Tips For Those Interested in Weight Loss Surgery

August 31st, 2009 posted by Guest Author
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Weight loss surgery is a surgical procedure that helps patients to lose weight.

This procedure, performed in an operating room causes the digestive system to be restructured in such a way as to cause weight loss. The size of the stomach is greatly reduced through banding or stapling so that it holds a much smaller volume of food.

This smaller volume causes only a few nibbles of food at one time to fill a patient. Less food consumed means that there are fewer calories consumed. This results in weight loss. At times the weight loss is very dramatic.

Some of the surgeries also include the restructuring of the large intestine. This restructuring lowers the calories actually absorbed into the system. Patients with this option will lose weight at an even faster rate.

Weight loss surgery is not for the person who wants to lose a few pounds. Normally only the morbidly obese are candidates for this surgery. A person’s body mass index must be over 30 to qualify. This means that he or she is at least one hundred pounds overweight.

Weight loss surgery is not without complications. As with any surgery, some of these complications can be very serious and can even cause death. Some of the possible complications include blood clots, blood loss and problems with anesthesia.

There are also some serious sided effects from weight loss surgery. Since the volume of food that is taken in is so small, patients may miss out on certain needed vitamins and minerals. Patients should take vitamins daily in order to alleviate this problem. In the procedure where a portion of the bowel is removed, patients may have difficulty absorbing iron and may become anemic.

Before the surgery, your doctor may order some tests to be done. In addition to normal pre-op tests, you may need clearance from a cardiac specialist and a psychiatrist. Additionally you may need a gall bladder test and an upper GI.

After losing vast amounts of weight, patients may have excess skin that cannot shrink to its normal size. This may require a second surgery be performed. This second surgery, called a panniculectomy. This procedure involves removal of the navel.

The advantages to this surgery are of course the weight loss. However weight related problems may also be diminished. Patients may find that they no longer have back problems or no longer need to take medication to control type 2 diabetes.

The decision to have weight loss surgery is a serious one and should not be taken lightly.

April Kerr owns website Greg Walton MD which is all about bariatric weight loss surgery and vitamins for bariatric patients.