Benefits and Risks of Weight Loss Surgery

Benefits

• Drastic, sustainable weight loss. One year after surgery, most gastric bypass patients report losing between 60 percent and 85 percent of their excess body weight. In that same time period, patients who have received a gastric band lost between 25 percent and 60 percent of their excess body weight.

• High Blood Pressure–resolves completely in about 75 percent of patients. Another 10 percent showed improved levels.

• High Cholesterol–approximately 80 percent of weight loss surgery patients with high cholesterol or high triglyceride levels reverted to normal levels within a few months after surgery.

• Type 2 Diabetes–85 percent of patients experience complete remission. Most are taken completely off diabetic medication.

• Heart Disease–risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol significantly improve.

• Respiratory Function–Most patients find it easier to breathe after surgery. They can be more active without getting winded as quickly.

• Sleep Apnea–Snoring often disappears completely a few months after surgery. Over 85 percent of patients who used a CPAP machine before surgery no longer need it at one year after surgery.

• Asthma–Patients with asthma experience fewer, less severe attacks. Asthmatic symptoms will disappear completely for some patients.

• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)–90 percent of patients with heartburn due to GERD experience complete relief of all symptoms shortly after surgery.

• Stress Urinary Incontinence–This condition is caused in women by excess fat causing pressure on the bladder. Once you begin to lose weight, the pressure decreases and the condition resolves itself.

• Back and Joint Pain–Symptoms usually improve dramatically as patients lose weight, decreasing pressure on the weight-bearing joints of the body. Mobility also increases, and patients who need joint replacement but could not have it because of their weight usually become candidates after weight loss.

The Ultimate Benefit–
Discovering the New You Amazing things happen as that extra weight melts away. Your self-image skyrockets. Your energy level hits an all-time high. You experience an elevated quality of life that seemed like a pipe dream just a few months earlier.

Just imagine:

~ Shopping for stylish clothes in a regular store, not a “specialty” store
~ Looking forward to stepping on a scale
~ Sitting comfortably in a booth at a restaurant
~ Admiring your reflection in the mirror
~ Keeping up with your kids at the playground
~ Climbing the bleachers to watch your favorite team play
~ Walking 18 holes
~ Gardening
~ Swimming
~ Riding a bike

The list goes on and on. Weight loss surgery may not only save your life, it will help you live again.

Risks of Weight Loss Surgery

Weight loss surgery is a proven and safe way to lose a significant amount of excess weight. But like any surgical procedure, it’s not without risk. That’s why it’s important to become educated about the procedure before choosing to have it. Below we’ve outlined some of the possible risks associated with bariatric surgery.

Mortality Rates

Understandably, the most common concern of weight loss surgery patients is the safety of the procedure itself. Rest easy. Weight loss surgery is minimally invasive, and very safe. The mortality rate for all weight loss surgeries is 0.2 percent, or 1 in every 500 procedures. Your chances of dying from one of the co-morbidities associated with obesity are far greater than the risk of death from this surgery.

Possible Complications:

• Pulmonary Embolism–Obese patients have a high risk of developing blood clots in their legs. A pulmonary embolism happens when one of these blood clots breaks free and lodges itself in the lungs. This happens in less than 1 percent of all cases.

• Infections–All surgeries carry a risk of infection. Pneumonia, abscesses, urinary tract infections, wound infections, and colon infections are the most common surgery-related infections. Thanks to weight loss surgery’s minimally invasive nature, these infections are extremely rare.

• Gastrointestinal Tract Leak–In gastric bypass surgery, the bowel and stomach are connected together with staples. The spot where they are connected together can leak, causing serious infection. Gastrointestinal tract leak occurs in about 1 percent of all patients.

• Gallstones–Rapid weight loss can cause gallstones to form in about one in three patients. To prevent gallstones, patients are given a bile salt supplement for six months after surgery. This therapy reduces the risk of gallstones to 3 percent.

• Open Procedure–For about 1 in 200 patients, bariatric surgery cannot be performed laparoscopically, and a traditional “open” surgery is needed. This can happen for a number of reasons, including excess body fat in the abdomen, scar tissue, or a large liver. Though open procedures are still effective, they are much more complicated than the minimally invasive method. Before your surgery, it may be recommended that you lose as much weight as possible on your own to reduce this risk.

• Ulcer–Ulcers may form near the new connection between the stomach pouch and the small bowel. Ulcers occur in about 2 percent of patients. Though painful, they are not serious and can be treated with long-term use of medication.

• Bowel Obstruction–About 2 to 4 percent of patients will experience bowel blockages caused by scar tissue or kinking. Symptoms include vomiting, nausea and severe abdominal pain. This is condition requires immediate medical attention, so call 911 if you experience any of these symptoms.

• Bleeding–About 2 percent of patients will experience bleeding where a stapling device was used. Normally, bleeding can be stopped through discontinuing the use of anti-blood clotting medication.

• Stricture–Stricture is the formation of excessive scar tissue at the spot where the bowel is connected to the stomach pouch. It occurs in about 2 percent of patients, and symptoms include decreased food tolerance and vomiting. Stricture usually can be corrected through a procedure that involves placing a tube down the patient’s mouth into the area where the stricture is, then using a balloon to stretch the scar tissue.