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Dealing With Obesity
The most performed type of surgery for weight loss is gastric bypass surgery. During surgery changes are made to the stomach and digestive system. These changes will cut back the amount of food your body can take in and process.
This may sound like a wonderful thing to many people suffering with obesity, but the truth is that gastric bypass surgery is not for everybody. As a matter of fact few people will actually qualify for the weight loss procedure. There is a very intensive evaluation and analysis to see if people are physically and mentally prepared for the surgery and the necessary life changes.
Just like with any type of surgery gastric bypass surgery has significant health risks as well as major life changes. While the surgery can reduce or prevent diseases like type II diabetes, heart problems and other obesity related issues, it can also cause some.
A general outline for the needed qualifications to even be considered are as follows:
-Diet and exercise have been tried in earnest yet has continuously been unsuccessful.
-You suffer form severe obesity and have a BMI of 38 -40.
-You suffer from serious obesity related diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnea.
Remember, these are just the general guidelines, you will still need to go through a very intensive examination. This will usually involve a doctor/surgeon, nutritionist, and a psychologist. They will be your "health squad" and will determine if the benefits of the surgery will outweigh the health problems of your present and possible obesity related health problems. They will also evaluate whether you are ready mentally for the surgery.
Here are the main points and issues looked at by your health squad:
-Weight/weight loss history. What diets you've tried, your eating habits, your physical activity, any time or stress restraints and your motivation level.
-Your physical health. Aside from any obesity related diseases, other health risks related specifically to the surgery will be looked at, such as blood clots, liver and kidney problems and heart issues.
-Any alcohol or tobacco use.
-Your mental state. Any eating disorders or depression will be noted and looked at. Also a history of sexual abuse will be noticed. While suffering from these problems could prevent you form having the gastric bypass surgery, it will not necessarily be permanent. If these issues are treated to the satisfaction of your health squad they would probably just cause a postponement.
-Your motivation. This is important because gastric bypass surgery is actually the easy part. It's the post surgery that can cause more difficult problems. To maintain the big first step you've gotten with the weight loss surgery, you will need to make significant lifestyle changes. Otherwise, to be perfectly blunt, the gastric bypass surgery will have been a total waste of everyones time.
The results form this evaluation are very important and will be the main factor in deciding if you are a good candidate for gastric surgery. If you do qualify for the surgery, as noted above, the post surgery will be where the hard work starts. It will be extremely important for you to organize a healthy eating and exercise plan. Find a quality healthy lifestyle program to help with good information and motivation.
Being healthy and feeling healthy are great, so don't short change your post care and drop the ball on getting into a new positive and healthy life. Whatever your time and personality needs, there will be a healthy living plan to fit into your life.
So Joe, if only the physicians and patients took to heart what you said. There are some consciencious surgeons, I am sure. Unfortunately many see the dollar signs and do the surgery without following guidelines. And, then there are the patients who say they will follow the plan....but they don't. I know this from an 'insiders' point of view as a physician myself. I have often said I'd like to do 'faux' gastric bypass surgery, because I know that my results would be as good and the patient would not have their stomach bypassed. I would love to lightly sedate the patient; make a superficial abdominal incision - just enough to look good buy not go deep; wake the patient and say 'congratulations, the surgery was a success'. Most people do not understand how important the stomach is as it relates to creating digestive enzymes. We can't hope to get nutrients from our food without digestive enzymes as the catalyst to deliver those nutrients to our cells. Secondly, 95% of ALL patients who undergo gastric bypass will regain all, if not more weight, within 7 years of surgery. 95%!!! Why? Because the lifestyle habits that stretched out their stomach way beyond its normal shape and size will now stretch out the small pouch on the upper part of the small intestine that has become their new 'stomach'. I have been priviliged to meet at least 100 patients who have undergone gastric bypass surgery. Of those 100, only 2 kept off the weight; and that's only a 1/2 truth, because one of the ladies who kept of the weight actually died of a heart attack at 57 years old. But she was thin when she died. The heart attack was due to complications of poor nutrient absorption caused by the surgery. My surgical nurse friends have a term for that...they call it 'GBGBies' (Like hee-bee gee-beeies). It means (G)astric (B)ypass (G)one (B)ad. So sorry for the long reply. The unfortunate fact is that in almost all cases there is no answer to the obesity issue other than healthy living. No short cuts. No easy answers. Just old fashioned common sense. You must eat healthy fruits and vegetables. You must move your body. If you do that consistently.....day in and day out.....you will lose weight. It's guaranteed everytime!
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Good article Joe, yet I ponder the fact, is this really a healthy way to loose weight, sure messing with the innards is not the best way to go..unless these from a disease or the likes have gotten too big..? Just a thought...
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