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Search - The Doctor's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery: How to Make the Decision that Could Save Your Life
The Doctor's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery How to Make the Decision that Could Save Your Life Author:Louis J. Flancbaum, Erica Manfred, Deborah Biskin Among the 55 percent of Americans who are overweight is a group of about five million who suffer from clinically severe obesity, also known as morbid obesity. This condition is a chronic disease associated with diabetes, high blood pressure, breathing problems and/or arthritis that can lead to further complications and death if not properly mana... more »ged. Because of the high failure rate associated with dietary treatment, weight loss surgery, also known as "bariatric surgery," is the most effective method for obtaining sustained weight loss in severely obese people. However, misunderstanding and apprehension about its safety and effectiveness still abound. Louis J. Flancbaum, MD, Chief, Division of Bariatric Surgery at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City, a nationally recognized authority on the surgical treatment of obesity, has teamed up with former weight loss surgery patient, Erica Manfred, and freelance writer Deborah Biskin, to create the first comprehensive guide for the layperson, The Doctor's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery: How to Make The Decision That Could Save Your Life. This personal and compelling in-depth exploration of the topic explains: · How the severity of obesity is graded and who is a candidate for weight loss surgery. · The types of operations used for obesity and the risks and benefits of each. · How weight loss surgery differs from liposuction and what kind of results can be expected. · How to choose a surgeon and a follow-up program. · Steps to improve the chances that your insurance company or third party payer will pay for the surgery. · The entire process of weight loss surgery, from pre-surgical evaluation, to the in-hospital experience, to what to watch out for in the months and years after surgery. The book also includes detailed illustrations of all the surgical procedures, nutritional guidance for post-ops, including gourmet high-protein recipes, online and print resources, and an extensive chapter of frequently asked questions. The Doctor's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery explodes a number of myths about this controversial procedure: Myth: Weight loss surgery and stomach stapling are the same thing. Reality: Stomach stapling refers to an older, simpler and less effective type of surgery, called gastroplasty, which often resulted in unhealthy eating patterns and staple line disruptions. The newer operation, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), partitions the stomach and rearranges the intestine. It encourages healthier eating, has a higher rate of permanent weight loss and rarely causes staples to pop. Myth: Weight loss surgery is extremely dangerous. Reality: Morbid obesity is extremely dangerous. Obese people are at higher risk for any major surgical procedure. Despite their higher risk, however, the incidence of death related to weight loss surgery is 1%--similar to open heart surgery. Weight loss surgery is no more dangerous for a morbidly obese person than any other major surgical procedure. Myth: You have to live on a severely restricted diet for the rest of your life. Reality: After six months or so, when the body adjusts, you can eat almost anything you want--in limited quantities. Many patients discover, however, that they no longer desire the sweet, fatty foods they used to love. Myth: People can gain all their weight back after surgery. Reality: 75% of patients lose at least 50% of their excess weight and keep it off permanently. Myth: People suffer from extreme nutritional deficiencies after weight loss surgery. Reality: Anyone who is capable of taking a one-a-day vitamin and an iron supplement can avoid nutritional deficiencies. Myth: Weight loss surgery causes constant vomiting and diahhrea. Reality: Some patients may vomit because they are eating more than their tiny stomachs can handle. This usually stops when they learn to limit their food intake. Diahhrea is rare with the RYGB. Myth: An obese person should be able to lose weight and keep it off through diet and exercise alone. Weight loss surgery is the easy way out. Reality: A poor person should be able to get rich by winning the lottery too. More power to anyone who can lose the necessary amount of weight and keep it off through diet and exercise. 95% of people considering weight loss surgery have tried and failed numerous times. Surgical treatment for obesity the ONLY treatment that reliably produces significant and sustained weight loss. Anyone who thinks major surgery is easy has never gone through it. Research has proven that weight loss surgery is the single most effective treatment for individuals who have the severest form of the disease of obesity. By rerouting the flow of food to bypass the stomach, gastric bypass surgery limits the intake of food, affects the amount of food absorption, and changes the way the body uses energy. Long-term studies show that the majority of patients may attain extensive weight loss, typically between 50 to 75 percent of their excess weight over a period of 12 to 18 months. Complications of obesity, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, arthritis, and gastro-esophageal reflux disease (heartburn) improve markedly or disappear completely. The weight regained after five years is only 10 to 15 percent of that lost. The gastric bypass has been endorsed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the World Health Organization, The American Obesity Association, the American Heart Association, and Shape Up America. Co-author Erica Manfred's weight problem was causing worsening diabetes, higher cholesterol, painful arthritis, and intolerable heartburn. After trying dozens of commercial and "fad diets," shedding hundreds of pounds, and regaining even more, she began to investigate weight loss surgery. Following her gastric bypass surgery in January 1999, Erica lost more than 60 percent of her excess weight and gained control of her physical health and general well being. "I can finally do everything I want to do," says Erica in the book, "including run up and down stairs, bend over, get up off the floor, walk for two miles without getting winded and, most important, lift and carry my 2-year-old. My quality of life has been transformed." She is delighted that through this book, other fellow sufferers may benefit from her difficult, and ultimately successful, journey.« less
