WLS Glossary

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WLS Glossary

This should help you with some of the terms you'll be hearing!

Glossary

A

Abdominoplasty: Operation in which the excess skin on the abdomen

or apron, is removed

ABG: Adjustable Banded Gastroplasty.

AMOS: Association for Morbid Obesity Support.

Apron: Excess skin in the stomach area that hangs down towards the

groin area.

Angel: Someone who befriends a surgery patient and gives them extra

attention while they are in the hospital and reports back to any

mailing list they are on about how they are doing

Appeal: The process of appealing an insurance denial.

Apnea: A condition in which a person momentarily stops breathing

during sleep. Measured by times per hour to determine severity.

Also called sleep apnea.

Approval: When your insurance company gives authorization for you

to have the surgery.

ASBS: American Society of Bariatric Surgeons; a due-paying

professional organization of people interested in bariatric surgery.

Its members are surgeons and one lawyer. It is NOT a certifying

organization. Any interested doctor can belong. Members are

determined only by who pays their dues.

B

Bariatrics: Medicine of or pertaining to obesity.

Binder: A girdle for the stomach area that is used after open

surgeries.

BM: Bowel movement.

BMI: Body mass index; a comparative number the measures the

correlation between body weight and height.

BP/DS: Biliopancreatic/Duodenal Switch.

Brachioplasty: Plastic sugery to remove excessive skin from the

upper arms (batwings)

C

Catheter: A tube inserted into the bladder to drain urine after

surgery.

CIB: Carnation Instant Breakfast.

C-pap Machine: A machine used to force oxygen into the air ways

during sleep; used by those with sleep apnea.

Clear liquids: Anything that can be seen through and that can be

sipped through a straw. Examples: water, gelatin, coffee, tea. Often

the first step in a progressive diet for post-ops.

Clot: Blood that has concentrated and clotted in one area.

CNA: Certified Nurses Assistant

Co-morbidity: a medical condition directly or indirectly related to

your weight. Examples include: Diabetes, Sleep Apnea, Arthritis,

Pseudo-tumor Cerebri, High Blood Pressure and Shorness of Breath

Consultation: An initial visit with a surgeon to determine whether

or not surgery is a good option for you, and to develop a planof

action.

Cottage Cheese test: A test used to determine if or by how much your

pouch has stretched. Involves eating as much cottage cheese as you

can before feeling full in a set amount of time. The volume of the

cottage cheese relates the volume of the new stomach.

D

Demerol: A narcotic pain reliever.

Denial: When the insurance company refuses to pay for or authorize

surgery.

DGB: Roux-en-Y Divided Gastric Bypass.

Distal: Refers to amount of intestine bypassed; normally more than

150-200 cm, often done on people with over 100lbs to be lost

Dumping: Physiological reaction that the intestinal system of some

bypass patients has when exposed to refined sugars. It may cause

nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, heart palpitations, dizziness,

and other things.

E

EKG: A heart test, usually done before surgery

F

Fobi: Either the doctor or the surgery the doctor created which is a

form of RNY with a differently shaped pouch.

Full liquids: Anything that can not be seen through that can be

sipped through a straw. Examples: milk, protein drinks, pudding,

cream soups. Often the 2nd step in a progressive diet for post-ops.

G

Gallbladder Ultrasound: An ultrasound to test for gallstones,

commonly done prior to surgery to see if the gallbladder needs to be

removed alongside WLS.

Gas: Often used in reference to the pains felt soon after surgery

but before the first BM.

Gastric Bypass: An operation in which the stomach is made smaller

and then the intestine is rerouted so that it is attached to the new

smaller stomach.

Gastric exclusion: Synonymous with gastric bypass.

H

Hair loss: A common side effect of any surgery, but more so in WLS

because of the rapid weight loss. It is always temporary though.

Heavyweight: Generally someone who weighs more than 300 pounds or

has a BMI greater than 50 who wants to have WLS.

Heparin: A blood thinner or family of blood thinners that is given

to some patients before and after surgery to prevent clotting.

Usually in the form of injection to the stomach.

Hibicleans Sponge: Sponge used to scrub the abdomen prior to surgery.

Honeymoon: The period of time right after surgery in which the

weight falls off relatively easy without much care. Usually lasts

between 12 and 18 months. Then people have to work at weight loss.

However for some people it is a far shorter time.

Hyperglycemia: High blood sugar.

Hypertension: High blood pressure.

Hypoglycemia: Low blood sugar.

Hypotension: Low blood pressure.

I

Intubation:To have an n-g or breathing tube in.

J

-Pratt drain tube: a tube that is inserted near the belly

button and is used to drain waste out of the stomach. It is a clear

tube that has what looks like a clear bulb on the end of it which

collects the waste.

