|
DRHC Reaches 200th LAP-BAND Deer River HealthCare Center’s (DRHC) Bariatric Team, led by Dr. Daniel Margo, performed their 200th LAP-BAND placement procedure in January, 2008. LAP-BAND is an adjustable gastric band that is placed through small incisions and loops a band around the top of the stomach to create a small pouch so that people feel more full and eat less.“This is a milestone for us,” exclaimed Dawn Evans, DRHC’s Bariatric Coordinator. “Not only are we assisting patients in reaching their weightloss goals through our supportive program, we are helping more patients than ever before – earning recognition as one of the most established programs in Minnesota.” According to Evans, LAP-BAND surgery has been performed in Deer River since 2003 and a team approach, stressing the importance of caring for the patient in the long term, was developed to assure patients have excellent outcomes. No other Bariatric team within 90 miles has the experience of the DRHC team and their patients drive from all over the region to receive this team approach to their care. Two such patients with excellent outcomes are Patricia Murphy and her husband, Mike, of Floodwood, MN. Both had severe health problems before undergoing the LAP-BAND procedure, and both are enjoying better health since the procedure. “We initially set up the meeting with Mike in mind, but once we met Dawn and Dr. Margo, we both started the program. It’s been great for us to lean on each other,” stated Pat Murphy. The Murphy’s have lost a combined total of over 125 pounds since their surgeries. After having the LAP-BAND surgery, a patient visits the hospital once a month for the first year to adjust the amount of food that is able to pass through this small pouch. Kathryn Clusiau, PAC, sees patients in these follow-up visits and helps to manage the healthy weight loss available with this surgical option. Excess weight loss of 56% has been maintained on average for more than 200 patients who now are managing their health with the team at Deer River Healthcare Center. If interested in DRHC’s Weightloss Surgery program, talk to your doctor and call Dawn Evans at 218-246-3006 or Sheila Rae, Bariatric Assistant at 218-246-3086 to set up an appointment or to sign up to attend one of DRHC’s informational meetings, held around the region. Informational Meetings will be held at 6PM on the following dates and locations: February 19th, Sawmill Inn, Grand Rapids; March 6th, Hampton Inn and Suites, Bemidji; April 7th, Hibbing Park Hotel, Hibbing; April 24th, Goodall Resource Center, Deer River.
|
||