You may be a candidate for weight-loss surgery if you meet the following criteria:
All of the procedures are available laparoscopically, which means that the surgery is completed using 4-5 small incisions. The potential for complications is moderately high and varies depending upon which procedure you have. Some patients need additional surgery to correct complications such as abdominal and internal hernias, and some patients develop nutritional deficiencies such as anemia and osteoporosis. There are essential lifestyle changes the patient must be absolutely committed to making. People who once ate freely must become very attentive to their diets, eat smaller, more nutritious meals and take vitamin and mineral supplements.
Risks are associated with any type of surgery, including abdominal surgery, and the risks below are greater for individuals who suffer from obesity. Your weight, age and medical history play a significant role in determining your specific risks. Your surgeon can inform you about your individual weight-loss surgery risks.
According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), bariatric surgery is associated with massive weight loss and improves, or even resolves (cures), obesity-related co-morbidities for the majority of patients. These co-morbidities include high blood pressure, sleep apnea, asthma and other obesity-related breathing disorders, Type II diabetes, arthritis, lipid (cholesterol) abnormalities, gastroesophageal reflux disease, fatty liver disease, venous stasis, urinary stress incontinence and pseudotumor cerebri.
After you have bariatric surgery and successfully lose your excess body weight, you will have some loose skin. Your option for this is plastic surgery. Unfortunately, insurance does not cover the majority of these procedures; only in very rare instances will they even assist in coverage. Exercise and intake of the recommended protein is the best option in helping to reduce the amount of excess skin you have. Although rumors persist about burn centers accepting skin donations for burn patients, this is not an option.
The decision to consider weight-control surgery is one of the most important decisions you may ever make. It will not only impact your life, but the lives of those closest to you. Choosing the right program is equally important. The doctors, nurses, nutritionists and counselors at the Center for Surgical Weight Control are all specially trained and focused on helping you. For more information, please call the patient intake coordinator, Charlotte King, at 304.399.4118.