Pros and Cons for Surgery Dealing With Obesity
Pros and cons for surgery dealing with obesity. Health professionals always recommend weight loss through diet and exercise, but in some instances they will perform weight-loss surgery, known as bariatric surgery (also known as gastrointestinal surgery). As with any surgery, it comes with many risks, and it’s not a solution for everyone. In order to qualify for surgery, most people must be severely obese or obese with serious medical conditions. Doctors will usually have patients attempt to lose weight through diet and exercise or drug therapy before agreeing to surgery. Patients must also understand that with surgery comes a lifelong commitment to changes in eating habits and exercise. It’s not a “quick-fix.”
There are two types of obesity surgery, restrictive and malabsorptive.
The first type of bariatric weight loss surgery is ‘restrictive‘. It includes the well-known ’stomach stapling’. Restrictive surgery means just what it sounds like—it restricts food intake by making the stomach smaller. Gastric bypass is the most common type of restrictive surgery.
The purpose of restrictive surgery is to restrict the amount of food that can be eaten at one time. Doctors create a small pouch at the top of the stomach that holds about one ounce of food, with a small opening at the bottom to hold food in the pouch and cause a feeling of fullness. After the surgery, a patient can eat no more than 3/4 cup to a cup of well-chewed bland food at a time without becoming nauseous. The intent of the surgery is to reduce the amount of food eaten by restricting the amount of food that can be eaten at once.
Variations of restrictive surgery include ‘lap banding’, in which the pouch is created by wrapping a silicone band around the upper part of the stomach. Since there is no need to cut into the stomach or intestine, the complication rate is lower than in standard restrictive surgery, and the recovery period is shorter.
The second type of bariatric surgery for weight loss is the malabsorptive variety- Malabosorptive surgery is less common than restrictive surgery because it’s riskier. These surgeries limit the amount of calories and nutrients the body absorbs, causing an increased risk of malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies.
The possible side effects of gastric bypass surgery include:
Chronic diarrhea
Stomach ulcers
Foul-smelling stools and flatulence
Risk of nutritional and micro-nutritional deficiencies
Dumping syndrome - symptoms include faintness, fainting, nausea, sweating and diarrhea after eating
Patients seeking bariatric surgery are evaluated by a medical professional for suitability for the surgery. Candidates include those who are at least 80-100 pounds overweight, and who have shown little success with traditional weight loss methods. In additions, patients who have other physical problems which require weight loss may be candidates.
If you’re considering weight loss surgery, you must realize several things:
1. The risks of surgery are serious.
2. You will require lifelong medical supervision after the surgery
3. You will still need to make lifestyle and dietary changes.
4. Many health insurance plans will not cover it.
Be sure that you choose a surgeon experienced in bariatric techniques, and that you will be provided with full physical and emotional support before, during and after the surgery. Patients must also understand that with surgery comes a lifelong commitment to changes in eating habits and exercise. It’s not a “quick-fix.”
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