Did you know that

smaller incisions

during bariatric

surgery can greatly

improve your

surgical outcomes?

Since the

introduction of

laparoscopic

(small-incision)

gallbladder removal in the late 1980’s, much

has been learned about the profoundly

positive impact of laparoscopic surgery on

reducing complications from surgery. For

this reason, it is now the gold standard for

gallbladder removal. This is beneficial for

bariatric surgery patients in many ways.

Generally, patients undergoing bariatric

surgery have multiple health issues such

as diabetes or heart disease, and require

larger incisions to complete the surgical

procedure. Larger incisions, however,

can lead to greater post-operative pain,

more wound infections and hernias, and a

prolonged hospital stay.

While this laparoscopic approach is

technically challenging, it can be mastered

through the proper training and experience.

Dr. Kerlakian and I have the training and

experience to offer our patients the safest

and most effective operations through

this laparoscopic technique. Our patients

benefit from small incisions, translating into

minimal post-operative pain, minimal risk of

post-operative infection and hernia, and a

speedy recovery.

Know that you are in good hands when you

choose TriHealth Weight Management!

News You Can UseIntroducing: TriHealth Weight Management

You may have noticed that this newsletter looks a little

different. The new look and name reflects a branding

update we recently went through to better connect

our services to the larger TriHealth system. More than

a new logo or an ad campaign, the TriHealth brand

reflects our system’s identity as physicians, hospitals

and communities working together to help you live

better. In addition to making visual updates to this

newsletter:

• We have renamed ourselves TriHealth Weight Management. This reflects our status as a

TriHealth system-wide service.

• Our web site has moved. To access our section, visit www.trihealth.com and click

on Weight Management under “Institutes and Services”. You also can type www.

changeforalifetime.com into your web browser and it will take you directly to our page.

None of these updates will affect the care you have to come to expect from us. With

physicians from Group Health, hospital services from Good Samaritan Hospital, and

lifestyle support from TriHealth Corporate Health, our adoption of the TriHealth brand

simply reinforces our ability to provide a plethora of health care resources to our patients.

Meet The Staff Please help us welcome Tracy Larkin RN, BSN, who recently

took over as manager of the Medical-Surgical unit (12AB)

at Good Samaritan Hospital, where bariatric patients stay

following surgery.

Tracy was born and raised in Cincinnati. She attended McAuley

High School prior to pursuing her education at the Good

Samaritan College of Nursing in 2001. She began working on

12AB immediately after graduation. Of that time she says, “I

met a lot of wonderful staff who took me under their wing and

guided me along the way.”

As time went on, Tracy moved into various roles throughout Good Sam, which she

says has given her an appreciation for how much Good Samaritan Hospital works as a

team. During this time she completed her bachelor’s of science degree in nursing from

Chamberlain College.

Most recently, Tracy rejoined 12AB as a nursing manager, of which she says, “I am very

excited to be back to 12AB, where the staff is like my second family. I especially enjoy

working with the bariatric patients because it is a perspective I can appreciate – I was one

of those yo-yo dieters for years. I understand how hard it is to eat healthy and incorporate

exercise in your daily routing in order to keep the weight off.”

Message from Dr. Kevin Tymitz

The SkinnySpring 2012

TriHealth.com

Tracy Larkin

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound lean Italian turkey sausage or

veggie sausage crumbles

2 cups diced onions

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups diced zucchini

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried basil

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 14 ½ oz. can low sodium diced tomatoes

seasoned with oregano

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

2 14 oz. cans low sodium chicken broth

1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed

½ cup mini Farfalle pasta – optional

2 cups low fat ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons fresh, chopped basil

Directions

In a saucepan or stockpot, heat the olive oil

over medium heat. Add the sausage, onion

and garlic. Cook, breaking up with spoon

until sausage is browned and onions are

softened. Add zucchini, dried basil, oregano,

pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, tomatoes,

tomato sauce and chicken broth. Bring to

a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and

simmer for 15 minutes. Add spinach and

pasta and continue cooking until pasta is

done. Meanwhile in a small bowl, stir fresh

basil into the ricotta cheese. When soup is

finished, ladle into shallow bowls and add ¼

cup of the ricotta-basil mixture.

Recipe included courtesy of www.bariatriceating.com.

Patient SpotlightStill grillin’

Barry Rankin has always enjoyed cooking for his family

especially with butter, cream and other fats. Over the

years, though, rich food and bad knees took their toll.

When Barry’s weight peaked at 498, he decided it was time

to do something about it once and for all. At the urging

of his pulmonologist, Barry made an appointment at the

Good Samaritan Weight Management Center.

“If I was going to do this, I wanted to be fully prepared,”

says Barry. So, after meeting Dr. Kerlakian, Barry also

had meetings with the center’s dietitian and exercise

physiologist. He attended group sessions, “and I read all

the literature they gave me. It opened my eyes to some of

the things I had been doing wrong, and it prepared me for

what was ahead.”

In August 2011, Barry had gastric bypass.

Throughout September Barry took a hiatus from his role as family chef. But by October,

he was thrilled to resume his post at the kitchen stove, and at the two grills and smoker

in the back yard. He found a new hobby searching the Internet for healthy recipes, like

the lasagna soup recipe included here. “I’ve learned to use lots of spices to make things

taste good.” Barry still grinds his own sausage, but instead of beef and pork, now he uses

turkey. “It turns out really good.”

Losing 155 pounds in the first five months following surgery has made a dramatic difference

in Barry’s life. “Before surgery, my wife and teenage daughters had been doing things

without me because I didn’t have the energy to join them. But we went to the zoo over

the holidays and it was great. I hadn’t been there in five years!” This spring he is anxious to

resume camping – and grilling - at Red River Gorge. “I can’t wait to get back there!”

Inspiring ThoughtsBy Chaplain Randy Fannin, Bethesda North Hospital

A waist is a terrible thing to mind. How true. I’ve been

minding my waist most of my life. Like some of you,

when it’s going really well I tend to get a little mindless.

When attempts aren’t going so well, however, I dig in with

renewed resolve to take care of myself in the hope that my

attempt will be rewarded with results.

Did you catch the most important word in the last sen-

tence? That’s right, hope – not attempt, not reward and

not results. From a spiritual perspective hope is not simply

a wish. Instead, hope is meant to be the unseen -- but sure

thing -- that we invest in. Hope is trusting that we’ll see the

results in due time, and hope is what fuels my desire to stay

in the struggle against the forces of nature.

So, how about you? What keeps you going? I challenge you to investigate that question

and consider the words of the late President Richard M. Nixon, “A man is not finished

when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits.”

TriHealth Weight Management

3219 Clifton Ave., Suite 225, Cincinnati, OH 45220 | 513 862 4957

Light BitesLasagna Soup

Nutritional Information

Servings 8

Serving Size ¼ cup

Amount per Serving

Calories 320

Total Fat 14 g

Total Carbs 20 g

Protein 20 g

Barry Rankin

Chaplain Randy Fannin