Bariatric Surgery: Frequently Asked Questions

The candidate must have been diagnosed with type II Diabetes Mellitus which is not controlled with medicines and lifestyle changes, there is evidence of organ damage in the form of neuropathy or kidney disease, and there must be sufficient insulin reserves on investigations.

Today premature death rates are increased by 200% for men and women who are significantly overweight. Obesity causes or increases the risks of many diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, joint pains, etc.

A mild form of obesity can be treated with Diet, Exercise & Medication, however for people who are severely obese after conventional approaches to weight loss such as diet and exercise – have failed, or for patients who have obesity–related disease, surgery may be the best treatment option.

The Results of bariatric surgery are long-term, studies performed at various bariatric surgical centers concluded that after Bariatric surgery most of the individuals suffering from morbid obesity could maintain more than 50% of the excess weight loss. Among these individuals, almost 80% of those who are suffering from super morbid obesity are able to achieve more than 50% of the excess weight loss.

You could start your office/desk work after 3 days of surgery. If your job involves heavy lifting you may need to wait longer, possibly a week, though different patients behave differently postoperatively.

It is strongly recommended that women wait at least one year after the surgery before a pregnancy. Approximately one year post-operatively, your body will be fairly stable (from a weight and nutrition standpoint) and you should be able to carry a normally nourished fetus. You should consult your surgeon as you plan for pregnancy.

Various research papers published found that those who are affected by morbid obesity and have undergone bariatric surgery are at a lower risk of death than those who do not have surgery. There is proven evidence that after bariatric surgery there is a significant reduction in mortality from diabetes and heart diseases in individuals suffering from morbid obesity. The mortality rate for bariatric surgery (3 out of 1000) is similar to that of gall bladder removal and considerably less than that of hip replacement. The exceptionally low mortality rate with bariatric surgery is quite remarkable.

In addition to improvements in health and longevity, surgical weight loss improves the overall quality of life. Measures of quality of life that are positively affected by bariatric surgery include physical functions such as mobility, self-esteem, work, social interactions, and sexual function. Singlehood is significantly reduced, as are unemployment and disability. Furthermore, depression and anxiety are significantly reduced following bariatric surgery.

Almost immediately after surgery doctors will require you to get up and move about. Patients are asked to walk or stand at the bedside on the night of surgery, and take several walks the next day, and thereafter. On leaving the hospital, you may be able to care for all your personal needs but will need help with shopping, lifting, and with transportation.

If you feel up to it, you could start driving from the third day of surgery. However, it is recommended that you don’t take a long drive as it increases the chances of DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis).

Bariatric surgery is a major surgery involving the gastrointestinal tract. The stomach and intestines are modified so that less food can be consumed or absorbed, which leads to a substantial loss of weight that can be maintained for years. A liposuction is a form of cosmetic surgery in which areas of the body are reshaped or resculpted by removing excess amounts of fat in those areas. The purpose of liposuction is not to produce weight loss.

If you can lose the necessary amount of weight (and keep it off) through diet and exercise- more power to you! Ninety-five percent of people considering weight loss surgery have tried (sometimes numerous times) and failed. I like to use this analogy: If someone asks, “If I can buy a lottery ticket and win the lottery, why do I have to work for a living?” my answer would be, “You don’t. If it is easier and less painful to win the lottery and you can do it, then go for it.” For a morbidly obese individual, losing a significant amount of weight is comparable to winning the lottery.

I like to answer this question by asking another question: “is it healthy to be 45 kg overweight?” The rapid weight loss experienced after weight loss surgery is extremely gratifying psychologically and physically. If you eat properly, making sure you get enough protein, there should be no ill effects from it.

In addition to the well-known ill effects of smoking, it can complicate surgery by increasing the incidence of pneumonia and pulmonary problems immediately after surgery. I recommend that patients stop smoking at least several weeks before surgery.

It depends – maybe yes, maybe no. There is a strong relationship between obesity and gallstones and a high incidence of cholecystitis (gallbladder attacks) during rapid weight loss in patients with gallstones. For this reason, it is customary for patients to be screened for gallstones before surgery. Patients with documented gallstones should have their gallbladders removed at the time of surgery.

The operation may be reversed only in an emergency. Any weight loss procedure should be thought of as a permanent solution because if it is reversed, the weight will be regained. Although technically feasible, re-operative surgery is much more difficult and complex and the result will NOT, in all likelihood, restore the individual to the exact same state as before surgery. The impact of weight loss on a person’s life is so immense that it is highly unlikely that one would ever demand reversing the procedure.

Long-term results after sleeve gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass have shown that patients usually regain less than 15 percent of the weight they lost after ten years. However, if you go back to your old eating habits and don’t exercise at all, you might gain more than that.

Yes. People can be too young. You need to have stopped growing and you must have a mature bone age. In addition, you must understand the surgery and want it. You can’t have an operation because your friends or your parents want you to. You need to be able to give informed consent, which means you make an educated decision and then give your permission for the procedure. It is also necessary that your parents are supportive of your decision and understand the role they will need to play in your case and recovery.