What is Weight Loss Surgery?

For a long time, weight loss surgery has been considered a drastic measure for those experiencing obesity. It used to be that weight loss surgery was risky and often involved cutting into the intestines and stapling or re-routing. Today, there are still several types of weight loss surgery that is invasive and hard to reverse.

In addition, some of these types of surgeries can cause serious complications and even death.

However, as more technology becomes available to surgeons, weight loss surgery is now easier and less risky than in the past. Many patients, who are desperate to loss weight, now look more favorable to weight loss surgery.

Weight loss can be extremely frustrating and for many people, no amount of dieting or exercise seems to help them shed the weight. Being overweight can cause a host of health and psychological problems. Those that carry extra weight are more prone to experiencing heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes and other health problems. People who are morbidly obese often have a shorter lifespan, as well. In addition, being heavy is often hard on a person’s self esteem and feeling of self worth. Being obese can affect a person’s whole outlook on life. There are millions of Americans that look to diet, exercise and even behavior modification in order to shed the pounds. Unfortunately, these methods are often not helpful to some and can require a life long commitment. Those who are morbidly obese will have a greater difficulty in losing the weight and many times, weight loss surgery is the only option.

Weight loss surgery is becoming more popular as it becomes safer and less invasive.

There are several types of weight loss surgery that is commonly performed on obese patients. One of the newer types of surgery is called the Lap-Band.
The Lap-Band system is placed on a patient’s stomach to restrict the amount of food and liquids that can enter the stomach. This type of weigh loss surgery does not affect the normal digestion of food or nutrients. Another type of weight loss surgery is called malabsorptive. This weight loss surgery is more invasive, or requires more internal surgery, than other types. This surgery shortens the digestive tract and limits the amount of calories that can be absorbed into the body. Combinations of restrictive and malabsorptive weigh loss surgery techniques are also commonly used. This means that the surgery restricts the amount of food in the stomach and reduces the amount of calories absorbed in the body.

If you are considering weight loss surgery, these are all options that are worth considering. If conventional weight loss methods have failed, speak to your doctor about surgical options. Each of the three types of weigh loss surgery has it’s own advantages and disadvantages. It is vital to speak to a specialized and knowledgeable weight loss surgeon to find out if one of these types of surgery is right for you. Some people with health conditions or other problems may not be good candidates for the weight loss surgery.

Other types of weight loss surgery are designed for the severely obese – generally those people with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher. These surgeries, which include gastric bypass and various "banding" and "stapling" procedures, have helped many formerly-obese people enjoy a higher-quality of life. However, all of these operations involve a considerable amount of risk.

Some of the risks associated with weight loss surgery include:

• Death – According to the Mayo Clinic, about one in 200 to 300 people who has gastric bypass surgery dies from the procedure.
• Post-surgery complications – Some weight loss surgery patients experience severe complications such as internal bleeding, infections, and blood clots. Others have to undergo follow-up procedures to correct complications such as abdominal hernias.
• Gallstones – More than a third of patients develop gallstones as a result of losing large amounts of bodyweight following a weight loss surgery procedure.
• Nutrient deficiencies – Some weight loss surgeries disrupt the digestion process. Without careful dietary supplementation this can lead to deficiencies in many important nutrients, especially vitamins B12 and D, iron, calcium, and folate.

Anyone considering weight loss surgery needs to weigh the risks against the benefits. They also need to realize that these extreme procedures are not cosmetic. Most patients only end up losing about 30% of their bodyweight and remain overweight for life. Simply put, weight loss surgery alone will not make you thin and beautiful. Yes, if you are extremely overweight, it may provide tremendous health benefits. But if you’re just looking for a way to get thin without the "hassles" of healthy diet and regular exercise you better think again.

Surgical Weight Loss Options

Patients that have a considerable amount of weight to lose often benefits from weight loss surgery. There are several different types of surgical weight loss options than works for those who are morbidly obese. The biggest advantage of having weight loss surgery is that most patients are able to lose their excess weight over a couple of years and can keep most of the weight off. In addition, weight loss surgery can also help resolve a host of health problems related to obesity.

Before having weight loss surgery, a patient must qualify. A doctor that specializes in these types of surgeries will carefully consider each patient’s case before making a decision. For the most part, those who are good candidates for these types of surgeries must be considered morbidly obese. This means that they must be at least 100 pounds or more over their normal body weight or twice their recommended body mass index. Patients who qualify for this surgery must be relatively healthy otherwise and not suffer from problems with the stomach, pancreas and intestines.

There are generally three types of weight loss surgery that are performed on overweight people.

All of these surgeries either make the stomach capacity smaller by creating a new stomach pouch, or shortens the digestion tract by connecting the stomach to the large intestines and completely bypassing the small intestines. The newer Lap-Band surgery makes a smaller stomach and is usually recommended because of the shorter recovery time and risks. In addition, the Lap-Band is often preferred because it is reversible and adjustable. Patients experience a more even paced rate of weight loss and are able to keep it off longer than with other surgical methods.

The Roux-en Y Gastric Bypass is a procedure that minimizes the amount of food that passes into the stomach. It also decreases the amount of food that is absorbed into the digestive system. The stomach is either stapled or sewn closed at the upper half creating a smaller stomach on top. The intestines are then connected to the smaller stomach and food passes directly from one are to another. The initial advantages of this surgery are that there is rapid weight loss right after surgery. This surgery also has a higher success rate than other forms of weight loss surgery. However, the gastric bypass is often more invasive and recovery time is longer. The Vertical Banded Gastroplasty is a very similar surgery, but the stomach is stapled and the intestines are left intact.

The more extreme of the weight loss surgeries is called the Biliopancreatic Diversion. During this surgery, about three-fourths of the stomach is completely removed and the rest of the stomach is connected to the final segment of the small intestines. There are several disadvantages to this approach including having a higher mortality rate; the dumping syndrome, more invasive and can lead to life long bone density loss and anemia. The advantages to this weight loss surgery are that it allows for larger meals and it presents patients with the greatest amount of initial weight loss.

Other types of Weight Loss Surgery

There are many types of weight loss surgery and the American Society of Bariatric Society notes two particular types of procedures that are used. One of these procedures is to decrease the amount of food an individual eats and the other type of procedure is to simply alter the way food is digested.

Vertical Banded Gastroplasty is a procedure that is also known as gastric bypass. Basically, gastric bypass surgery involves stapling the stomach smaller so that food enters slower and that the individual eats less. A gastric band is also used on the stomachs outlet to regulate the amount of food leaving the stomach.

Another type of bariatric surgery includes laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. This procedure uses a gastric band to partially close off the upper portion of the stomach. This allows the individual to feel full faster and eat less, thus losing weight. The gastric band is really helpful in this procedure.

Other types of malabsorptive procedures include the biliopancreatic diversion, extended gastric bypass, combined gastric bypass, as well as others. Each of these procedures have their own risks and benefits, some use gastric bands while others use a lap band, gastric band, or a mixture of procedures.

Deciding on the Procedure for You

Unless you are a doctor there is no way you can decide which procedure will be best for you. You might have a friend that was successful with one type of procedure and another who failed with a different one, however these success and failure rates with others are not necessarily the best information to base your decision on. You need to meet with your doctor, evaluate your health and past history as well as your expectations, and then your doctor will recommend the procedure that is best for you. Of course, you are welcome to get a second opinion or more if you want, but generally the surgeon knows what will be best for you. So, if you believe the benefits outweigh the risks go ahead and have gastric bypass or bariatric surgery and finally lose that weight. If the risks outweigh the benefits there are still many weight loss options out there you can try.

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