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Gastric Banding Dallas

When you choose to have LAP-BAND® or REALIZE™ Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System surgery at Carrollton's Baylor Medical Center or at the Dallas Surgery Center, we will provide you with a wealth of information about your treatment, the procedures you will undergo, and your responsibilities before and after surgery. Dr. Frank Veninga and his staff will provide you with information about the LAP-BAND® System, REALIZE™ Band and the protocols of LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Banding System surgery. You will receive guidance about insurance, and, if necessary, financing for your procedure. We feel that when patients have all the information they need and understand the reasons for our instructions, they have the best chance for success in maintaining weight loss. If at any point you have questions that remain unanswered, please contact North Texas Bariatric. Dr. Veninga or a knowledgeable staff member will make sure that you get the information that you need.

For the New Patient – Convenient Online Forms

Dr. Frank Veninga and his staff welcome you to North Texas Bariatric. We applaud the commitment you have made to yourself to change your life with the LAP-BAND® and REALIZE™ Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System.

If you plan to pay in cash, please also download and read:

• Cash Patient Checklist.pdf
• Cash Patient Checklist.doc

We'll need to know about you before we can begin treatment, so all new patients should also download and fill out the forms in our New Patient Packet:

• New Patient Packet.pdf
• New Patient Packet.doc

And to speed your admission to our surgical weight loss program, we encourage you to download and fill out our Medical Records Release form so that we can obtain a copy of your medical records from your primary care physician:

• Medical Records Release.pdf
• Medical Records Release.doc

For your convenience, our forms are available in Adobe PDF and Microsoft Word formats. For people who don't have a PDF reader, the Adobe Reader is available as a free download. Please don't hesitate to contact us at North Texas Bariatric if you have questions about our forms or the LAP-BAND® or REALIZE™ Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System. Our goal is to make your entrance into our program as smooth and trouble-free as possible.

HIPAA

North Texas Bariatric is in strict compliance with all requirements of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Any and all medical information we have on file regarding you and your treatment will be kept private, to the extent required by state and federal law. At the time of your initial consultation a copy of our Notice of Privacy Policies and Practices will be provided to you. If you have any questions regarding this information prior to your first initial consultation, please contact the HIPAA officer for North Texas Bariatric at (972) 395-5527.

Pre-Op Instructions – In Preparation for Surgery

Call Day Surgery one week prior to surgery date to schedule pre-op appointment (972-394-2470). The appointment is for lab work, chest X-ray, EKG, and any other tests Dr. Veninga may order. The hospital will need all your insurance information and they will let you know where to report the morning of surgery. You will need to arrive one to two hours prior to your surgery time.

Dr. Veninga has all patients begin the OPTIFAST® diet two weeks prior to surgery. You take five servings a day. This is a fortified meal replacement which will result in considerable weight loss, much of it water weight. This results in a smaller liver and less upper abdominal fat, which should make the operation technically easier to perform.

Do not eat or drink anything past midnight the night before your surgery. On both the night before surgery and the morning of surgery, scrub your abdomen with Hibiclens. Hibiclens can be purchased at most drug or grocery stores. If you have any questions regarding these instructions, please feel free to call the office: 972-939-8218.

Rules for Post-Op Success

To help ensure the long-term success of your LAP-BAND® and REALIZE™ Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System surgery, you should closely follow our post-op rules:

• Eat three small meals per day.
• Eat only nutritional solid food.
• Eat slowly, and when you feel full, stop eating. If you feel full after consuming less food than is prescribed, don't try to eat more. If your prescribed meals do not give you a sense of satiety, or if you feel hungry within an hour after eating, contact North Texas Bariatric to schedule an evaluation.
• You must not eat between meals.
• Do not drink liquids with your meals.
• All liquids you consume must be low calorie or, preferably, have zero calories.
• Do not eat sugary foods or other foods with a high caloric content. Gastric banding cannot control the introduction of high-calorie foods if they are in liquid or slurry form.
• Stay away from foods that cause gastric distress. Reduce your coffee consumption. Do not drink alcohol or carbonated drinks for the first three to six months.

Six Weeks Post-Op

Approximately six weeks after undergoing the gastric banding procedure at Carrollton's Baylor Medical Center or at the Dallas Surgery Center, you'll have the first adjustment (fill) to your LAP-BAND® or REALIZE™ Band Adjustable Gastric Band. You will subsequently monitor your ability to eat solid foods and the time it takes for you to feel full. If you have no sense of the band's presence after the first fill, Dr. Veninga may have you return for another fill in two weeks.

You'll have follow-up appointments every six weeks for the next six to twelve months following your LAP-BAND® or REALIZE™ Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System surgery. At each appointment, we will evaluate your progress and, if necessary, perform additional fills to the gastric band. Patients usually have four to six adjustments in the first year, and only occasionally after that.

