Weight Loss Surgery

Weight Loss Surgery has come up in recent times as one permanant solution for reducing weight. The most important step in weight loss surgery is getting all of the information you need about the various surgical options. Ultimately your bariatric surgeon and other physicians are your best resource for information about the procedure they will recommend to you for weight loss.

The decision to have a weight loss surgical procedure may take several visits to their offices and consultation with more than one doctor. Ask your doctor for names of other patients who have had similar weight loss surgeries and who are willing to discuss their experiences, good and bad, with you.

Types of Weight Loss Surgeries

Weight loss surgery limits the amount of food you can take in. Some operations also restrict the amount of food you can digest. Many people who have the surgery lose weight quickly. If you follow diet and exercise recommendations, you can keep most of the weight off. The surgery has risks and complications, however, including infections, hernias and blood clots.

1. The concept of gastric surgery to control obesity grew out of results of operations for cancer or severe ulcers that removed large portions of the stomach or small intestine.
2. The body lift, also known as a belt lipectomy or lower body lift, improves the appearance of the abdomen, thighs, and buttocks. The operation is performed typically to remove excess skin and fat following massive weight loss.

Who should go for weight loss surgery?

To be a good candidate, you need to understand the risks. Notable risks include:

1. infection at the point of incision
2. pulmonary embolism (a blood-flow blockage in the lung)
3. peritonitis (a leak from the stomach into another area of the body)
   loosened staples
4. stomal stenosis (narrowing of the link between the stomach and intestines)
5. dumping syndrome (occurring if food moves too fast through the body)

Risks involved in Weight Loss Surgery

1. A common risk of restrictive operations is vomiting caused by the small stomach being overly stretched by food particles that have not been chewed well.
2. Gastric bypass operations also may cause "dumping syndrome," whereby stomach contents move too rapidly through the small intestine.
3. Symptoms include nausea, weakness, sweating, faintness, and, occasionally, diarrhea after eating, as well as the inability to eat sweets without becoming so weak and sweaty that the patient must lie down until the symptoms pass.
4. The more extensive the bypass operation, the greater is the risk for complications and nutritional deficiencies.
5. Abdominal hernias (ruptures) are the most common complications requiring follow-up surgery.
6. Less common complications include breakdown of the staple line and stretched stomach outlets.
7. More than one-third of obese patients who have gastric surgery develop gallstones. Gallstones are clumps of cholesterol and other matter that form in the gallbladder.

Questions you should ask before deciding for Weight Loss Surgery

When you are trying to reduce your weight, the challenges of dieting, exercise and even medications seems tremendrous. As a result, many have turned to weight-loss surgery as the best long-term option. But before making that difficult decision, questions need to be answered.

1. Which type of weight-loss surgery is right for you?
2. What's involved in the procedure?
3. Are there any risks associated with weight-loss surgery?