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Q:Question: What is palliative care?
A:Answer:Palliative care means offering relief from the symptoms, pain and stress of chronic illnesses.
Continue ReadingCollapse AnswerFor patients who face a serious illness, palliative care improves their quality of life and supports their loved ones, too. Palliative care focuses on the prevention and relief of symptoms by early identification, impeccable assessment and compassionate treatment of physical, mental and spiritual issues.
This palliative definition from the World Health Organization (WHO) focuses on meeting the whole-health needs of patients and their families. And that’s exactly what we do at UChicago Medicine AdventHealth. You can count on us to be here for you, helping you understand your diagnosis, connecting you with resources and support and ensuring you feel comfortable at every step of your treatment plan.
Our palliative care teams support:
- ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)
- Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias
- Cancer
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Congestive heart failure
- Heart disease
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS)
- Kidney disease
- Lung disease
- Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases
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Q:Question: Do I qualify for this kind of weight-loss program?
A:Answer:You may be a candidate for our medical weight-loss program if you are 18 years old or older, have a BMI over 30 or have a BMI higher than 27 combined with conditions like diabetes, sleep apnea or high cholesterol.
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Q:Question: How does the medical weight-loss program work?
A:Answer:Our medical weight-loss program helps you achieve a healthier weight by supporting your whole health — body, mind and spirit — without bariatric surgery. You’ll discuss your medical history and weight-loss goals with your physician to choose the right solutions for you.
In our program, you can expect the following:
- Individual weight-loss treatment plans
- Losing an average of one to four pounds per week (results may vary)
- Metabolic testing to customize nutrition plans
- Lifestyle modification training
- A focus on habit-building for sustainable weight loss
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Q:Question: Why does weight loss matter?
A:Answer:Losing extra weight benefits your whole health and can improve many other health conditions.
As you lose weight, you can expect to see significant improvements in medical conditions like:
- Diabetes
- Heartburn
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Joint pain and degenerative joint disease (DJD)
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Sleep apnea
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Q:Question: Which bariatric procedure is best for me?
A:Answer:This will be determined at your consult visit when you sit down with your bariatric surgeon. The decision is based on various factors like your BMI and health history.
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Q:Question: Will my hunger go away after surgery?
A:Answer:No operation eliminates hunger completely; hunger is a survival instinct and a necessary bodily function. However, weight-loss surgery will reduce your hunger, especially in the first few months after the operation.
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Q:Question: How much does the surgery cost, and will my insurance cover it?
A:Answer:The coverage related to bariatric surgery depends on the type of coverage your insurance plan provides. Our care coordinators will help you communicate with your insurance company to understand what coverage your plan requires and provides.
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Q:Question: What is the average length of time for weight-loss operations?
A:Answer:Gastric bypass procedures typically take two hours, while gastric sleeve procedures take about an hour and a half.
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Q:Question: How rapid is weight loss after bariatric surgery?
A:Answer:Most patients will lose about 65% of their excess weight in 18 months (a year and a half), and most of the weight comes off in the first year.
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Q:Question: What percentage of people can lose weight after surgery and keep it off long-term?
A:Answer:About 75% of people who undergo surgery can successfully lose weight and keep it off long-term.