It depends. The BMI is the first determinant. Patients should also have some non surgical attempts of weight loss. Other factors that determine if you qualify for surgery are taken into consideration during your preoperative evaluation.

Probably, our practice tries to include all insurance plans. However, not all insurance policies cover obesity surgery. Our office is experienced in discussing your individual case with the insurance company. Sometimes it takes a simple letter and sometimes it takes multiple phone calls but we do our best to work with you and your insurance.

Our office and our staff will provide you with different options including financing. One of the two hospitals we collaborate with is sympathetic to self paying patients.

Yes. In fact, it may actually be easier to become pregnant after the surgery.

NO. We do not recommend that you become pregnant after gastric bypass surgery for at least 18-24 months. This is the time period when YOUR body will be losing the most weight. All of your ingested nutrients will be supporting YOUR body and there will not be enough nutrients to support a child during a pregnancy. We strongly advocate birth control methods which are the most successful in preventing pregnancies during this crucial period after weight loss surgery.

Most of our patients do NOT have vomiting after surgery. However, overeating can cause vomiting. If you do experience vomiting after surgery, we recommend you contact your surgeon.

While some patients may experience some loss of hair, it is rare and temporary. Since our procedure causes only a limited amount of malabsorption, this is NOT a common phenomenon after the Roux-en-y bypass.

We operate at St. Francis hospital in Evanston. The hospital has Laparoscopic endo suites and state of art Laparoscopic equipment and instrumentation. Our office is based at the Old Orchard Center in Skokie, Illinois. While surgery may occur at St. Francis hospital, all pre-operative and post -operative office visits will be at our Skokie office.

While a team of physicians, nurses, and assistants are in the operating room, your surgery is performed by Dr. Frantzides. Dr. Frantzides has a fellow that assists in all procedures but Dr. Frantzides performs all parts of your surgery.

Complications

Will I develop “Dumping Syndrome” after Gastric Bypass?

Success

Dr. Frantzides has been doing bariatric procedures since 1989 and Minimally Invasive (Laparoscopic) bariatric procedures since 1995.

Dr. Frantzides is a pioneer in Minimally Invasive (Laparoscopic) bariatric surgery. In 1991, he initiated experiments for the laparoscopic performance of gastric bypass and published the results of his studies in 1995. In 2000 he introduced the “Frantzides-Madan Triple Stapling Technique” and published the results of this technique in 2003 and 2006. He was given the award of the American Society of Laparoscopic Surgeons in 2006 for the technique and outcomes of his Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass. He has more testimonials on an independent website (www.obesityhelp.com) than any other surgeon in the USA.

He has published chapters and manuscripts on the clinical and surgical aspects of bariatric procedures and he is credited with the preservation of Vagus Nerve during Gastric Bypass, thus eliminating the “Dumping Syndrome”. He is currently the chairman of the Bariatric Committee of the American Society of Laparoscopic Surgeons and the author of the online monograph of the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Best Practice on adult obesity.

Usually, but it depends on the type of surgery you had. Dr. Frantzides often operates on patients who have had previous abdominal surgery. While you will be at a higher risk of being “converted” to an open operation, we believe that most patients deserve the opportunity to have a laparoscopic procedure. Some surgeons will not attempt laparoscopic surgery on patients with previous abdominal surgery. With our experience, we have learned that many patients can be done laparoscopically.

There are not set guidelines on who should be done laparoscopically. Various factors play a role in laparoscopic surgery. If one surgeon does not believe that he/she can perform the operation laparoscopically, we would be happy to give our opinion for your individual circumstance.

BMI is a good measurement to determine if you will qualify for obesity surgery. However, it is not the sole determining factor about whether or not your surgery can be done laparoscopically. Weight distribution, total weight, BMI, and abdominal wall girth are all factors that can determine if you “qualify” for laparoscopic surgery. At your consultation, we can determine if you are a candidate for laparoscopic surgery?

Dr. Frantzides performs a variety of advanced laparoscopic procedures. In fact, he was the first to introduce fourteen different laparoscopic procedures in the world!

Continued dietary follow-up is mandatory. Postoperatively, you will be home in one to three days, although we do not “push” patients out of the hospital. You will be seen in our office regularly after your surgery. If you live far away, after a few visits, some of the postoperative follow up can be done over the phone or email.

You will receive detailed postoperative instructions as well as contact information. We are available 24 hours a day even when you go home.

Preoperative workups is individualized for each patient. In general, most patients undergo a cardiac, pulmonary, psychological, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and dietary workups. This workups can be done close to your house although we have a team ready to help you.