If you haven’t been able to achieve or maintain a healthy weight with diet and lifestyle changes, you might want to consider other treatment options, such as bariatric (weight loss) surgery.
Bariatric surgery does not only eliminate weight and meet your weight loss objectives while offering you several health benefits. With obesity and its accompanying health concerns on the rise, bariatric surgery is unquestionably a potent tool for giving long-term comfort to overweight people.
It’s critical to find a hospital with substantial expertise and a Bariatric surgeon like Dr. Joshua Long for these procedures while making this life-altering decision.
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Bariatric Surgery Is Safe And Effective
While there are dangers with every surgical operation, bariatric surgery is one of the safest. When compared to other elective procedures, it is believed to be as safe as or even safer.
Not everyone who is excessively overweight is a candidate for bariatric surgery. To be eligible for weight-loss surgery, you may need to meet specific medical requirements. To check if you qualify, you’ll probably have to go through a lengthy screening process.
To live a healthier lifestyle, you must also be willing to make long-term adjustments. Drawn out follow-up plans, which may include monitoring your nutrition, lifestyle, behavior, and medical issues, may be necessary to undertake the procedure.
What To Expect?
Bariatric surgery is performed under general anesthesia in a hospital setting. It indicates that you will be unconscious throughout the process. The specifics of your surgery are determined by your personal circumstances, the type of weight-loss surgery you choose, and the hospital or doctor’s policies. Some weight-loss operations need traditional extensive or open abdominal incisions.
A majority of bariatric surgeries are now done laparoscopically. A laparoscope is a tiny tube with a camera attached to it, which is placed into the belly through small incisions.
The surgeon can see and operate within your abdomen without making significant incisions thanks to the tiny camera on the tip of the laparoscope. Although laparoscopic surgery can speed up and shorten your recovery time, it is not suitable for everyone.
Typically, the surgery takes several hours. You awaken in a recovery room after the surgery, where medical personnel monitor you for post-surgery complications. You may need to stay in the hospital for a few days depending on the intensity of your surgery.
Benefits of Bariatric Surgery
Long-term weight loss is possible with bariatric surgery. The amount of weight you lose is determined by the type of surgery you have and the changes you make in your lifestyle. Within two years, you may be able to shed half of your additional weight, if not more.
In addition to weight loss, bariatric surgery may help to improve or resolve diseases commonly associated with obesity.
Better Life Quality
You’ll notice a difference in your ability to move more after losing a considerable amount of weight. You might even rediscover things you used to enjoy, such as walking, riding, swimming, or gardening. This increase in physical activity improves the flow of oxygen throughout your body, allowing you to:
- Burn more fat
- Reduce insulin levels for better sugar control.
- Less anxiety and despair thanks to the infrequent release of stress hormones (cortisol).
You may feel a fresh lease on life as you form social contacts and become more involved at work. Your quality of life improves when you look and feel good from within.
Improved Cardiovascular Health
A person’s risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral heart disease is reduced following weight loss surgery. Furthermore, according to a study, the weight loss accomplished through surgery can help reduce the risk of death from stroke, hypertension, and myocardial infarction. After surgery, blood pressure and cholesterol levels can return to normal or near-normal, lowering these risks and improving general health.
Reduced Mortality Rate
Obesity raises your risk of acquiring severe ailments like diabetes, heart disease, and breathing problems, all of which can lead to death.
However, studies show that decreasing weight with bariatric surgery reduces your risk of dying from obesity-related diseases (metabolic syndrome). A reduction in 40-70 percent of excess weight within 1-2 years of surgery can significantly improve or, in some circumstances, totally heal life-threatening diseases making the surgery worth it.
Diabetic Mellitus Improvement
Obesity is one of the most prominent risk factors for type 2 diabetes, with over 90% of people with diabetes being overweight or obese.
Diabetes is the primary cause of kidney failure, and it is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and ailments related to the nervous system.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, bariatric surgery significantly improves glycemic control in obese people with type 2 diabetes, particularly those who are unable to attain adequate control with lifestyle changes and medications.
Pain Alleviation For The Joints
Excess weight places a lot of strain on your weight-bearing joints, which can lead to persistent pain and joint deterioration. Bariatric surgery results in significant and long-term weight loss, decreasing joint tension and often allowing people to quit using pain medications and experience considerably more mobility.
A Faster Metabolic Rate
As you lose weight, you’ll find yourself doing more physical activities like biking, walking, and swimming, which will help your body burn fat more efficiently. Hormones such as insulin and cortisol (the stress hormone) are also lowered, which aids in fat storage reduction.
Improved Fertility
Bariatric surgery has been shown to treat or resolve diseases such as PCOS and hypertension, which can impede conception. This technique also affects other physiological changes that affect fertility by reducing the weight of the reproductive organs.
Surgeons frequently advise female bariatric patients to take precautions to avoid conception during the first year following surgery. As a result, it’s critical to be aware of any fertility changes following the surgery to avoid becoming pregnant too soon.
Conclusion
It’s critical to remember that surgery is merely a tool for achieving long-term weight loss and resolving associated ailments. In the overall therapy of obesity, surgery plays a minor role. After the operation, you must commit to a lifelong change in your eating and routine habits.
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