Downloadable Post-Op Instructions

After your surgery, you will receive printed instructions for the dietary protocol you must follow. We will also provide instructions on the appropriate dietary supplements for you following surgery. For your convenience, we have provided downloadable versions of these instructions in Microsoft Word and PDF formats. If you don't have a PDF reader, you can download the free Adobe Reader.

• Post-Op LAP-BAND® System Protocol.pdf
• Post-Op LAP-BAND® System Protocol.doc

We have found that patients sometimes are reluctant to ask detailed questions about the LAP-BAND® or REALIZE™ Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System. Dallas and all Texas residents who have questions about the protocols of gastric banding surgery after reading our materials should contact North Texas Bariatric today. We've made it our mission to educate our patients so that they can make informed choices. Our Patient Tips page and FAQ page also contain valuable information about weight loss surgery and the LAP-BAND® and REALIZE™ Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System.

Protein Supplements

Protein supplements will be an essential part of your diet following LAP-BAND® or REALIZE™ Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System surgery. We at North Texas Bariatric highly recommend OPTIFAST®, Beneprotein®, and Achieve One™ protein supplements. These products taste great and provide you with an excellent source for your daily protein requirements. We have OPTIFAST® and Beneprotein® products for sale in our office.

OPTIFAST® Products

OPTIFAST® protein drinks cost $17.00 per box and come in vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry flavors.

OPTIFAST® Chicken Soup and Tomato Soup are each priced at $17.00 per box.

Beneprotein®

Beneprotein® is a concentrated source of high-quality protein that mixes instantly into beverages and a wide variety of foods without affecting flavor or texture. This outstanding product costs $12.00 per can.

Downloadable Diet Instructions

OPTIFAST® Diet Instructions.pdf

Juice Plus+®

Dr. Veninga recommends Juice Plus+® products to all of his bariatric patients because they are the most highly researched nutraceuticals available and because they supply a solid nutritional foundation with natural ingredients. Juice Plus+® provides patients with the vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional benefits of 17 different fruits, vegetables, and grains, including their antioxidants and other phytonutrients. The outstanding Juice Plus+ Garden Blend® contains the natural essences of apples, acerola cherries, cranberries, and four other nutritious fruits. The Juice Plus+ Garden Blend® contains 10 nutrient-rich vegetables and grains, including carrots, broccoli, and brown rice bran.

To learn more about Juice Plus+® products or to place an order, visit our Juice Plus+® website at www.JPVeninga.com. Our office representative, Debi, is also available to answer any questions you have about Juice Plus+®, and she will be happy to take your order. You can contact Debi at Debi@JPVeninga.com, or call her at (972) 395-5527 or (214) 435-8177.

Support Group Meetings and Calendar of Events

Support Group Meetings - Have changed dates!!! Put them on your calendar now and come join us.

According to scientific studies of LAP-BAND® and REALIZE™ Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System, the most successful patients have three traits in common:

1. They faithfully go to all follow-up appointments with their doctor.

2. They follow the dietary rules.

3. They regularly attend support-group meetings.

We encourage you to attend our support-group meetings on a consistent basis. You will not only help yourself achieve your weight loss goals; by simply attending you will also provide support and encouragement to people who are striving to achieve similar goals. We also hope to see you on our First-Saturday Walks held the first Saturday of every month in Plano's lovely Arbor Hills Nature Preserve. Enjoy the camaraderie and fun of being with people who understand your experiences and fully support you in your efforts to accomplish and maintain your weight loss objectives.

Please see the Events Calendar below for specific meeting locations, dates, and times.

Coming soon!

Announcements and Upcoming Events

Support Group Meetings - Put them on your calendar now and come join us.

Coming soon!

Please remember that the support group is open to all patients who have had Bariatric surgery. Other physician groups are welcome! To get your name on our email update list for all upcoming events, send to Debi V. @ dveninga@ntxbariatric.com.

Remember to check out www.ntxbariatric.com to access information on upcoming Support Group Meetings, Monthly Walks, Pre-Op Lectures, and other events, recipes, post-op instructions, etc. If you have any friends who are interested in weight loss surgery, please invite them to attend these free monthly seminars. Location: Baylor Medical Center at Carrollton, conference room 1A Carrollton, TX 75010.

Contact Us to Learn More about Gastric Banding

To learn more about LAP-BAND® or REALIZE™ Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System surgery, Dallas, Plano, Lewisville, and all Texas residents can contact North Texas Bariatric to schedule a consultation or speak with one of our professional staff members. We strive to provide our patients with complete information about weight loss surgery, so please contact us with any questions you have.