Should Surgery Be an Option?
There is only so much that a person can do when one is truly overweight. After trying all the drugs and programs that the doctors or health professionals have tried, there is only one option left. That will involve surgery.
This type of procedure is called Bariatric Surgery. This is simply slicing the stomach then stapling it shut. After the operation is over, a small pouch remains which makes the patient feel full only after eating a few servings the size of a coffee cup.
Recent studies have shown that the people who have gone through this procedure have gone up from 1998 to 2002. In 2002, 71,000 procedures were done. A year later, a 100,000 were done. Doctors estimate that this will continue to rise as long people do not control the amount of food being eaten and preventing ways to controlling it.
There is a newer form of surgery known as Rouz-en-Y gastric bypass. This is similar to the first which is designed to make the stomach smaller. The difference in this procedure is that instead of stapling it shut, it is cut and sutured. The intestines are moved which brings it a bit far from the intestine. It shortens the length of the intestine to absorb fats and small amount of food taken in.
This new kind of procedure is not guaranteed to bring out the best results. Complications have happened and one in five hundred patients have died in the operating room.
Another procedure for weight loss is called the lap band. A device called the laparoscopic is placed around the body by putting an incision on one part of the body. This painless and quick procedure can be done in the morning with the patient checking out in the afternoon.
People who undergo this procedure can go to work after a few days of rest. This is better than other gastric bypass procedures that will require the patient to stay in the hospital for a few days and rest for a number of weeks before being allowed to go back to work.
Though Lap band surgery guarantees to have a lower risk of infection, it is something that may not be done for everybody. Should the patient have any allergies with the material used on the band, then the person cannot undergo this operation.
At one point, the FDA required people to be at least 18 until the age of 50 to qualify for this procedure.
Before going through with the operation, the doctor must explain the procedure in detail. This is to make the patient aware of everything that is happening as well as the risks involved.
Undergoing any of form or surgery can only guarantee weight loss in the short term. It should only be given as the last option should all the supplements, drugs and exercise programs not work out.
With new exercises and drugs being produced, it gives the person time to lose weight before going under the knife. Should it happen, then the patient has to make some changes to maintain the weight.
The road to recovery will be challenging but it can be overcome with the help of family, doctors and friends. This can be done through proper exercise, a change in lifestyle and a balanced diet.
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