If you have committed to weight loss surgery with Soma Weight Loss, congratulations. Not only are you setting yourself up for a healthier, happier, more energetic life, but you’re also in the care of one of the nation’s top bariatric surgeons, Dr. Joseph Naim. Dr. Naim has performed more than 2,000 bariatric surgeries throughout his career.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, 36.5 percent of adults in the U.S. are obese. Bariatric surgery can solve this problem, and it also presents patients with the opportunity to permanently change the way they live.
At Soma, we don’t leave patients on their own at any time during the lengthy process the follows after the decision. Weight loss surgery comes with a lot of pre-surgery preparation and a long post-surgery recovery. Patients need their physician by their side to ensure everything happens the way it needs to.
Here’s what you can expect when you let Soma Weight Loss perform your surgery.
1. Your first appointment with Soma
Your first appointment with Soma will be your introduction to Dr. Naim. When you meet, describe any symptoms that have led you to this decision, such as:
- Problems fitting into clothes
- High blood pressure
- Low energy
- Self-esteem issues
- High cholesterol
- Pain in your joints
- Extremely high BMI
The two of you will discuss your efforts to diet and exercise to help you bring your weight down naturally.
If you’ve already tried diet and exercise unsuccessfully, or you return to Soma weeks later to find those methods didn’t work, then it’s time to discuss options for weight loss surgery.
If the discussion about surgery becomes more serious, make sure to check if your health insurance covers bariatric surgery.
2. Subsequent appointment
You are now a serious candidate for bariatric surgery. The next steps will determine if it is truly right for you.
Soma will perform a bariatric psych evaluation on you to assess your psychological stability. Why? It’s to help us better understand reasons why you struggle with your weight and the kind of plan that will keep you on a successful track long after the surgery is performed.
The psych evaluation includes an analysis of:
- History of alcohol abuse
- History of drug abuse
- History of suicide
- Mental health history
- Psychological preparedness for bariatric surgery
If you pass your psych evaluation, the next step is to meet with your primary care physician and discuss with them what you’re planning to do.
Your primary physician knows your health history better than anyone. Weight loss surgery is an intense process on the body, and you and your doctor need to be absolutely certain that your body can handle the surgery without the risks of complications arising.
Once your doctor has approved that you are a fit candidate, you and Dr. Naim can prepare for the surgery and the life you’ll be living after it.
This means getting you on a pre-op diet and committing to it for 2 to 3 weeks until the surgery.
This diet consists of:
- Protein shakes
- Clear liquids
- Caffeine-free coffe and tea
- Sugar-free snacks
- Low-calorie soups
A pre-op diet is important because it:
- Reduces abdominal fat, making it easier for Dr. Naim to perform the surgery and minimizing the potential for complications.
- Prepares you for how you’ll have to eat after the surgery.
Keep in mind that a healthy diet doesn’t just end after the surgery. To prevent that weight from coming back again, you’ll have to commit to eating healthy permanently.
3. Surgery day
You’re ready. Dr. Naim conducts the surgery. Rest assured that you are in the hands of a professional.
4. Post-op, 24 hours
You’re probably tired and weak when you first wake up from surgery, but you’ll be closely monitored. Many patients move to an aftercare facility for 24 hours, where a nurse will help you with:
- Deep breathing
- Leg movement exercise
- Nausea
- Anxiety
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Gas pain
Dr. Naim will also visit you and evaluate if you are ready to be discharged from the hospital. If you are, you’ll be given instructions for diet and activity to ensure a proper recovery.
Rest well and take it easy. You’ve earned it.
5. 1 week later: Post-op meeting
After a week, you’ll meet with Dr. Naim again, so he can evaluate how your recovery is coming along. He will assess:
- Your diet
- Your exercise routine
- Any problematic symptoms
- If further treatment is needed
Ask as many questions as you want. We want you to feel confident.
6. Attend our weight loss support group
Dr. Naim will recommend that you enroll in a weight loss support group to help you stay committed to your lifestyle change.
Is a support group necessary? No, but it offers a lot of benefits, such as:
- Helping you focus on the long-term benefits of diet and exercise
- Mingling with people who have similar life stories and plans for the future
- Holding you accountable for weight loss milestones and sticking to your goals
We recommend attending a weight loss support group meeting once a month for six months, but there is no fixed schedule and no expiration date.
7. Continue to follow up with Dr. Naim
When you’re a patient at Soma, we take our relationship with you seriously. That’s why you’ll be attending regular meetings with Dr. Naim for approximately a year. Like the initial post-op meeting, he will continue to evaluate your progress.
These meetings will occur at these intervals after surgery:
- 1 month after
- 3 months after
- 6 months after
- 12 months after
8. Success
You’ve not only freed yourself from excessive, burdensome weight, but you’ve changed your lifestyle with a healthy diet and regular exercise. Give yourself a hand.
Weight loss surgery has such long before-and-after periods because it is so complicated, and not everyone who wants weight loss surgery realizes it’s also accompanied by a dramatic lifestyle change. We take no shortcuts in our surgery process because we want to set our patients up for maximum, long-term success.
Learn more about the credentials of Dr. Joseph Naim.
If you want to learn more about what to expect with weight loss surgery, contact us today.
Marisol Avendano
Marisol Avendano is a Registered Nurse (RN) at Soma Weight Loss, where she has worked closely with bariatric surgery patients for over two years. Marisol received her B.S. in Nursing and Public Health from West Coast University in Irvine, California.
