Adam Goldstein, D.O., F.A.C.S.
Great Benefits for Patient, Rewarding Results for Surgeon
Adam Goldstein, D.O., F.A.C.S., the newest bariatric surgeon to join the Lourdes Health System, knows from studies and from bariatric colleagues the profound health benefits of weight loss surgery for lives formerly plagued with fatigue, depression, sleep apnea and an array of other chronic conditions.
And he recalls a study in the New England Journal of Medicine a few years ago that looked at the long-term (two year) benefit of the gastric band and stated that 75 percent of the diabetic patients studied experienced an improvement or elimination in their diabetes.
But after performing hundreds of bariatric surgeries, Dr. Goldstein need look no further than his own patient base to be convinced of the power of bariatric surgery to reverse poor health and change the lives of obese individuals.
He will see more of this now that he has joined the bariatric surgery team at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center.
"Patients come in after surgery and they've lost a significant amount of weight, their list of medications has been cut in half, and they have a new outlook on life," he said.
"They are not depressed like they were when they were 100 pounds overweight, they take more of an interest in their family, their daily activities, in exercise, they pick up new hobbies, like marathon running, track, bicycle riding, swimming, things that they never dreamed they could have done when they were walking around with 100 extra pounds on their body.
"I think it gives them a fresh start, a second chance so to speak."
Although he has performed both gastric bypass and gastric band surgery, Dr. Goldstein has elected to perform only gastric band surgery, using the patented Lap-Band® device, because the procedure offers lower risks and achieves good results.
Because he also is a general surgeon with expertise in laparoscopic surgery (what he calls "surgery through small holes"), Dr. Goldstein realizes that many physicians do not have the opportunity that he has, to witness major improvements in the health of patients over a relatively short period of time.
"We in bariatric surgery get to see the reward of what we're doing, whereas a lot of medicine today deals with chronic conditions, so you don't get to see the immediate change in someone's life," he said.
"From a personal and practice standpoint it is rewarding because it is something people are deciding they want. It's not like they are coming to the hospital with an inflamed appendix or a gall bladder that needs to be removed. They're not acutely sick, but they are overweight and they need your help to get a second chance and you are able to offer it."
More and more patients are seeking that help as the prevalence of obesity rises in the nation.
"Fortunately, the National Institute of Health has deemed obesity as a medical problem, so bariatric surgery is not just about having an elective procedure so they can look better. It is a true medical problem and the help is here."
What advice does he have for obese individuals who read this and wonder if bariatric surgery is for them?
The majority of obese patients who choose bariatric surgery are successful, but only if they make a commitment to the entire program.
"This is not for people who feel that weight loss surgery is cheating," he said. "This is not a short cut. This is work. It is for people who have tried everything before and may have been able to lose weight short term, but the weight keeps coming back. Weight loss surgery allows them long term results."
But only if the patient learns this key principal: Gastric band surgery does not change the patient's life. The patient changes his or her life.
"They must live the life of a lap band patient," he said. "Make your follow up appointments, make the right food choices, get your counseling and group support. That's the way to start your life anew."
And one of the most frequent comments he receives from the patients who do all of the above?
"What I hear is that 'this operation has done more for me than just change the way I eat. It has changed the way I think. It has changed the way I live.'
" 'It has changed my life'."
