Bariatric/Obesity Surgery
What is a bariatric or obesity surgery:
Obesity today is recognized as a health problem of epidemic proportions. Obesity refers to a spectrum of problems of excess weight ranging from mild overweight to the morbidly obese. Patients with morbid obesity do not respond to medical means of weight loss. Efforts to treat morbid obesity through controlled diets, behavior modification and exercise programs are only temporarily successful with the patient invariably regaining even more weight than the amount lost. Obesity surgery is the only method by which long-term weight loss can be achieved in these patients. Incidence of child hood obesity is on the rise due to changing lifestyles. These people are more likely to develop obesity related complications at an earlier age.
If not addressed today this problem is likely to compound, imposing a huge drain on medical resources.
Symptoms that indicate obesity in a person:
- Type II Diabetes.
- High Blood Pressure / Heart Disease.
- Osteoarthritis of Weight Bearing Joints.
- Sleep Apnea / Respiratory Problems.
- Gastro-esophageal Reflux / Heartburn.
- Depression.
- Infertility / Menstrual Irregularities.
- Skin Breakdown.
- Swollen Legs / Skin Ulcers.
- Urinary Stress Incontinence
- Extremity Venous Stasis.
- Dyslipidemia (Lipid Metabolism Abnormalities).
- Pulmonary Embolus.
Eligbility for a bariatric or obesity surgery:
- 45 Kg. or more above ideal body weight or a BMI OF 40 or greater.
- BMI of 35 or greater with one or more obesity related health conditions.
Advantages of a bariatric or obesity surgery:
Following are the prime advantages of a bariatric or obesity surgery:
1. High Blood Pressure can often be alleviated or eliminated by weight loss surgery.
2. High Blood Cholesterol in 80% of patients can be alleviated or eliminated and in as little as 2-3 months post-operatively.
3. Heart Disease in obese individuals is certainly more likely to be experienced when compared to persons who are of average weight; and adhere to a strict diet and exercise regimen. There is no hard and fast statistical data to definitively prove that weight loss surgery reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, common sense would dictate that if we can significantly reduce many of the co-morbidities that we experienced as someone who is obese, it is likely that our health may be much improved if not totally restored.
4. Diabetes Mellitus can usually be corrected; and based upon numerous studies on Diabetes and the control of its complications, it is likely that the problems associated with diabetes will be arrested in their progression, when blood sugar is maintained at normal values.
5. Abnormal Glucose Tolerance, or Borderline Diabetes is even more likely reversed by gastric bypass. Since this condition becomes diabetes in many cases, the operation can frequently prevent diabetes, as well.
6. Asthma sufferers may find that they have fewer and less severe attacks, or sometimes none at all. When asthma is associated with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease(GERD), it is particularly benefited by gastric bypass.
7. Sleep Apnea Syndrome sufferers can receive dramatic effects and many within a year or so of surgery, find that their symptoms were completely gone, and they had even stopped snoring completely!
8. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) can be greatly relieved of all symptoms within as little as a few days of surgery.
9. Gallbladder Disease can be surgically handled at the time of the weight loss surgery, if your doctor has cause to believe that gallstones are present.
10. Stress Urinary Incontinence responds dramatically to weight loss, usually by becoming completely controlled. A person who is still troubled by incontinence can choose to have specific corrective surgery later, with much greater chance of a successful outcome, with a reduced body weight.
11. Low Back Pain (LBA) and Degenerative Disk Disease, and Degenerative Joint Disease can be considerably relieved with weight loss, and greater comfort may experienced, even after as few as 25 lost pounds.
