As we all know obesity is a very serious condition that had direct effects on our health and quality of life. One alternative modern medicine has come up with to combat obesity is weight loss surgery. The question is whether weight loss surgery is a good idea or not, and can only be answered by you and your doctor. In this post we will identify the different types of weight loss surgery along with its benefits and complications. Regardless a lifestyle change has to occur for weight loss to be permanent.
There are two different types of weight loss surgery restrictive surgery and malabsorptive surgery.
Restrictive surgery: These types of procedures make the stomach smaller. A section of your stomach is removed or closed which limits the amount of food it can hold and causes you to feel full.
Malabsorptive surgery: The largest part of digestion and absorption takes place in the small intestine. Malabsorptive surgery shortens the length of the small intestine and/or changes where it connects to the stomach, restricting the amount of food that is completely digested or absorbed (causing malabsorption). These surgeries are commonly performed in conjunction with restrictive surgery.
The benefits of these surgeries are weight loss and obesity related health conditions improve.
Weight loss: Following surgery most patients immediately lose weight rapidly and continue to do so until 18 to 24 months after the procedure. Although most patients then start to regain some of their lost weight, few regain it all.
Obesity related health conditions improve: Diabetes is one of the biggest obesity related health conditions. Studies have shown that blood sugar levels of most obese patients with diabetes return to normal after their surgery. Almost all patients with high blood sugar levels did that did not return to normal were older or had diabetes for a long time.
WebMD lists the following side effects of weight loss surgery.
• Vomiting: This is a common risk of restrictive surgery caused by the small stomach being overly stretched by food particles that have not been chewed well.
• “Dumping syndrome:” Caused by malabsorptive surgery, this is when stomach contents move too rapidly through the small intestine. Symptoms include nausea, weakness, sweating, faintness and, occasionally, diarrhea after eating, as well as the inability to eat sweets without becoming extremely weak.
• Nutritional deficiencies: Patients who have weight loss surgery may develop nutritional deficiencies such as anemia, osteoporosis, and metabolic bone disease. These deficiencies can be avoided if vitamin and mineral intakes are maintained.
• Complications: Some patients who have weight loss operations require follow-up operations to correct complications. Complications can include abdominal hernias, infections, breakdown of the staple line (used to make the stomach smaller), and stretched stomach outlets (when the stomach returns to its normal size).
• Gallstones: 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. During rapid or substantial weight loss a person’s risk of developing gallstones increases. Sometimes this can be prevented by taking supplemental bile salts for the first six months after surgery.
• Need to temporarily avoid pregnancy: Women of childbearing age should avoid pregnancy until their weight becomes stable because rapid weight loss and nutritional deficiencies can harm a developing fetus.
• Side effects: These include nausea, vomiting, bloating, diarrhea, excessive sweating, increased gas, and dizziness.
• Lifestyle changes: Patients with extensive bypasses of the normal digestive process require not only close monitoring, but also life-long diet and exercise modifications and vitamin and mineral supplementation.
Weight loss surgery along with a healthy lifestyle change can be a good option to help you lose weight and become healthy. Only you and your doctor can decide if it is the right choice for you. Just make sure all the pros and cons are discussed along with other alternatives are discussed before you make your decision
