What is Bariatric Surgery?
Obesity is a medical condition that cannot necessarily be “cured” with diet and exercise alone.
Bariatric surgery is a means for weight loss when other methods of weight management have failed. There are two major types of bariatric surgery: the Roux-en-y gastric bypass, and the gastric sleeve. The patient and the surgeon determine together which procedure is right for the patient.
According to Ali Aminian, MD, the sleeve is slightly safer, though both are quite safe, while the gastric bypass is more effective. Also, those who suffer from heartburn may be advised to avoid the sleeve.
With sleeve surgery, the surgeon removes 80-85% of your stomach, making it approximately the shape of a banana.
With gastric bypass, the top portion of the stomach is disconnected and a pouch is formed. They move up the small intestine and connect it to the pouch, thereby rerouting the GI tract so that the food you eat goes straight to your intestine, bypassing 90-95% of your stomach. Gastric bypass is considered by many the “gold standard” of bariatric surgery.
Both procedures help the patient lose weight rapidly because they effectively reduce hunger—temporarily. The post-op patient, though, also must commit to an entirely new lifestyle of regular exercise and adherence to a nutritional regimen of high protein and low sugar.
Other lifestyle changes include learning to chew your food more slowly and thoroughly, abstaining from fluids until at least 30 minutes after a meal, eating mindfully, taking smaller bites, and taking your time.
Obesity is now medically recognized as a disease with a strong genetic component, and old stereotypes and myths can hopefully begin to fall by the wayside as understanding of the condition increases. People with the disease do not lack self control or will power; they simply have a condition that is difficult if not impossible to overcome without help. Bariatric surgery is a tool to help people effectively manage their weight when other methods have not worked for them over the long term.
