Is Weight-Loss Surgery For You?

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For many patients, bariatric surgery is a relief from suffering. Being unable to walk, or to comfortably do many of the normal daily activities of life holds many obese men and women back, their fear of public scrutiny or shame can keep them from seeking medical attention and from participating in exercise that they need.

While bariatric surgery has become safer and provides more options for the obese person, there are steps that must be taken in order to qualify for the surgery. It is important to find a doctor who you can trust, and one that is board certified. A Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence is one that has met the strict criteria established by the nonprofit Surgical Review Corporation and delivers the highest standards of bariatric surgical care. Speaking with a competent physician is the first step toward obtaining the necessary physical, psychological and insurance clearances you will need before you can schedule your surgery.

Contraindications for bariatric surgery include a history of substance abuse, emotional health issues or chronic pancreatitis, and severe heart or lung disease. In qualifying for bariatric surgery you will also be asked to follow specific guidelines for diet and exercise that are important to maximize the health benefits of the surgery.

All surgeries carry some risk, and bariatric surgery is no exception. Although it has been around for decades, it is only recently that bariatric surgery has become a viable and safer alternative for morbidly obese patients. Mortality and complication rates have fallen as doctors continue to perfect the procedure and as patients commit to better health before and after.

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written by Denise, January 20, 2011 08:30 pm

I recently had the Lap-Band and it was the best thing I ever did. Yes, a lot of what you said was true, though. Trying to figure out what to eat right after surgery is very overwhelming. I have always been a eat on the go kind of person. I have never planned meals. We don't sit around the dinner table at my house because everyone is always doing their own thing and my husband and I have often worked odd hours - he's in law enforcement and I am in retail. So trying to figure out how to get in all my protein and not too much fat and carbs, but yet get the good fat... well, it has been a challenge. But it is very much worth it... every single step of the way! Each person just needs to do their research and think long and hard. If you are not going to change the WAY you eat, then don't bother. You have to change your habits, the way you think about food, or you won't succeed. That has been a challenge for me, the emotional attachment to food. But I am winning. It can be done, with help. Good luck everyone!

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written by Heidi, January 22, 2011 02:48 pm

My mother in law recently had the lap band surgery and ended up in the hospital four days out.Over the last three months she has been in and out half a dozen times from complications, several of which were life threatening. Almost everyone I have spoken to who has had the surgery has had similar experiences, but none of them regret this. Why? Was it really worth almost dying to be thin? I am morbidly obese, but I am healthy and live a very active lifestyle. I do not have any health complications from my weight and am able to participate in most activities of interest (except for the darn amusement rides!!!) My mother in law keeps harping on my husband that I should get this surgery as it is doing wonders for her, but why would I want to almost die three times and end up in the hospital four other times? Why would I want to put my husband and two young children through something that is clearly horrific and painful? I will admit that I am not happy being fat, but I do eat healthy and I work out for over a half hour most days. I play sports with my children and am active in cub scouts. I could never endanger that!

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written by ChiChi, February 21, 2011 02:36 pm

I agree, Heidi, that the lap band has complications (as with any surgery). There are people that have committed their lives to succeeding in weight loss with bariatric surgery. I researched weight loss surgery for 2 years before deciding to go through with a procedure called vertical sleeve gastrectomy (fondly referred to as "a sleeve"). I will be having the procedure at the end of March. While NO weight loss surgery procedure is the "cure-all", these procedures do offer a tool to help the morbidly obese to begin to have a healthier lifestyle. Also, the lap band was not my procedure of choice because I did not want to have a foreign object placed in my body, but I know MANY people that have done VERY well with it. I guess to each his own. Research and is key.

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written by B Pierce, April 04, 2013 08:23 am

I had gastric sleeve surgery 1 year ago (3/27). Since starting this journey, I have lost 146.5 lbs (including 30 before surgery). I am in the best shape I have been since high school and I can walk again. But do not misunderstand, it is not an easy answer. The reason I have done so well is because I am diligent about making sure I am eating what I need to in order to stay healthy, I take my supplements and I religiously journal my food. I have never worked harder to lose weight. I have to wonder if I had had to work so hard before the surgery if I could have managed to do it without. But the fact is, it worked, I am less than 50 lbs from goal and I am mobile again. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

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