Is This Surgery Really Safe?

[skatss]

I've heard so many thing about gastric bypass and it's to actually know the facts since the facts contradict each other. Sometimes I hear that the surgery is very safe but there are time I've heard about people getting very sick and dying from it. Is it safe?

Please don't say that it's safer than being overweight, I understand that but the surgery itself seems so invasive. Plus I hear about people who had the surgery, lost a lot of weight only to have the weight come back on a few years later. This seems to happen with almost every type of weight loss method.

Also, if after the surgery you still have to exercise and watch what you eat why is it better than going on an eating plan where you have to exercise and watch what you eat? What's the difference?

[Sam_e6]

Ok, where do I start!

From the bottom up; the reason people require WLS, is mostly down to willpower. Yes, we know what to eat, how much and when, but can we all stick to that? And what about people that need to eat very small amounts in order to lose and maintain weightloss? If you were told you need to eat less than 800 calories a day to lose significant amounts of weight and for the rest of your life, would you be able to do it? I know I can't, which is why I have a Gastric Band.

So, why did I choose a Band over Bypass? This answers most of your other questions really. The surgery is less invasive, shorter and reversible, plus the restrictive element is adjustable, so there is no real reason why weight loss cannot be maintained. With a malabsorption-type bypass, your body gets used to living on the small amounts that it absorbs, plus the restrictive elements of it can wear off. On the other hand, some people can 'overshoot', which means they can't stop losing weight and can get very ill. Plus they have to be very disciplined to take vitamins and minerals and have a high protein diet, in some cases.

Bypass patients tend to lose weight quicker, but banded patients mostly seem to catch up after a while and often go on to lose more weight, with less long term weight gain.

HOWEVER, banding requires a life time of management (fills and unfills) and shouldn't be taken lightly. You need to have a great and accessible aftercare team, for the surgery to be a success.

Phew, and breathe!!!

[MoonDance]

It sounds like the person with a lap band should approach meals and nutrition with the same careful consideration that diabetics have to apply to their daily eating habits.

Has anyone ever developed a disorder, like diabetes, as a direct result of lap band or gastric bypass surgery?

[patrol71]

My cousin had lap band surgery some months ago. As a result, she lost alot of weight and looks great. I'm hoping she will keep it off, because regardless of how you lose the weight, one still needs to make a lifestyle change to keep it off. She is very busy with her own business, so I'm thinking that is why she went that route.

For some reason, I thought this surgery was a new approach, but is it also known as gastric bypass? If so, then it's been around for awhile.

[DeannaFord]

[QUOTE=skatss;966]I've heard so many thing about gastric bypass and it's to actually know the facts since the facts contradict each other. Sometimes I hear that the surgery is very safe but there are time I've heard about people getting very sick and dying from it. Is it safe?

Why is it that in America we feel the need to meet certain standards? Even while watching t.v. we are forced to view countless commercials about weight loss drugs, diets, and various exercise programs. Not only are we told that being a certain size is desirable, but we are also led to believe that our natural features should look a certain "unnatural" way.

[skatss]

Why is it that in America we feel the need to meet certain standards? Even while watching t.v. we are forced to view countless commercials about weight loss drugs, diets, and various exercise programs. Not only are we told that being a certain size is desirable, but we are also led to believe that our natural features should look a certain "unnatural" way.

I agree with you. In the US if you're an average you're considered over weight. This is why the diet industry is so big. I don't believe that all of these companies really care about people losing weight, all they care about is the money that can be made off of us.

Too bad society makes us feel terrible if we weigh more than a model whose pictures are air brushed. We have to try to be content with who we are and what we weigh then we might not have so many people with weight broblems.

[skatss]

Ok, where do I start!

From the bottom up; the reason people require WLS, is mostly down to willpower. Yes, we know what to eat, how much and when, but can we all stick to that? And what about people that need to eat very small amounts in order to lose and maintain weightloss? If you were told you need to eat less than 800 calories a day to lose significant amounts of weight and for the rest of your life, would you be able to do it? I know I can't, which is why I have a Gastric Band.

So, why did I choose a Band over Bypass? This answers most of your other questions really. The surgery is less invasive, shorter and reversible, plus the restrictive element is adjustable, so there is no real reason why weight loss cannot be maintained. With a malabsorption-type bypass, your body gets used to living on the small amounts that it absorbs, plus the restrictive elements of it can wear off. On the other hand, some people can 'overshoot', which means they can't stop losing weight and can get very ill. Plus they have to be very disciplined to take vitamins and minerals and have a high protein diet, in some cases.

Bypass patients tend to lose weight quicker, but banded patients mostly seem to catch up after a while and often go on to lose more weight, with less long term weight gain.

HOWEVER, banding requires a life time of management (fills and unfills) and shouldn't be taken lightly. You need to have a great and accessible aftercare team, for the surgery to be a success.

Phew, and breathe!!!

Thanks for all the great information. But I was wondering why people who have had any kind of weight loss surgery gain the weight anyway. I know many people who have surgeries still have little will power just the same.

Many of these sugeries say that you feel full after a small amount of calories but are they really full? If so why do some people go out of their way to fool their bodies. There is a nice discussion about this on one of the other weight loss topics on this sight.

[reena]

I think it depends on the lifestyle. If you have just undergo weight loss surgery then after it you eat a lot then its useless. You have to change your lifestyle and be more careful in what you eat.

[Amydoes]

I've heard so many thing about gastric bypass and it's to actually know the facts since the facts contradict each other. Sometimes I hear that the surgery is very safe but there are time I've heard about people getting very sick and dying from it. Is it safe?

Please don't say that it's safer than being overweight, I understand that but the surgery itself seems so invasive. Plus I hear about people who had the surgery, lost a lot of weight only to have the weight come back on a few years later. This seems to happen with almost every type of weight loss method.

Also, if after the surgery you still have to exercise and watch what you eat why is it better than going on an eating plan where you have to exercise and watch what you eat? What's the difference?

Yes, it is safe, but there are a lot of risks involved!