Weight Loss Surgery: The Last Straw
Are you suffering from being over weight despite being on medicated diets? Has diet therapy failed in your case? Is your weight in excess of 100 pounds over your ideal weight in case of men or over 80 pounds in case of women? The answer to losing weight now lies in undergoing weight loss surgery. Bariatric Surgery or weight loss surgery is fast becoming a popular option for those suffering from obesity. It is prudent to opt early for this option in case other methods have not worked since obesity can lead to critical illness due diabetes, cardio-vascular disease or stress related disorders.
Bariatric surgery is a major procedure recommended by doctors and not a cosmetic surgery. Although the aim is to reduce weight, the reason for removal of weight is purely for health reason, which if not treated could become debilitating for the individual. For patients who consistently failed diet and exercise therapy after being advised by a doctor and have a BMI of 40 or more, weight loss surgery is often the last and only option. Sometimes it is also referred for people with BMI of 35 or more but with co-existing conditions such as hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes, sleep disorders and glucose intolerance.
The patients who are referred for weight loss surgery are screened critically by doctors prior to the surgery. Once the decision for surgery has been taken, it is incumbent upon the attending physician to explain the post operative effects of the surgery to the patient. In many cases, the most common effect is depression with almost 50% patients with 40 BMI or higher ending up being depressed. There are also associated side effects like gall bladder disease, mal-absorption or even the chances of re-operation.
There are different ways of undertaking this surgery. The most common surgery is gastric banding or reduction of the stomach size achieved by insertion of an implanted device. This usually results in reduction of weight by 50% with very less chances of failure. Gastric Ballooning is also undertaken but has larger chances of failure as patients often regain weight. Removal of a portion of the stomach by sleeve gastrectomy or biliopancreatic diversion with or without duodenal switch is yet another procedure which has 90% success rate with almost 60-70% weight reduction. The procedure is undertaken for patients with severe obesity and the patients need to remain on nutritional supplements for life.
Weight surgery is a last ditch procedure and following a healthy balanced lifestyle with good nutrition is a much better option.
Category: Weight Loss Surgery
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