Gastric Bypass Surgery - Articles - Zimbio

Gastric Bypass Surgery

Mon, 20 May 2008 06:59:23 GMT

posted by Ventibate

I am an overweight person. I used to be obese and got tired of it so I went on a diet started exercising and lost 40 pounds and I am still losing weight. I am all for losing weight and for health, but what really pisses me off are people who get gastric bypass surgery and then eat exactly like they did before the surgery. Why even bother? The surgery is not a magic solution, in fact it slows your metabolism, so after you lose the weight you are processing food at a slower rate. If you need gastric bypass and you do it properly (diet and exercise along with the surgery) I have no problem. It's the people that get it, lose the weight, then start eating like five pizzas a day that piss me off. I was at the mall with some friends and one girl was talking about how she had got the surgery a few years back and couldn't understand why she was putting weight back on. She was eating four portions of chinese food. I just don't understand why some people are stupid and think that the surgery will solve all their problems. Diet and exercise are the best way to go no matter what anyone tells you.

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Why Is Gastric Bypass Surgery the Most Popular Weight Loss Surgery in the US?

Fri, 17 May 2008 19:35:33 GMT

posted by JamesNash

The question regarding gastric bypass is, “Why is it the most popular weight loss operation in the United States?” Well the answer is quite simple really. Until just recently the gastric bypass was the only weight loss surgery in the United States. While for the last decade lap band procedures have been performed successfully in Europe, it was only recently that it was brought into the U.S. and passed by the Food and Drug Administration. Furthermore, many Europeans are now going back in for a gastric bypass surgery after finding that the lap band procedure does not work for everyone.

Gastric bypass surgery is so popular because it works. Americans in general are considered to have the highest number of people in the world to be considered morbidly obese. All of these people year in and year out try everything under the sun to loose the excessive weight but in many cases they will never loose their weight only the money the spent in another failed fad. When all else seems lost and all other options have been tried, these people turn to medicine as a way to loose the weight and better their health. In return the gastric bypass helps them to loose most of their excess weight in a very short period of time leaving the patient to be able to get on with their newly changed lifestyle and eating habits.

Every year in America, one of the biggest and most popular New Year’s resolutions is to loose weight. For many people this may be a serious problem since in many cases this weight is not going anywhere once it has attached itself to a patient. You could always try to starve yourself, but unfortunately this never works out right. For starters, the human subconscious usually will not let us kill ourselves and the person soon finds themselves eating again. When the person starts to eat again as a precaution the body then decides to store even more food making the person more obese.

It is the gastric bypass surgery itself that allows a person to loose weight by the means of a quasi starvation in which the body does not even realize it is being done for the simple fact that it feels full after eating only a cup’s worth of food. This is accomplished by the new usable stomach area that the surgeon created during the procedure.

The gastric bypass is quick and it does the job as long as you are willing to fully commit to it. It is this that the gastric bypass surgery is the most popular form of weight loss surgery in the United States.

mm363: "60 Minutes:" Dead wrong?

Mon, 29 Apr 2008 23:55:04 GMT

posted by mudge1705

MUDGE’s Musings

The ‘Sphere is full of fulminating amateurs. Take yr (justifiably) humble svt, for example. When it comes to blogging, amateur. Maybe a little talented. Maybe.

Then there are the well informed, insightful, professionals, with credentials and research chops, who could be writing anywhere, but, I’m guessing, have found in the blogosphere the editorial freedom that might be lacking in the constrained world of the mainstream media.

One such genius has been admired in this space many times.

Junkfood Science: Sandy Szwarc’s Genius

mm305: Google Health - 1984 for the 21st Century

mm276: Fat Tuesday…

mm197: Short attention span

mm177: Healthy eating — Overrated!

mm165: Junkfood Science: Obesity Paradox #13

This past weekend Ms. Szwarc took on the top of the respected television news pyramid: “60 Minutes.” Now, that’s a contradiction in terms if ever one was coined: respected television news. But, millions of people watch it, and have done so for 40 or more years.

And when “60 Minutes” recently presented a glowing report on gastric bypass surgery, Ms. Szwarc says that they left the realm of news far, far behind.

The other side of the story — Part One

Sandy Szwarc, BSN, RN, CCP | April 26, 2008

Medical news stories on television serve one purpose: to air entertainment of sufficient shock and awe value to generate the most viewers and advertising income for the networks. The lure of advertising dollars, and efforts to please advertisers, has led to content that is little more than infomercials.

