Weight loss surgery support group meets Feb. 16

Patients who have undergone bariatric (weight-loss) surgery, or those considering the procedure, may benefit from learning more about the process from experts and people who have gone through it.

A bariatric surgery support group meets on the third Thursday of every month. The next meeting will be Thursday, Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. in the Baptist Hospital East Education Center.

Facilitators of this group are professionals who can help guide participants through the life- changing process. The primary mission of the group is to provide support and lasting community for those in the bariatric surgery process. The group incorporates activities along with helpful speakers to remind participants that surgery is just the beginning of a much larger commitment to a lifestyle change.

Topics covered include handling anxiety and stress. Personal sharing is also encouraged.

Participants will learn from dietitians, psychiatric specialists, physical therapists and other healthcare professionals.

Baptist East offers adjustable gastric banding weight-loss (bariatric) surgery. The minimally invasive procedure is performed by surgeons G. Derek Weiss, MD, and John S. Oldham Jr., MD, of Bluegrass Bariatric Surgical Associates.

Bariatric surgery reduces the size of the stomach and, in some cases, alters the digestion process to curb the amount of calories and nutrients absorbed. Most patients lose about 50 percent of their excess weight in the first year after surgery.

To register for the group, call the Baptist Hospital East Information Center at (502) 897-8131.