BayCare Health System offers expert surgeons, convenient facilities, comprehensive services and tremendous support to all of our weight loss surgical patients. For more information, visit YouTransformed.org.

1. We’re with you, every step
of the way. BayCare Health
Locations
Mease Dunedin Hospital You,
Transformed.
St. Anthony’s Hospital
System offers: St. Joseph’s Hospital
South Florida Baptist Hospital
• Expert surgeons, all specializing Carillon Surgery Center Find Your Way Back
in weight loss procedures Physicians Surgery Center To A Healthy Life
Physicians
• Surgical facilities conveniently Richard L. DiCicco, M.D.
located throughout the Tampa David Echevarria, M.D.
John Paul Gonzalvo, D.O.
Bay area
Richard Gordon, M.D.
Kevin Huguet, M.D.
• Comprehensive services
Tiffany Jessee, D.O.
with everything you may Theodore Small, M.D.
need, from behavioral health
Contact
assessment to sleep studies to (866) 310-7040
diabetes education YouTransformed.org
• Information sessions and
ongoing support groups
BC100159-0410

2. Weight Loss Surgery The sleeve is about the size of a banana. This
procedure limits the amount of food you can
How will you know which weight loss surgery
eat and helps you feel full sooner. It allows
is best for you? The type of procedure
for normal digestion and absorption. Food
performed is based on the potential presence
consumed passes through the digestive tract
of one or more disorders or diseases, health
in the usual order, allowing it to be fully
issues and lifestyle, but the decision is
absorbed in the body. The majority of sleeve
ultimately yours.
gastrectomies use a laparoscopic technique,
• Adjustable Gastric Banding which is considered minimally invasive.
Adjustable gastric banding is a procedure in
which a band is placed around the uppermost
Support and Services
part of the stomach, separating it into a small You will find assistance all the way though
portion and a large portion. The diameter your journey, to ensure your continuing
of the band is adjustable for a customized success. When you attend a support group,
weight-loss rate, as your individual needs can you’re surrounded by people who understand
change as you lose weight. To modify the size the goals you have. You’ll receive up-to-date
of the band, its inner surface can be inflated information, and have the opportunity to
or deflated with a saline solution. The band is discuss personal or professional issues that
connected by tubing to an access port, which is arise from the consequences of surgery.
placed well below the skin. After the operation, Support groups are a valuable place for weight
the surgeon can control the amount of saline loss patients to meet and discuss behavioral
in the band by entering the port with a fine changes and ongoing lifestyle changes - share
needle through the skin. your story and learn from others who have
undergone the same transformation. Following
• Gastric Bypass weight loss surgery, patients are faced not only
Gastric bypass surgery makes the stomach with new eating and drinking behaviors, but
smaller and allows food to bypass part of also difficulty in making sense of the role food
the small intestine. Stapling creates a small plays in their lives.
stomach pouch. The remainder of the stomach Support sessions can increase the chances
is not removed, but is completely stapled shut of short- and long-term success following
and divided from the stomach pouch. You will bariatric surgery. Regardless of where you are
feel full more quickly than when your stomach in the process - just considering surgery or post
was its original size, which reduces the amount weight loss procedure - you are welcome to
of food eaten and thus the calories consumed. attend the sessions. Topics can include dealing
Bypassing part of the intestine also results in with not only nutritional and physical health,
fewer calories being absorbed. but also emotional, mental, psychological and
• Sleeve Gastrectomy spiritual well-being. Significant others are also
encouraged to attend.
During a sleeve gastrectomy, a thin vertical
sleeve of stomach is created using a stapling
device, and the rest of the stomach is removed.