L

Lap: Short for laparascopic; this is a surgery that is performed

with several small incisions that are only a few inches long and

into which tools and cameras are inserted allowing the surgeon to

work.

Leak test: Checks to make sure the pouch will not leak into the

bloodstream resulting in septic shock. Requires ingestion of Barium

or a similar radioactive substance in front of an x-ray machine.

Lightweight: Someone who weighs less than 300 pounds or has a BMI

less than 50 but wishes to have WLS.

Lipectomy- Surgical excision of subcutaneous fatty tissue.

M

Medial: Refers to amount of intestine bypassed; middle amount

located between distal and proximal.

MGB: Mini-gastric bypass; actually a version of the loop bypass

which no longer performed.

Micro-pouch: Also called mini-pouch. A procedure in which the pouch

side may be as small as 1 or 2 cc to 15 cc. Think the size of a

grape.

Mini-pouch: Also called micro-pouch. A procedure in which the pouch

side may be as small as 1 or 2 cc to 15 cc. Think the size of a

grape.

MO: Morbid obesity.

Morbid Obesity - someone who has a BMI of 40 or above.

Morphine: A narcotic pain reliever often used in PCA pumps after

surgery.

Mortality: Death rate. The mortality of WLS is 0.17% or less than

1/5 of 1%. Comparable to a c-section.

N

NG-Tube:Nasal-gastro tube; runs through the nose, down the throat

and into the stomach.

NIH:National Institute of Health; a government agency that compiles,

regulates and researches health problems.

O

Obesity: Someone with a BMI between 30 and 35.

Open Surgery: that is performed by a single long incision down the

center of the body; normally the incision runs from breastbone to

approximately belly button

OSSG: Obesity Surgical Support Group

Overweight: Someone with a BMI between 26 and 30.

P

Panniculus: synonymous with apron.

PCA: Patient Controlled Analgesa. A patient operated pain pump that

is run through an IV that and is controlled by pressing a button

which dispenses medication. The medication is limited based on how

much will be dispensed within any given time.

PCP: Primary care physician; normally family doctor

Plateau: Normal phase in which the body holds on to weight, the

scale doesn't budge downward (and may actually move up a pound or

so), in order to readjust. Most people lose inches during this

phase. May hit at any time and last for a varying period of time.

Some people have reported plateaus of a month when they are a few

weeks out of surgery. They do pass.

Ports: The small incisions that are made during a laparascopic

surgery

Post-op: Someone who has had surgery

Pouch: The new smaller stomach that is formed during wls

Pre-op: Someone who has not had surgery but wants it; sometimes used

to refer to those who have been to their consultation and are

waiting for insurance approval and surgery date

Proximal: Refers to amount of intestine bypassed; normally 100 cm or

less

Pseudo-Tumor Cerebri: A common comorbidity where the pressure of the

spinal fluid is too high, causing tumor like symptoms, usually

occurs in overweight women of 18-30.

Psychological Evaluation: A test sometimes required by insurance

companies or surgeons to make sure you are of sound mind to cope

with the surgery and aftercare.

Pulmonary Function Test: A test to measure lung capacity usually

done before surgery.

Pureeds: Food that has the consistency of baby food with no hard

pieces. Can be made by adding food and a liquid and running it

through a blender. Often the third step in a progressive diet for

post-ops.

R

Revision: changing from one type of surgery to another, or

correcting a surgery that failed.

Roux-En-Y Divided Gastric Bypass: Stomach is surgically divided into

two sections, reducing the size of the functioning section from

about two quarts to about two ounces. A small opening is left at the

bottom of the newly formed stomach enabling food to pass. This pouch

will effectively reduce your stomach's capacity to hold food so you

will feel full after eating a small amount.

RGB: Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass.

RN: Registered Nurse

RNY: Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass.

S

Self-Pay: When the patient pays the cost of surgery out of pocket,

usually occurs when insurance refuses to budge on a denial.

Sleep Apnea: a condition in which a person momentarily stops

breathing during sleep. Measured by times per hour to determine

severity. Also called apnea.

Spirometer: An instrument used to measure inspiration volume in the

lungs. Usually given to patients prior to surgery to help them

excercise their lungs, and practice the breathing techniques

required after surgery.

Success: Losing 60-80% of excess weight during the first 12 to 18

months and then maintaining that loss.

T

Tongs: A method in order to care for your personal hygiene when your

movements are limited. Named after the instrument used in

implementation.

Transected: stomach is completely separated from the new stomach

TT: Tummy tuck; operation in which the apron is removed.

Type 2: Refers to type 2 diabetes; otherwise, known as adult-onset

diabetes.

U

Upper GI: Test that looks at the upper gastrointestinal system.

V

VBG: Vertical Banded Gastroplasty

W

WLS: Weight loss surgery.