to remove excess skin when complications arise from these excess skin folds. Ask your surgeon about your need for a skin removal procedure.
- Bariatric SurgeryDr. Miles has been designated as a 'Fellow of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery', which demonstrates commitment to excellence through his participation in ongoing data collections to continually evaluate and improve patient care.
- Skin Cancer
- UlcerYou must stop smoking at least three months before surgery. Smoking increases the risk of lung problems after surgery, can reduce the rate of healing, increases the rates of infection, and interferes with blood supply to the healing tissues. Smoking greatly increases the chance that you will get an ulcer as well as a blood clot.
- Back Pain