Bariatrics – The Surgical Soltion for the Morbidly Obese.
Dramatic Weight Loss With Life-changing Surgery
Bariatric surgery is surgery that has been designed for the morbidly obese patient to assist them in losing weight, become healthier and livelonger. Bariatric surgical procedures are designed to seal off most of the stomach to reduce the amount of food one can eat, and/or modify the gastrointestinal tract to reduce the calories the bodies can absorb.
Bariatric surgery is a drastic step, involves major lifestyle changes and should only be considered by the morbidly obese patient who has tried other methods and is facing life-threatening consequences.
But for that person it can make all the difference in the world. A surgeon who has performed hundreds of eth procedures had this to say. “There are several consequences that are associated with morbid obesity and those can be diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stroke, for some women you can be looking at reproductive problems, things such as poly cystitic ovarian disease.
Other things can be gall bladder disease, your at a high risk for stroke, you may also have sleep apnea. For people that are suffering from or at great risk to suffer from these conditions Bariatric surgery is literally a lifesaving procedure.
There are several procedures, which are available to the patient that is pursuing bariatric surgery. One of the latest improvements that has been developed over the past few years is to perform a gastric bypass laproscopically, which is a minimally invasive approach where the patient is not opened as normally would be, but the surgeon uses puncture wounds instead of a large incision to perform the surgery.
On e patient we spoke to said she had the surgery done over a year ago. Since then she has managed to keep off a staggering 185 pounds. “ When I first walked into the doctors office to have my surgery, I was in a size 4-X. And now I’m in a size large, and a size 7/8 jeans, so I’ve come a long ways” Another who recently had the procedure done had this to say of her weight loss. “I’ve lost 85 pounds since then.
Prior to my surgery, especially in the summer time, you could not get me outdoors, now you can’t keep me indoors. My husband decided to buy a Jet Ski, and we have been out on the lake just about every week this past summer, I’m outside all the time, I have a lot more fun, I can go up stairs. I can sit down on the floor and play with my nephews and not get winded, or worn out.
In the mornings before my surgery I’d get up and put my feet on the floor and on the way to getting dressed, I’d just want to cry because my feet hurt so bad, now I don’t have that problem, I get up and go just like normal” Experts say one of the keys to having this kind of success with the procedure is to not only make sure you use an experienced and well qualified surgical team, but are properly informed and educated prior to the surgery.
“Ideally we try to see our bariatric patients pre-operatively to give them the idea of what kind of lifestyle changes they’re going to be involved with. We talk about the changes that are going to occur pre-operation so they know what to expect and then we also give them instructions after the operation so they know again what they are going to face.” Says a Clinical Dietician at a local hospital where the surgery is performed.
For thousands of Americans obesity continues to be a problem, but with the help of medical professionals and breakthrough technologies, many patients are losing weight, and growing healthier everyday.
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