Thread: Bariatric Surgery 101

Bariatric surgery is a surgical weight-loss procedure that reduces or bypasses the stomach or small intestine so that severely overweight people can achieve significant and permanent weight loss. It is performed only on severely overweight people who are more than twice their ideal weight. This level of obesity often is referred to as morbid obesity since it can result in many serious, and potentially deadly, health problems, including hypertension, Type II diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent diabetes), increased risk for coronary disease, increased unexplained heart attack, hyperlipide-mia, and a higher prevalence of colon, prostate, endometrial, and, possibly, breast cancer.

The theory behind obesity surgery is that if the volume the stomach holds is reduced and the entrance into the intestine is made smaller to slow stomach emptying, or part of the small intestine is bypassed or shortened, people will not be able to consume and/ or absorb as many calories. With obesity surgery the volume of food the stomach can hold is reduced from about four cups to about 1/2 cup.

Obesity surgery should not be performed on people who are less than twice their ideal weight. It also is not appropriate for people who have substance addictions or who have psychological disorders. Other considerations in choosing candidates for obesity surgery include the general health of the person and his or her willingness to comply with follow-up treatment.

I have seen some documentary about bariatric surgery procedure done by the doctors and it's amazing how the body responds to the operation and helps a person lose weight. The healing process is not easy too. I see patients suffering from the pain and difficulty because the follow up treatments are difficult to comply.

Yeah that is why before going through the operation, it is important to consider the difficulty of the treatment because there is not turning back anymore. You have to comply with the process for the operation to be successful and for you to see the desired result.