TidalHealth can help you on your weight-loss journey
Diabetes, stroke, heart disease, sleep apnea, back and joint pain — these are all conditions associated with obesity.
If you’re concerned your weight gain could lead to poor health, it’s time to take advantage of the resources available in your own backyard.
Whether it’s through diet and exercise or weight-loss surgery, TidalHealth’s knowledgeable providers can help you shed those unwanted pounds and get back on the path to wellness.
“Our mission is to guide patients to achieve weight loss through a comprehensive program that includes medical or surgical options,” said Sandra Palavecino, MD, a bariatric and internal medicine specialist at TidalHealth Medical Weight Loss & Bariatric Nutrition. “ Obesity has been recognized as a chronic disease with increasing prevalence in our region.”
For those who need surgery to reach their goal, TidalHealth offers an award-winning program that has helped more than 3,000 patients lose weight since its inception.
Candidates for bariatric surgery include patients who have a body mass index (BMI) greater than 35 who have a co-morbidity — diabetes, hypertension, or sleep apnea — or patients who have a BMI above 40 who do not have a co-morbidity.
“Patients generally inquire if they are a candidate for surgery if they have experienced a long struggle with weight issues, and inability to independently manage weight loss,” said Jarrod Buzalewski, DO, of TidalHealth General Surgery. “They will know if they are a candidate if they are willing to commit to a lifetime of lifestyle changes, as well as follow-up with their primary care provider, bariatric medicine specialist and surgeon.”
Dr. Buzalewski, who performs general and bariatric surgery at TidalHealth Nanticoke, says some of those key lifestyle changes include:
- modification of food intake, including smaller/more frequent meals (four to six times daily)
- careful attention to adequate protein consumption/ hydration, and adherence to multivitamin regimen
- a commitment to increase physical activity as able based on co-morbidities, which often include joint issues.
- TidalHealth bariatric surgeons perform a wide variety of procedures including sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass and diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy procedures related to bariatrics. The majority are done minimally invasively using laparoscopic or robotic surgery. Patients generally require a referral to the TidalHealth bariatric program from their provider.
Recovery normally includes six weeks of no lifting heavy objects and a supervised nutritional plan that progresses as patients heal. Most require no more than a couple of days of prescription strength pain medications.
To learn more about weight-loss surgery at TidalHealth, speak with your provider or call TidalHealth Medical Weight Loss & Bariatric Nutrition at 302-297-2412.
TidalHealth Medical Weight Loss & Bariatric Nutrition
201 Health Services Drive
Seaford, DE
302-297-2412