Puget Sound Surgical Center

Philadelphia Eagles Lineman Max Jean-Gilles

Bigger is not always better, even in pro football.  Just ask Philadelphia Eagles lineman Max Jean-Gilles.  Max has always been a big guy, even as a youth he was uncommonly large. However, his size allowed him to excel in football since he was quick on his feet as well.  

Fast forward some years later and his bigness continued to get bigger, and not in the best possible way.  After a successful career playing for the University of Georgia, Max was picked up by the NFL which landed him with the Philadelphia Eagles.  Unfortunately, he began to get injured, as a result of his weight.  He was continuing to put on more and more weight which was having it’s affects on his ability to play.

He had reached a pinnacle of 400 lbs and was quickly  being removed from any plan the Eagles originally had hoped for him.  In desperation, he knew he had to do something or risk losing his career altogether.  However, diets didn’t do it for him, no matter how much he tried he just couldn’t take off the additional weight.  Then one day his wife, Maggie, suggested that he look at surgical weight loss options.  This ended up saving his carreer and possibly his life.

Max chose a minimally invasive procedure using a gastric band.  An adjustable gastric band, also marketed under the name of  Lap-Band, is surgically inserted around the upper portion of the stomach which, when properly adjusted, restricts food intake helping people to curb their appetite and eventually lose weight.

According to Max, food had always been his weakness.  He would love to eat a whole bucket of chicken throughout the day.  Now after surgery he quickly fills up and has lost his ability to gorge himself.

Now three months later after surgery and 50 lbs lighter, he just completed Eagles summer training camp  surviving the cut and is ready for the new season.

The original article can be found here on Fanhouse.

Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy

Recently, surgeons performed a new minimally invasive weight loss procedure through the mouth of the patient.  This is the first time that bariatric surgeons have used this type of technique.  A medical team at USC, San Diego Medical Center operated , performing a vertical sleeve gastrectomy on a woman through the mouth.  They successfully removed 80% of the stomach without modifying the natural flow of the intestinal tract.  This has shown to be successful in helping patients lose the majority of their excess weight.

The vertical sleeve gastrectomy helps patients lose close to 2-4 pounds a week of excess weight.  This new form of surgery, for the vertical sleeve gastrectomy, incorporates two  minimally invasive procedures.  Both laproscopic surgery and natural orifice endoscopic surgery. The benefit being that both procedures are used to reduce scaring and increase recovery with less complications.

The process utilizes a small puncture type incisions in the abdomen for inserting laparoscopic instruments into the body cavity.  An endoscope is inserted into the mouth and down the throat to divide the stomach into it’s desired size.  With a smaller stomach size people will become satisfied quicker and end up eating less – resulting in less caloric intake and eventually weight loss.

This weight loss procedure through the mouth is less invasive than traditional gastric bypass surgery, however, some health risks still apply, including blood clots and leaking.

The number of weight loss surgery options continue to evolve leaving patients with reduce scaring, the total cost of recovery reduced and not feeling hungry.

Puget Sound Surgical Center is pleased to be offering a new State-of-the-Art weight loss surgery program. This program extends to all parts of the United States, North America and internationally.

This includes the following services:

• Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy
• Roux en-Y bypass
• Gastric Banding Procedures
• Program includes affordable prices for day surgeries
• Complete surgery education and coaching
• Same-day surgery with one to two week recovery time including further education and monitoring
• Post-surgery appointments scheduled for remote dialogue and training over five years.

For any additional questions about our out of town weight loss surgery program call the office at (877) 548-2424

A new agreement with the Canadian Health Care system will allow Canadians to cross the boarder into the United States and have weight loss surgery performed. Canada is ill-equipped to handle bariatric weight loss surgery compared to the US. It will also help decrease the amount of time it takes for a Canadian patient to receive treatment. Currently, Canadians waiting to receive weight loss surgery are on a five year waiting list.

Mark Corrales hadn’t been able to tie his own shoes in 15 years. He suffered from obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, severe gout and degenerative joint disease. Add to that a case of GERD and borderline diabetes, and you have a picture of Mark’s physical health: uncomfortable, unhealthy and definitely un-Mark.

