Key points from today’s guests:
Tammy Minard, bariatric and plastic surgery patient
- Tammy lost 150 pounds after bariatric surgery, but that was the start of her weight loss journey.
- Her driving decision to get the surgery was when she could not get up off the floor while playing with her grandkids. She was so overweight and other methods she tried did not help.
- There was a lot of preparation leading up to the surgery, including classes and visits with a psychologist to mentally prepare.
- After the surgery, while the weight was coming off, there were challenges. The diet needed to change, exercise needs to be part of the routine, and dealing with extra skin required additional surgery.
- She is now a personal trainer and has some unique experience to help others who want to lose weight or change their habits.
- Tammy says that anything is possible. If there’s a will, there’s a way and to set it in your mind to get it done.
Dr. Michelle De Souza, plastic surgeon, The University of Kansas Health System
- We try to combine some of these surgeries together and limit the length so they are not marathon sessions.
- Medical reasons for skin removal surgery include rashes that have failed medical treatment.
- Because Tammy was so active before surgery, it helped her with recovery. After weight loss surgery, patients need to be active and live a healthier lifestyle.
- I think that COVID taught us is that you have to embrace every day like it's maybe the last and so you want to take care of the things that are bothering you.
- And then you also have to maintain it. So it's not just the surgery -- you have to continue those lifestyle changes.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control, The University of Kansas Health System
- This week, the COVID count is at 23 active inpatients, which is down from 33 COVID patients last week.
- Clay County health officials are tracking down anyone who came into contact with a person who tested positive for measles. There have been a few reports of measles in U.S. cities.
- Before vaccines, measles were a big problem. But now, measles is pretty rare.
- It can be a serious disease because it can cause meningitis or encephalitis.
- Most cases involved unvaccinated populations. In Ohio in early 2023, there was an outbreak of 85 measles cases, but about 95 percent of them were unvaccinated.
- Please talk with your medical provider or your doctor about getting yourself or your children vaccinated.
Monday, January 22 at 8 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. Head and neck cancers are on the rise and doctors often know what's there even if they can't see a tumor. Learn more about how oncologists decide between starting treatment or searching for the cancer’s source.
ATTENTION MEDIA: Please note access is with Microsoft Teams:
Join on your computer or mobile app
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 235 659 792 451
Passcode: 6CSfGE
Download Teams | Join on the web
Or call in (audio only)
+1 913-318-8863,566341546# United States, Kansas City
TVU Grid link: UoK_Health_SDI
Restream links: Facebook.com/kuhospital
YouTube.com/kuhospital
Send advance questions to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.