Our caring and professional team are here to help if you are considering bariatric (weight loss) surgery. The surgery is for patients who are medically diagnosed as morbidly obese.
We want you to be able to live a healthy life by losing weight and improving your ability to get on with things you want to do, whether that’s to run around with your children, get a job or simply to be able to do the housework, shopping or gardening.
You will need the support of your family and friends to lose weight and become healthy. Our friendly team will ensure that they work not only with you, but with your family and friends to help you achieve your goal.
Who should consider the surgery?
Like all operations weight loss surgery is not without risk, so it will only be considered for people who are morbidly obese.
If your BMI is above 50 you can be referred directly by your GP to the Bariatric Surgery service for assessment. If your BMI is between 35 and 50 you will need to be referred to a tier 3 specialist weight management service. They will work with you to enable you to make the necessary lifestyle changes and if appropriate refer you to our bariatric surgery service.
If you are thinking of having bariatric surgery you have to be prepared to make big changes in your lifestyle we will want to know you are suitable, both physically and emotionally, before going ahead.
The types of surgery we offer
- Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass
- Single Anastamosis Bypass
- Sleeve Gastrectomy
- Gastric Balloon
Our skilled surgeons carry out these operations with keyhole (laparoscopic) surgery. This means you will have a shorter stay in hospital, a faster recovery and you can get back to normal sooner.
What can you expect?
First stage
When your GP refers you to the service your first appointment will be at one of our bariatric seminars. This will be held at either North Tees or Hartlepool hospital, depending on where you live. You will meet other people who are thinking about having weight loss surgery and members of our team.
We will tell you what you can expect during your treatment with us and will be given more information about the procedures we offer. You will also find out more about the changes you will need to make in your own lifestyle to make sure your operation is a success.
You are welcome to bring a family member or a friend along to support you at these meetings which are normally held in the evening at the University Hospital of North Tees.
Second appointment
Your next appointment will be longer and you will be assessed by various members of our team including; the consultant, nurse specialist and dietitian. We may also ask you to see both a physician and our psychologist. We need to know you are serious about losing weight, so at the end of these assessments we will give you a weight loss target and you must agree to lose this weight before you can be considered for surgery.
Once we have carried out all of our assessments we will discuss your case in more detail. Everyone is different and every member of our team will want to ensure we come up with the most appropriate care to suit you as an individual. This is better for you because something designed just for you is more likely to be successful.
Third appointment
At your next appointment you will meet the consultant and specialist nurse again. If you have met the weight loss target the team is happy, we will offer to list you for surgery.
During this time we will continue to support you. You can contact our specialist nurse for help and advice.
Once you have had your operation we will invite you back to hospital to see how things are going.
