Got this from another group….
Gastric bypass is no quick fix
Weight-loss surgery is not a magic pill.
That’s a point doctors try to drive home to those who are looking for a
surgical fix to their obesity problem.
"It’s crucial they change their lifestyle, their eating habits," says Dr.
Edward Yatco, a clinical instructor at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla
and a bariatric surgeon at Obesity Surgery Associates in Hawthorne.
"This is not the easy way out. It’s a major surgery that comes with
significant risks and possible complications."
Unfortunately, this message can get lost in the glow of success stories and
miraculous "after" pictures.
In reality, a surgical procedure like gastric bypass (which retools the
digestive system to allow for less calorie absorption) or the newer Lap-Band
(which involves using an adjustable band to limit the amount of food the stomach
can hold) is just the first step in a process that includes many lifelong
adjustments.
And not just concerning food.
Prior to surgery, physicians like Yatco and fellow bariatric surgeon Dr.
Dominick Artuso make sure – via seminars, nutritional counseling, one-on-one
meetings and psychiatric evaluations – that their patients are prepared to
handle all aspects of life post-surgery. Teens, which Artuso has been seeing a
little more lately, will go to counseling for six months to ensure they
understand what bariatric surgery means in the long term.
Social events, which are often centered around food, might become a bit
awkward.
For gastric bypass patients, a lack of vitamin and mineral absorption might
result in temporary hair loss.
Taking comfort in food will no longer be an option.
"Emotional eaters have to find other ways to deal with stress," Yatco notes.
And that’s where another part of the weight-loss schematic can play a key
role.
Support groups – many of which are offered through a bariatric surgeon – are
really important, both doctors say. At these meetings, issues are addressed that
go way beyond the loss of food as a friend.
"These people can experience stress in their personal relationships" as a
result of the weight loss, Yatco says. "The patient’s spouse may feel threatened
by their newfound confidence. A spouse might also be jealous that the patient is
now getting more attention from the opposite sex."
He’s even had patients tell him that they’ve had friendships end because they
were no longer the "fat friend," and thinner friends were resentful of having to
share the limelight.
"All these other issues that popped up – we didn’t predict them when we first
started doing this," Yatco says. "Now they’re becoming more and more prevalent
in patients."
In the end, most patients adjust and are happy to watch the pounds melt off.
And many of them are sorry for only one thing, Yatco says.
"Their only regret is that they didn’t do it sooner."
This information while educational, is not meant to replace the advice
of a health care provider.
Also as in all weight loss programs, "results not typical"