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Weight Loss Surgery Q and A

Weight Loss Surgery  The Bypass through Weight Gain

Weight loss surgery, also traditionally referred to as, gastric bypass, has been a revolutionary solution for people who are obese. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 60 million Americans are obese. And more than 12.5 million children age 2 to 19 are overweight, according to the U.S. Surgeon General. So, a procedure that offers a way to put a dent in those statistics for people that have not where else to turn is promising.

There are numerous methods that may be used to bypass through excessive weight that is resistant to diet and exercise. It’s a last stop before related life threatening medical conditions come to rise. It’s the final encounter with weight loss methods to defy all of the issues surrounding weight loss. One of the options is gastric bypass.

Gastric bypass surgery offers a vast improvement in quality of life for people that are obese. The procedure can significantly improve your appearance within a year’s time, increase your mobility, enhance social life and reduce medical conditions risks, such as, Type-2 Diabetes and arthritis. The gastric bypass procedure is offered in two types: Roux-en-Y-gastric bypass (traditional and laparoscopic) and biliopancreatic diversion bypass. It can be the first stop on the journey through massive weight loss. There are numerous tasks that must be performed following the gastric bypass. Yet, the procedure truly assists in ensuring healthy weight loss and transforming life.

How It Works

During the gastric bypass procedure, a bariatric surgeon will create a small stomach pouch and a portion of the stomach is stapled to limit food intake. Finally, the surgeon will attach a portion of the small intestine to the stomach pouch so that food can bypass the duodenum portion of the stomach. Within seven days following surgery, people return home from the hospital to recover from surgery. Weight loss usually occurs gradually within a year and continues on into the second year, depending upon the amount of excess weight.  The biliopancreatic diversion bypass involves removing a portion of the stomach. The Roux-en-Y bypass is considered more common and less risky. Roux-en-Y-gastric bypass traditional technique uses one extensive incision to perform the procedure. In the laproscopic approach, small incisions are used and a laproscopic tool is inserted under the skin to provide a visual guide for the surgeon to see through in order to perform surgery.

Gastric Bypass Recovery

Within five weeks after the procedure, people that undergo the gastric bypass often resume normal activities. They are required to take daily vitamins and mineral supplements to avoid risks associated with malabsorption, including: osteoporosis. They must participate in psychological counseling, such as, behavioral-modification therapy. In fact, it is wise to join support groups because so many aspects of life can change following massive weight loss. For example, the divorce rate is high for people that have lost massive weight. Managing massive weight loss is a lifetime skill plan that can fit into a normal lifestyle with due diligence and care. It is also a renewal in life without massive excess weight.

The Alternatives

It’s important to note that there are other surgical options for massive weight loss. Though, the gastric bypass has withstood the longest test of time for safety and efficacy. The alternatives include: duodenal switch, gastric sleeve, lap band and real band.

Duodenal Switch: The duodenal switch technique involves the removal of a large portion of the stomach and the partial removal of the duodenum located at the beginning of the small intestine. People do not lose as much weight with the duodenal switch when compared to the gastric bypass approach.

Gastric Sleeve: The gastric sleeve may work well for people in high risk categories. High risk categories include people that have BMI (body mass index) of greater than 40 or those with certain medical conditions. In this technique, a portion of the stomach is removed in an initial procedure. Then, the procedure may be followed by a gastric bypass or duodenal switch once the person is in a low risk category and has lost weight.

Lap Band: The lap band technique involves the use of an adjustable gastric band that wraps around the top of the stomach so that hunger can be controlled to prompt weight loss. The Real band works similarly to the lap band but also involves the use of a saline filled sac under the skin to tighten or loosen the band as needed.

The recovery period and stage two transformation is very similar for most people regardless of technique(s) used in treatment.

Stage Two Transformation

Within two years following massive weight loss, people that have had weight loss surgery may request the abdominoplasty, panniculectomy, liposuction, breast surgery and the body lift procedures. These procedures are performed by a select number of plastic surgeons. The growth in these procedures has increased in recent years just as the number of people who desire the procedures. In fact, the plastic surgery community has established an organization to provide advanced training to plastic surgeons interested in helping people that have lost massive weight.

The abdominoplasty serves to tighten the abdominal muscles that were loosened because of excess fat or pregnancy.

The panniculectomy removes the apron of fat that may extend from the abdomen to the knees.

The body lift involves the removal of excess saggy skin from the arms, thighs, buttocks, hips, and back.

Breast surgery may be performed to reposition existing breast tissue or augment the breasts for a more natural appearance.

Liposuction may be performed to remove fat deposits that were not lost through the massive weight loss procedure.

The final alternative is to do nothing at all. However, there are so many risks associated with the postponement of obesity treatment and so many benefits that could be realized with treatment. So, it’s critical not to ignore. It is the ideal for a new beginning with lifestyle changes that have only been imaginable in years past. An active life filled with social and after hour professional activities. Weight loss surgery offers enhancement in intimate relationships which were once thought never possible. Weight loss surgery offers the opportunity to forgo medical conditions that are associated with obesity. The list of benefits is long…..