Viewers who forget this fact and believe that these stories are anything other than fiction and marketing can put themselves in danger. When viewers think they are getting accurate presentations of medical research, balanced portrayals of risks and benefits, and of reality — because these news stories look like credible medical investigative reports — and use them to make health decisions, television can become life-threatening.

This danger was best exampled on Sunday when CBS 60 Minutes aired a special claiming that gastric bypass surgery cures diabetes and cancer.

As always, Sandy Szwarc is thorough where mainstream media is cursory; she digs deep into the statistics to get the truth, rather than accept the superficial gloss published by those with a sales agenda.

After you read part one, click Home, or back here, and find part two; it’s a lengthy read, but if you or a loved one has ever considered bariatric surgery (me! me!), the time spent will be not much more than the few minutes of CBS’s distorted presentation. The letters from the patient and his fiancée are gripping, heart-breaking and frightening.

[Please click the link below for the complete article -- but then please come on back!]

Junkfood Science: The other side of the story — Part One

Junkfood Science: The other side of the story — Part Two

As alluded to above, I once sought out a surgeon to discuss the gastric bypass option for me. It was interesting to me that that office scale registered, but just barely, that I was a legitimate candidate (showing a higher weight than I’d ever seen for me at that time). That took me aback; I felt that I was being hard-sold. Rather disconcerting for a medical office, part of a group in which I’d been a satisfied patient for many years.

So, I went home and discarded the idea. And, that was long years before I knew of Sandy Szwarc and her relentless, in-depth research. For example, here’s a statistic that 13.6 million people did not hear on 60 minutes:

These death rates were compared to actual U.S. National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data on matching Americans of the same age and BMI. By best estimates, bariatric surgeries likely increase the actual mortality risks for these patients by 7-fold in the first year and by 363% to 250% the first four years.

I think that I dodged a bullet. Wish I weighed less every day, but bariatric surgery will not be in my future.

Thanks, once again, Sandy Szwarc, for digging in, and finding the truth, or at least a “truer” truth, amidst the fog of professional medical and media obfuscating.

It’s it for now. Thanks,

–MUDGE

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Lap Band Surgery

Wed, 15 May 2008 16:12:10 GMT

posted by pinaypie

I had seen television commercials advertising the LAP-BAND System, i know im not that fat compare to some that really need this,.but it looks like a good idea to help loose weight. I wonder if i can be eligible or if my insurance will cover it

What is lapband?
The Lap-Band is a silicone band with an adjustable balloon covering its inner surface. It is placed around the upper portion of the stomach, making a narrow opening through which food travels. A port is placed under the abdominal skin, and is connected to the Lap-Band by a small tube. Several times during the first year after surgery, a special needle is used to inject fluid into the port to tighten the band. This then restricts the amount of food which can be eaten. If the band is too tight, then fluid can be removed which allows more food to be eaten.

The Lap-Band is usually placed laparoscopically. Unlike the gastric bypass, the surgical team does not need to divide the stomach or small intestine. Some suturing of the stomach is done over the Lap-Band to prevent stomach slippage through the Lap-Band.

After a Lap-Band, from 40% to 60% of excess body weight is usually lost over the next 2 to 3 years. The weight loss is slower than after a gastric bypass. All of the food continues to travel through the rest of the stomach and the small intestine, and is absorbed normally. Regular multivitamins should be taken.

The lap band system is a much safer and less invasive alternative to gastric bypass surgery,

This procedure will allow you to feel full and satisfied while you actually eat less and lose weight.

Journeylite is a helpful site that givess you all the information you might want about the procedure and designed to provide you with the tools, resources, and practical know-how that will assist you in being successful in reaching your weight-loss goals.

Journeylite is a nationwide network of lap band surgical facilities and lap band doctor who specialize in the LAPBAND procedure for the surgical treatment of obesity.

They currently have locations in lap-band los angeles Houston, TX; and Tampa, FL, with additional JourneyLite surgical centers coming online in key markets across the country.

Can I Have Children After My Gastric Bypass?

Thu, 2 May 2008 13:58:42 GMT

posted by rowellb2000

Many people will insist that a woman who has undergone a gastric bypass surgery will not be able to have a baby, but this is based of their belief that the woman can hardly get enough nutrients for herself let alone a fetus. This is actually a myth as there is a smaller chance of birth complications associated with a gastric bypass procedure than there is associated with being morbidly obese.

A woman who is considered to be morbidly obese will incur more complications concerning a birth due to medical issues that may even result in a miscarriage.

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