Should i have gastric sleeve surgery

These days, I notice I crave chips and pretzels. It makes me sick. My digestion is different [since the surgery]. I notice I go to the bathroom more frequently, which is a good thing. I also have a lot more energy. I had a lap band surgery, and it had to be removed after six years. The tubing on the band kinked, so the fluid in my stomach got in my lungs in the surgery.

After that, the surgeons did a gastric bypass. Since then, I have also had eight plastic surgeries. They did my breasts, arms, face, thighs, because you have loose skin hanging all over. My legs were rubbing together and hurting. My chin was hanging. You need the right surgeon and right support group. My mantra is: Bariatric surgery is a journey, not a destination.

Neely Williams, a year-old independent consultant in Nashville, Tennessee Weight pre - surgery in pounds Weight today: pounds. About one and a half years after surgery, I had hernia repair. Once I lost the weight, herniated areas in my stomach became an issue. Seven months after that surgery, I had to have an emergency gallbladder surgery. Weight loss surgery changed the digestive system and caused gallbladder problems for me.

Chloe Greenlee, a year-old trivia and karaoke host in Columbus, Ohio Weight pre - surgery in pounds Weight today: pounds. I met a friend at Ohio University in my first semester there, and she had had the bariatric sleeve when she was in high school. It worked amazingly well for her. I had been trying to lose weight for about two years by that point, and got the surgery when I was After the surgery, I went back to the restaurant where I was working and started working there again.

It was so much easier to maneuver around. It felt easier to walk around and provide good service. I also went back to the day care where I had been working and noticed a big change in how I could play with the kids. I think it had something to do with my weight. Nobody really prepares you for that kind of attention.

Before [gastric bypass] surgery, I weighed over pounds. I had Type 2 diabetes, and it was progressing to having to do insulin shots. I was on two kinds of diabetes medications and a blood pressure medicine.

Surgery was the scariest thing I ever did, but it was easily the best choice I ever made. When you go into it, you have all these fears about what you were going to give up.

Both my ability to eat a lot of food and, more importantly, my interest in eating a lot of food has gone away. Carlos Martinez, a year-old in Fort Worth, Texas Carlos lost pounds with surgery but did not provide his pr e - and post - surgery weights. Before the surgery, doctors told me I was pretty healthy but I was on the verge of being prediabetic and having high blood pressure. They attributed that to all the weight I had gained in college.

The likes on Tinder are also exponentially higher. Bypass surgery is the best thing I ever did. I had really bad sleep apnea and severe arthritis in my neck, back, and feet.

Once I had my surgery, I could jog. I climbed up a mountain. My legs are not as swollen. My thyroid has leveled out. My sugars are level. My blood pressure is low to normal. My cholesterol is good. The only thing for me is my iron. Society wants people to lose weight. I was like that first too: I was a little ashamed to be going through surgery. My mother is hoping to get the surgery herself soon. Now, you have this surgery and phenomenal things happen: The weight goes away; you look good.

Cheri Janning, a 57 - year - old retired researcher in Durham, North Carolina Weight pre - surgery in pounds Weight now: pounds. I used to love to eat three pieces of fried chicken. And now maybe a wing is all I can do. It gives you the feeling of an overwhelming nausea.

I buy more in Halloween sizes because a bite of that is all I want or feel good with. By the end of college, I had developed really bad eating habits where I would basically eat one meal a day and that consisted of eating an entire large pizza by myself. As you might be aware, the one thing that campaigns are never short on is pizza.

We would start work at 9 am and not finish until 11 at night. Trying to learn how to eat on the go was my biggest challenge. And trying to navigate eating healthy. If I tried to eat a slice of pizza, I would throw up immediately and start getting cold sweats. The general medical guidelines for weight-loss surgery are based on body mass index BMI. BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. Weight-loss surgery might be an option for an adult with a BMI of 40 or higher.

Instead of using these BMI numbers as a guideline for surgery, a surgeon may use growth charts for adolescents. These charts show the standard BMI range for each age. Depending on the type or severity of an obesity-related illness, some adults or adolescents with lower BMIs may be able to undergo weight-loss surgery. If you're considering weight-loss surgery, you'll meet with a health care team that may include the following:. Members of your team will explain what to expect before and after the procedure.

They will evaluate whether you're ready for surgery and help you decide if it's an option for you. They may identify concerns to address — medical, behavioral or psychological — before you're ready for surgery. You'll have a medical exam to diagnose any unknown obesity-related conditions. Your doctor also will test for problems that could make surgery more complicated. You may undergo tests for:. Weight loss after surgery depends on your ability to change behaviors in eating and exercise.

Also, being in good mental health is important for the demands of following your treatment plan. Your team's goals are to identify psychological or behavioral risk factors, address any problems, and decide whether you're ready for surgery. If your team members recommend bariatric surgery, they will work with you to develop a treatment plan. This may include:. These requirements are intended to help you achieve the best possible weight-loss outcomes after surgery.

Also, your ability to follow through on these plans will show your team how motivated you are to follow guidelines after surgery. Weight-loss surgery can be delayed or canceled if your health care team determines that:. Your insurance company may cover the costs of weight-loss surgery.

Your team will need to show that the procedure is medically necessary. Also, you may need to provide documented evidence that you weren't able to lose enough weight with a supervised program of diet and exercise. Medicare and some Medicaid programs may cover the costs. It's important to research your insurance coverage and your expected out-of-pocket costs.

Your hospital may have services to help you explore options for financing your surgery. A team of doctors, nurses and other specialists will help you determine whether this is an appropriate option for you. The process the team uses to determine if you're ready for weight-loss surgery is also there to help you make an informed decision.

You will need to consider the benefits and risks, follow through with pre-surgery and post-surgery plans, and make a lifelong commitment to a new nutrition and exercise program.

There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Sign up for free, and stay up-to-date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID, plus expert advice on managing your health. Drastic physical transformations can lead to a variety of emotional changes that can affect not just you but your relationships as well. At least one study has found an uptick in divorce rates among couples with a bariatric surgery partner, especially in the first year after surgery.

So in addition to great post-operative medical care, you also may need to think about seeking emotional guidance for you and your spouse — either via counseling with a therapist or by joining a support group, which can help limit the negative effects on your relationships. You could be a candidate for new hunger-controlling device that can treat obesity.

The FDA just approved a first-of-its-kind pacemaker-like weight loss device called the Maestro Rechargeable System, which helps suppress appetite by sending electronic pulses to the nerve of the body that communicates hunger to the brain. Though less invasive than bariatric surgery, the device does require an hour-long outpatient surgery to implant the device in the patient's abdomen. Since it's not yet widely available, and weight loss results aren't nearly as impressive as bariatric surgery, it may not replace your need for bariatric surgery; still, it could be a good option for severely obese patients who need help getting to a weight where they can safely undergo bariatric surgery, or for those who need help with post-surgery weight control, so it's worth discussing with your doctor.

Though weight-loss surgery has a reputation for being risky, the procedures have improved over the years and are a lot safer now; the ASMBS reports that the chances of having a major complication are only about 4. The risks of staying obese — heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and even death — are far more dangerous. Though success is a long-term project for patients who undergo this serious procedure, most people say that if they could go back in time, they'd choose to have the surgery again.

Many people report that after the surgery and subsequent weight loss they feel better, are more active, and take fewer medications to treat the complications of obesity — all of which can greatly improve a person's quality of life. By subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

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