General Practitioners

• Osteoporosis
• Medical Weight Loss
  The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the most popular form of weight loss surgery in the US with an estimated 200,000 procedures being performed every year. This procedure can be performed laparoscopically or open, but once the surgeon gains access into the abdominal cavity, the internal procedure is the same. The Roux-en-Y is a two-part surgery in which the surgeon restricts the amount of food the stomach can hold and bypasses a portion of the small intestine so that it can absorb fewer nutrients and calories.
• Primary Care
  My primary care provider started encouraging me to consider weight loss surgery. She’s watched me struggle for 10 years, knew I was giving it my best effort, and believed that I would not be able to lose any appreciable amount of weight without surgical intervention. I was very resistant to surgery. I was scared that the malabsorption aspects of the surgery would lead to nutritional deficiencies. I was frightened of general anesthetic, worried I wouldn’t wake up. But most of all I was afraid that I would fail once again, that I wouldn’t be able to make the necessary life style changes. In 2009 my doctor sat me down for a heart to heart, expressing her concern for my rapidly deteriorating health. My asthma was out of control. I couldn’t walk 100 feet without needing to use my rescue inhaler and I was going through 3 inhalers a month. My back and knees hurt so badly that I was taking Motrin every 6 hours and pain pills as soon as I got home from work. My fasting glucose was 105 (boarder line diabetic) even on glucophage. My cholesterol and triglycerides were elevated and I was hypertensive. I frequently lost my voice due to reflux unresponsive to medication. And the larger & more immobile I got, the more depressed I became. I gave dieting one more shot, having promised my doctor I would pursue weight loss surgery if my weight wasn’t consistently coming off in six months. I managed to get down to 275 pounds and stalled for 3 months. Knowing I had given weight loss my best effort, I called Healthy Steps and made an appointment with Dr. Woodbury.
• High Cholesterol
• Urinary Incontinence
  A number of serious and life-threatening medical conditions result from excessive weight gain and can be successfully prevented and/or treated by weight-reduction surgery. Adult-onset diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, acid reflux, high blood pressure, joint disease, and others, can be drastically improved or cured by weight loss surgery. Gastric bypass is especially effective for diabetes and reflux. Other conditions that this surgery can help correct are stress urinary incontinence, infertility, and heart disease.
• Diarrhea
• Pneumonia

Gynecologists

• Female Infertility
• Pregnancy

Psychiatrists

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  While it varies considerably from one patient to another, some issues tend to be fairly common among obese patients. Some common problems include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
• Depression
• Mental Health
  There’s no doubt that obesity can impact mental health, and the Healthy Steps Weight Loss Center team understands this connection. To enjoy optimal mental health, and better whole-body health by extension, Healthy Steps Weight Loss Center offers behavioral health support for all patients who need it.
• Behavioral Health
  Your pre-surgery evaluation can verify that you understand the planned surgery. A behavioral health evaluation is often required by insurance companies that are covering bariatric surgery.
• Anxiety

Endocrinologist

• Diabetes Care
• Endocrinology

Surgeons

• Knee Replacement
  Since the stomach is otherwise intact, there is less ulcer risk, possibly making it an especially good operation for patients on non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs “NSAIDs” needing to rapidly lose significant weight before hip or knee replacement surgery.
• Laparoscopy
  Dr. Woodbury has had extensive training in both laparoscopic surgery and bariatric surgery. During his residency, he trained with Pacific Bariatric in San Diego, performing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgeries. He did additional post-residency training at Scripps Clinic where he further trained in advanced laparoscopy and GI surgery. His current practice is focused on bariatrics and cancer surgery, including the gastro-intestinal tract, anti-reflux surgery, pancreas and biliary surgery, spleen, hernia and melanoma.

Plastic Surgeons

• Breast Reduction
  Some patients develop excessively loose skin on various parts of the body as major weight loss occurs. Many factors determine whether this loose skin can be toned back to satisfactory shape by exercise or whether plastic surgery may be necessary to help. In general, younger patients, and those with less extreme obesity before surgery, are more likely to be able to regain a satisfactory figure without plastic surgery. If plastic surgery is needed, the area which can usually be helped the most is the skin of the abdominal region by a tightening, or so-called “tummy tuck”. In a few patients, breast lift or breast reduction, skin tightening of the upper arms, and skin tightening of the upper thighs may be considered.
• Breast Lift
• Plastic Surgery
• Laparoscopic Surgery
• Bariatric Surgery
  All patients seeking bariatric surgery with Dr. Robert Woodbury and his team, Allen Cortez MD, Danielle Daye NP, Randi Naquin NP, and Shannon Todd NP at Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital and the Sutter Bariatric Clinic must start by attending one of the local free online patient education seminars. At the seminar you will learn about the disease of obesity and the role of surgery in treatment. All the information about getting started with your bariatric surgery program is at the patient education seminar.

Dermatologists

• Skin Cancer
• Ulcer
  The risk of short-term complications from this operation is about 12% (1 out of 8 ) and includes internal bleeding, infection, wound problems, pneumonia, and hernia formation. Potentially life-threatening complications such as respiratory failure, pulmonary embolus (blood clots in the lung), and leakage from internal intestinal connections occur in approximately 2-5% of patients. Occasionally open operation or re-operation is needed to address these complications. Long-term complications (less than 10% of patients) include stricture (partial blockage) of internal intestinal connections causing vomiting, ulcer formation causing bleeding, internal hernia formation, inadequate weight loss or recurrent weight gain, and malnutrition. It is always possible to develop unforeseeable complications.
• Burns