Cancer Care

Initially, you will be educated about what to expect and how to prepare for your new life. To this effect, you will be meeting with several professionals in addition to your primary care physician (PCP) and surgeon. This team is likely to include a dietician and psychologist/psychiatrist and consultants as needed based on your medical problems. The Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Team members will guide you along and coordinate with your insurance provider. Based on these assessments and your medical conditions, tests and procedures will be ordered to prepare you for safe surgery.

When you are ready for surgery, the team and your surgeon will help you choose the most appropriate procedure for your situation. The aim is to select the most fitting procedure that addresses your medical and sociological needs and aspirations. There is no "one size fits all" approach here. Most procedures will require you to spend one or two nights in hospital. You will need to take some time off from work to recover from surgery and get acquainted with your new life. Throughout this period, our team will be there to help guide you as your diet and lifestyle changes.

In the short term, you will be seen by your surgeon and dietician within two weeks of your surgery. Then again at six weeks and three months postoperatively. During these encounters, you will be guided as to the necessary changes in your diet and supplementation, your lifestyle changes and the necessary changes in your medications due to the improvement of your health. Typically, you are also encouraged to follow up with your PCP and any specialists who follow your medical conditions. At the 3-month point, our team will coordinate with your PCP any tests or changes in medications that you need.

We want to see our patients for as long as they are willing to follow up with us! You will have scheduled visits with your surgeon at the six and 12 months postoperative points and yearly thereafter. During these visits, we will ensure that you are still on track and coordinate with your PCP any tests or changes in medications that you may need. Although most patients do not need the routine help of the dieticians at this point, the full services of the program are always at your disposal.

Regular support groups will be coordinated by the team. These groups are aimed at pre and postoperative patients to provide support and education throughout your journey. They bring together people with shared experiences who tend to be the best source of advice and guidance for different issues you may encounter in your new life. You can choose to make these sessions an integral part of your life or an occasional drop-in for advice.

You are embarking on a life-changing journey for the better. Our program will provide you with a multidisciplinary team of professionals who will ensure that you are safely guided and will coordinate with your other healthcare providers to help you achieve the best outcomes. Congratulations on taking this first step towards a healthier life!