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Excessive weight is an issue many people deal with. Not just a less-than-perfect appearance, obesity also brings along health issues like heart problems, limited mobility, and diabetes to name a few. That’s the reason nutritionists often advise people to maintain their weight well from a young age. Click here to know more about hiatal hernia surgeon.
But for some, weight management doesn’t work as well as they want it to. Even with rigorous diets and exercises, they’re not able to shed significant amounts of weight, and end up suffering from serious health issues. For such people, medical treatments like bariatric surgery are a boon. So if you need a little help with shedding off unwanted pounds from your body, you might want to consider this procedure.
But we shouldn’t undergo any medical treatments without consulting doctors first, and for this surgery too, you should take your practitioner’s advice beforehand. Plus, understanding what bariatric surgery is and what are the best places to get gastric sleeve abroad might further help.
Join us as we introduce you some of the basic concepts related to this surgery.
What is Bariatric Surgery?
Bariatric Surgery is the medical term used for gastric bypass and other weight-loss surgeries. While it usually comes with benefits, there are certain risks and side effects associated with it (just like all other weight-loss surgeries).
For some patients, after the surgery, their body’s ability to absorb nutrients gets reduced. Similarly, for others a limit is placed on how much they can eat. But regardless of that, a patient must maintain a healthy diet and active lifestyle after undergoing such a surgery to ensure the long term success.
What are the different types of Bariatric Surgery?
There are three basic types of bariatric surgery procedures, each having its own set of pros and cons. You should consult your doctor to know which type will suit you the best.
- Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch
This is a two-step surgery. The first step is similar to sleeve gastrectomy, while in the second part a connection is made between the end portion of the intestine and the duodenum in the stomach. This procedure bypasses the majority of your intestine, and as such, it puts a limit on the patient’s food consumption.
- Gastric bypass
Also known as Roux-en-Y, this is the commonest method of bariatric surgery in which the stomach is reduced to the size of a walnut. After this procedure, a patient’s stomach which could earlier hold almost 3 pints of food can hold only up to an ounce! Quite evidently, this kind of procedure is not reversible, and it significantly cuts down the amount of food you can eat in one sitting.
- Sleeve Gastrectomy: Sleeve gastrectomy (which generally results in the most visible weight-loss without any rerouting of intestines) works by removing almost 80% of your stomach leaving a tube-like pouch that can’t hold much food. Also, the procedure causes much reduction in the formation of ghrelin which is an appetite-regulating hormone. This results in a much lesser desire to eat.
Are there any risks associated with Bariatric surgery?
In a word – yes. But then, there’s practically no medical procedure that is 100 percent risk-free. On the one hand where bariatric surgery poses potential short term and long term health risks, on the other hand, the benefits it offers may seem to outweigh them.
However, you should know the downsides of the medical procedure you’re considering, which is why we’ve compiled a quick-glance list of the risks associated with bariatric surgery. Here they are:
- Excessive bleeding
- Blood clots
- Breathing problems
- Infections
- Adverse reaction to anesthesia
- Leaks in the gastrointestinal system
Who is Bariatric Surgery advised for?
Contrary to what you may think, bariatric surgery is not advised to everyone who is overweight. You need to fulfill certain criteria to qualify for this surgery. You’ll likely have to undergo a screening process to find out if you qualify or not.
In general, your doctor may advise that you have bariatric surgery if you fulfill any one of the following conditions:
- If your BMI (Body Mass Index) is more than 40 [Meaning that you’re severely obese]
- If your BMI is between 35-39.9 [Meaning that you’re obese]
- If you suffer from a serious weight-related health problem like
- Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
- Severe sleep apnea
- High blood pressure
- If your BMI is between 30-34 and you have a serious weight-related issue
How much does Bariatric Surgery cost?
It’s important to note that Bariatric surgery falls under the “expensive medical treatments” bracket. The cost of this weight-loss surgery depends on the type you choose and also the country where it’s being carried out.
While there are many affordable countries for gastric sleeve surgery including Germany, The United Arab Emirates, India and Thailand, gastric sleeve in Turkey is quite affordable. It’s almost half the cost in a German clinic, and hence, many patients travel to Turkey to have a low-cost treatment.
To Conclude
Bariatric and other weight-loss surgeries provide long term benefits, but how much weight you’ll really lose depends on the type of surgery you undergo and the lifestyle changes you incorporate. As mentioned earlier, before choosing any such medical treatment, don’t forget to consult your doctor.
