Oct. 14, 2022 - Weight Loss Surgery in Delaware: Support Group Aspect

On this Bariatric Friday, Kemal Erkan, Chairman of American Surgery Center, is accompanied by Dr. Isaias Irgau, President of Christiana Institute of Advanced Surgery (CHRIAS). Dr. Irgau specializes in weight loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery. Today the pair are discussing the importance of a support group after the journey of bariatric surgery.

Erkan mentions the patients, Denise, Patrick, and Karen; they are currently undergoing the journey of bariatric surgery. Erkan asks Dr. Irgau how a support group would be immensely helpful for the three. Dr. Irgau responds, “although bariatric surgery is by far the most effective treatment we have for long-term success with weight loss, it’s also possible for patients to struggle with weight regain in the long-term, particularly at the fifth year after bariatric surgery patients can typically start struggling with some weight regain”. However, there is a range for weight regained. “Having support group engagement actually can mitigate that and can help patients really fight off those situations much more successfully.” Dr. Irgau continues, “clearly, bariatric surgery for weight loss, from our point of view, is not a destination, it’s a journey, and we want them to be successful in the very long-term… we want the patients to stay engaged, and one of the ways to stay engaged is to participate in support groups”. Studies have shown that greater frequency and overall involvement in support groups after bariatric surgery leads to greater weight loss and a stronger likelihood that the weight is kept off. Dr. Irgau and Erkan highly encourage their patients to participate in support groups.

Erkan shares that in the instance of Patrick, a patient undergoing bariatric surgery with a body mass index (BMI) of 50, will potentially lose 150 pounds within the first year after surgery. He explains how that is a major change and how that could influence Patrick’s mental state as well as his physical appearance; therefore, support groups are immensely important. Dr. Irgau mentions how support groups can be beneficial for those struggling mentally, “they need support for that because many of the questions that may come up, many of the struggles that they may encounter, will be far more difficult to find answers on the go, particularly nowadays where there is so much access to social media and internet information. You want to get the right information from reputable people, so if you come to support groups that are led by professionals, ours are led by either our surgeons or our nutritionists, then you are going to get factual information that will help in your circumstances.” Topics regarding body image and mental health often are mentioned within support groups by peers, and a support group is the safest setting to discuss these issues because there are people who have all gone through similar experiences. “Patients are very happy when I inform them we have support groups,” Dr. Irgau states. “Participation can be just listening, by asking questions, or it can be something that evolves over time; we have these support group meetings once a month. If patients can attend at least six or seven times a year, I think that would be wonderful because it will be the right frequency for them to stay engaged, Dr. Irgau explained. They do not want patients to forget about their commitment to lifestyle changes after the initial enthusiasm of weight loss; it is important to keep that enthusiasm in the long term.

Support groups are not meant to be individualized; however, they do prompt engaging discussions about topics relevant to the members of the group. For individualized help, it is best to directly address the surgeon or nutritionist in a one-on-one setting, but support groups do have commonality and overarching topics that can be applied to all while being led by specialists who are there to help. “Bariatric surgery is a part of what we do because our goal is to get people to become healthy… bariatric surgery, however powerful it is, including weight loss, remains a tool, and any tool is as good as how you use it essentially. What we want to do

in the support group is give them additional resources to utilize this tool well in the long-term.” They do not want their patients to be struggling alone; they want to be present in their patients’ lives and follow their journeys to becoming their healthiest selves. Erkan stresses how important it is for patients to take advantage of the support groups offered to them.

If you are a patient of CHRIAS, visit their website to register for the next support group meeting or join the Facebook support group.