John Rexroad of Killingworth credits Dr. Darren Tishler with helping him lose more than 100 pounds as the result of weight-loss surgery in 2006. The middle-aged business owner no longer has trouble fitting into airline seats or restaurant booths.

 

Hartford Hospital’s active support group was invaluable to the self-described "stress eater," who had hypertension, high cholesterol and early diabetes when he tipped the scales at over 300 pounds.

 

When supervised dieting, exercise and behavior modification fail, weight loss surgery offers new hope for morbidly obese patients who often tip the scales at 300 pounds or more. "Weight-loss surgery can often alleviate obesity-related conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol relatively quickly," says Dr. Tishler, director of Hartford Hospital’s weight-loss surgery program. "The sooner someone has surgery after a diagnosis of diabetes, the better. Surgery may reduce the need for insulin or eliminate diabetes medications altogether."

Weight-loss surgery is performed using minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques that require only tiny incisions. For those who prefer a reversible procedure rather than the permanent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, Dr. Tishler employs the adjustable LAP-BAND® technique that requires no cutting of the stomach or intestine.

"Even a slower weight loss after LAP-BAND surgery dramatically improves glycemic control," says Dr. Tishler. "Nothing works better for diabetes than significant long-term weight loss."