Gastric bypass surgery at Puget Sound Surgical Center helped Mark lose 213 pounds and improve his overall health. “The weight loss tool that was given to me changed my life,” he wrote in a testimonial for the center.

Mark’s treatment went beyond the surgery. “They connected me with an excellent nutritionist and people who were able to relate to my needs and cravings,” he said. “I started to eat things that were healthier, and surprisingly, I enjoyed them! I couldn’t believe it!”

Today, he participates in a fitness center cycling program and enjoys hiking. He has received promotions at work and more doors are open to him because he’s taking more challenges.

Mark’s success story revolves around a comprehensive program Puget Sound Surgical Center has set into place. The program begins before the patient’s bariatric surgery and continues one to two years after the surgery. “We don’t want to give a patient new surgery and a new chance of life, then simply send him on his way,” Torie McIntyre, public relations coordinator, explained. “We want to give our patients support for mind, body and spirit.”

That support comes in the form of nutrition therapy, an exercise program, counseling services and support groups that provide interaction with the other weight-loss patients. Puget Sound Surgical Center specializes in minimally invasive bariatric surgery including Lap-Band and Lap Sleeve surgery. The center also provides the latest in aesthetic cosmetic procedures such as SmartLipo, which tightens skin and eliminates fat using laser liposuction technology.

Upcoming surgical weight-loss seminars are scheduled for November 18th in Bellingham and December 10th in Edmonds. For details, contact Torie at the surgical center. She can guide you to educational information, help you sign up for a seminar and introduce you to staff specialists who will influence your success in building a healthier new you.

CNN – Reports on the controversy regarding the need for medical insurance to pay for weight loss surgery procedures for the morbidly obese. The debate arrises from the notion that a person’s obesity is a result of personal responsibility and not any known naturally occurring medical condition. However, medical insurance companies do not deny medical treatment due to lung cancer if the person was a chronic smoker all their life.

By reimbursing for weight loss surgery, overall health care cost would be reduced significantly since surgery patients would be less likely to obtain a secondary diseases like high blood pressure, stoke, heart attack, edema and diabetes once the weight comes off.

Most experts believe that there would be a national reduction of health care costs since less money would be spent on treating morbid obesity related diseases which in turn would also help to reduce insurance premiums.

CNN – Reports of a new procedure called Transoral Gastroplasty or TOGA. This experimental new minimally invasive surgery is incision free and performed entirely through the mouth. It involves inserting a tube like apparatus through the mouth down the esophagus that staples the stomach to form a thumb-sized tube that holds only a small amount of food.

What makes the TOGA procedure so unique is that no incisions are required to perform this surgery. Transoral gastroplasty is part of a new generation of surgery that uses natural orifices, like the mouth, anus or vagina to perform surgery instead of cutting through the skin.

Over the past 3 years more than 100 people in Europe and Mexico have had the TOGA procedure performed with an average weight loss of 40 percent of their excess body fat after one year post operative.

The TOGA system for transoral gastroplasty is being developed by Satiety, Inc, a medical device company based in Palo Alto, California. The company is now conducting clinical trials and is hoping for FDA approval in the near future.

According to CNN, research and development into new non-invasive surgical techniques for the treatment of obesity have been successful. Some of these procedure use non-traditional surgical entries that limits scaring and recovery time. One such procedure performed at Puget Sound Surgical Center is called Stomaphyx. This procedure uses a device that is inserted down the throat, into the stomach pleating it, resulting in weight loss due to a smaller stomach/pouch size.

Other experimental procedures recently tested at Stanford University include entrance through the vaginal opening in women. This has the benefit of having direct access to the body cavity and it’s internal organs. Recover and pain associated with this method has been minimal with pain similar to menstrual cramps.

Weight-loss procedures using natural orifices are under way in many clinical trials. Their success could minimize risks encountered in standard bariatric surgery procedures. Contact Puget Sound Surgical Center and talk to one of our board certified surgeons about these new procedures.