Medical tourism involves seeking medical treatment out of state or abroad. People cite affordability, high quality of healthcare, greater service availability and an opportunity to travel as key benefits of medical tourism.
If you're considering weight loss surgery, why not make the most of it and travel to beautiful Southern Colorado for a more relaxing experience and an outpatient experience next to the Arkansas River. Colorado Choice Bariatrics is located in the heart of Colorado's Royal Gorge region, host to hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
Colorado Choice Bariatric Surgery
Weight loss procedures like the gastric bypass are called bariatric surgeries. Bariatric interventions assist with weight management by adjusting the physical structure of the digestive system.
Bariatric treatments help overweight or obese patients to lose weight when dieting and workouts have been ineffective. They can also help those with serious, weight-related health conditions.
Top Three Bariatric Procedures
- Sleeve gastrectomy or gastric sleeve
- Gastric bypass
- Adjustable gastric banding
What Is a Sleeve Gastrectomy?
The sleeve gastrectomy is considerably less invasive than the gastric bypass. The surgeon doesn't have to reposition and reconnect the intestines. Finally, the sleeve gastrectomy does not require an implanted banding device around a section of your stomach like the Lap-Band® procedure does.
Researchers have found that the gastric sleeve is more effective than the gastric band for long-term weight loss in people who are overweight or obese. Pain and scarring are reduced, so the recovery process is faster.
What Is a Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy?
At Colorado Choice Bariatrics, we perform a unique and innovative laparoscopic gastric sleeve procedure that is also minimally invasive. Your surgeon will make only five small incisions in your abdomen, and intestines are neither removed nor bypassed during this procedure.
The surgery is then performed with a video camera called a laparoscope, and long, thin instruments are inserted into the incisions. A new stomach pouch is created using staples.
During the surgery, roughly 75 percent of the stomach is removed. In its place is a narrow gastric sleeve or tube. The surgery takes between one and two hours. It is purely a restrictive procedure that does not involve gastrointestinal malabsorption.
No surgical devices such as bands are internally placed, no bypassing of the intestines is involved and the process is not associated with vitamin deficiency.
Benefits of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy
- Outpatient laparoscopic surgery can be safely completed in about an hour.
- You can usually leave the surgery center after a few hours.
- Pain is minimal, and it usually resolves into mild discomfort within 24 hours.
- Ninety percent of patients are discharged the day of the surgery.
- Most patients are up and walking in an hour or two.
Relax in Cañon City Before Your Weight Loss Surgery
After outpatient weight loss surgery, patients need at least two weeks of downtime. Full recovery can take up to eight weeks. Many patients combine weight loss surgery with a vacation in Cañon City.
The downtown Cañon City Historic Area offers easy access to museums, art galleries, antique shops and the Riverwalk. Kids love the Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience, and it's even better when followed by a hair-raising family drive through the mountains surrounded by a kaleidoscope of stunning scenic backdrops.
Winter temps in Cañon City are between 40 and 60 degrees, but indoor and outdoor activities continue all year. Golf courses, mountain bike trails and horseback riding are three ways to relish the breathtaking scenery.
For family members that are adventure lovers, there is helicopter riding, skydiving, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, and a Zipline Aerial Adventure Park.
Go fly fishing along the Riverwalk and catch some brown trout for dinner. Hop aboard for a scenic ride on the historic Royal Gorge Route Railroad. Take a magical trip to the North Pole on the Santa Express Train to meet Santa himself.
Geocaching is a high-tech game of GPS hide-and-seek that will take you all over town and into the surrounding area. Next, you can tour a winery or sip your favorite brew in an outdoor cafe.
You'll feel right at home in a local and affordable Cañon City Airbnb or VRBO lodging. Other lodging includes cozy cabins, charming cottages, fetching lofts, and spacious homes that sleep up to five.
Are You a Candidate for Weight Loss Surgery?
If you are obese and other weight loss programs have fallen short, complete our one-minute assessment.
You might be a candidate for gastric surgery at Colorado Choice Bariatrics. Pre-screening appointments can be completed over the phone or online. Please contact us if you have any questions about weight-loss surgery.