Tulane Bariatric Center offering free q&a session on Facebook live

Is weight-loss surgery the right option for you? What is the most challenging step in the process? How does it change your life?

Questions such as these – and many more – will be asked and answered during an upcoming Facebook Live event featuring a bariatric surgeon and former patient of the Tulane Bariatric Center. The interactive event is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, and will be accessible on the Tulane Health System Facebook.

“We know people have questions about weight-loss surgery, and Facebook Live is an easy, accessible way to bring people together for an interactive conversation,” said Dr. Shauna Levy, a board-certified bariatric surgeon who will lead the online discussion. “But we didn’t just want to address questions from a clinical perspective. We also wanted to have a patient who has been through the process give her perspective so patients are getting a well-rounded view of the weight-loss journey.”

Leslie Cummings had weight-loss surgery in 2009 and enjoyed initial success, she said. But she failed to make the necessary lifestyle changes to maintain her healthy weight. Now, more than 70 pounds lighter and with a new, healthier lifestyle, she’s eager to share her story to help prospective patients understand the commitment required of bariatric surgery – as well as the new lease on life it has granted her.

“At first, I thought it would be a magic solution,” Cummings said. “I thought I could have the surgery, lose the weight and change nothing about my unhealthy lifestyle. I know better, now, and I want to be sure everyone thinking about the surgery knows it, too.

“But I also want them to know that starting this journey is the best decision I ever made. I’m healthier, and I feel better than ever.”

This will be the first in a series of Facebook Live events focusing on weight-loss topics and solutions led by the Tulane Bariatric Center, Dr. Levy said.

The Tulane Bariatric Center was recently recognized as a Comprehensive Center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP®). Accreditation verifies the Tulane program meets the highest standards for patient safety and quality of care.

The center provides a wide range of minimally invasive weight-loss surgical procedures, including sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and biliopancreatic diversions. Learn more by visiting our bariatric surgery page or by calling the center 504.988.5110.