Key points from today’s guests:
Melody Griffin, had excess skin removed after drastic weight loss
- Melody hit a low point when her weight hit an all-time high at 256 pounds. For her 4-foot, 9-inch inch frame, she was severely obese.
- She had diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnea and she knew she had to do something. That same year she had gastric bypass surgery and lost 130 pounds.
- Melody's chronic health conditions disappeared quickly and within months she was off all of her medications and her sleep apnea was a thing of the past.
- But losing all that weight resulted in excess skin that really slowed her down.
- She is thankful for the team at The University of Kansas Health System that helped her remove the excess skin, advocated for her with the insurance company, and helped her get healthy.
- She says weight loss surgery is a tool – not a one-time fix – for better health.
Dr. Julie Holding, plastic surgeon, The University of Kansas Health System
- There are several issues with excess skin, including extra moisture that can lead to infections and odor, which can be a chronic problem.
- It also interferes with exercise, which is not helpful when trying to stay healthy.
- The rubbing and chaffing can also lead to skin tears, which can be very painful.
- About three feet of Melody’s excess skin was removed.
Dr. Michelle De Souza, plastic surgeon, The University of Kansas Health System
- People who have extra skin after weight loss, spend a lot of time trying to hide it in their clothes or from their friends and family.
- Having gone through all that work to lose the weight to enable them to live a healthier life, it's a shame that they have to deal with a second problem like this.
- Make sure that your surgeon is board certified in plastic surgery or a specially trained to do these types of surgeries.
- Recovery includes a change in your posture as you get used to walking around and being active with less excess skin.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director, infection prevention & control, The University of Kansas Health System
- COVID hospitalizations this week are at 14 active patients. Last week, that number was 22.
- COVID vaccines will be available at the Health System as early as next week.
- The rollout of the COVID vaccines has been slower than expected, but it is vitally important to get the updated vaccine for COVID, especially if you're in that older age or have high risk.
- We also have the influenza vaccine, which is available now, and the RSV vaccine will be here soon as well.
- New CDC data found that adults aged 65 and over accounted for almost 63 percent of COVID hospitalizations from January 2023 to August 2023. Only 23 percent of those had the vaccine.
Morning Medical Update is on TV in October! The four-part series Cancer: Choices, Hope and Science will air on Tuesdays in October. In the Kansas City area, it’s on KCTV5 at 9:30 a.m. and in Topeka, it’s on WIBW at 9 a.m.
Friday, Oct. 13 at 8 a.m. CT is the next Morning Medical Update. It's one thing no woman wants to inherit from her mother...breast cancer. We'll share the amazing story of a woman who got checked early because her mom had it...and it may have saved her life.
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.