If you're thinking about undergoing bariatric surgery, here are a few facts you should know:
1. Weight Loss Surgery Shrinks the Stomach
Bariatric procedures reduce the size of a person’s stomach, which then lowers how much food they can eat. The patient will experience metabolic changes and sometimes changes in their hormones. They will have a lower appetite, and some patients may experience diabetes remission. While they have risks, bariatric procedures drop a person’s mortality rate by 40 percent, according to New England Journal of Medicine’s study.
2. Depression Could Occur
After surgery, a patient may experience some depression. Most, however, notice an improvement in their well-being. That said, those with severe depression may see symptoms worsen instead of improving. Yale University found that 13 percent of patients had an increased Beck Depression Inventory report ranging from six months to one-year post-surgery.
3. Dietary Restrictions
Patients will find that unhealthy food craving go away after their procedure, but they are still limited to foods they can and cannot eat. On the bariatric diet, a patient will eat healthier, consume proteins first, follow their blood sugar table, and drink water. They cannot snack, nor can they have large portions.
4. The Right Doctor
The right doctor will do a thorough workup with a patient. They examine their medical history, but also will require them to meet with a psychological professional to undergo therapy treatments and make sure they have the right emotional mindset to handle such a drastic surgery. Dr Nikhil Agnihotri at Max Healthcare follow the same school of thought, be it through providing expertise health care or through state-of-the-art healthcare technology.
5. Safer than other procedures
All surgical procedures have few risks and there is no surgical procedure that is 100% safe. However, the deaths from gastric bypass are extremely rare. In fact, they are 0.2% to 0.5% or less than one out of 200 patients. Highly qualified surgeons do these procedures; therefore, the risks are minimal.
6. Benefits go beyond weight loss
We know that a bariatric procedure is done to reduce weight, besides this, it also decreases the blood pressure, reduce sleep apnea, less joint pain, and disappear type 2 diabetes.
7. Not everyone is a candidate
While gastric bypass is marketed as a solution for many, it does not mean that everyone is a candidate for this procedure. A person’s individual basal metabolic index is a significant factor in deciding if they are a candidate. Those with severe obesity, typically a BMI over 40, are those that should receive the surgery.
8. Liposuction and Bariatric Surgery are two very different things
Liposuction provides a patient with instant results, but it cannot help those who are severely overweight or have obesity. For those severely obese, a true weight loss surgery, like a gastric sleeve or bypass, is needed to not only help the patient lose weight but to help keep the weight off. After liposuction, a patient may easily regain the fat cells that are removed and go back to their overweight body shape. With bariatric surgery, long-term results are more likely.
9. Say goodbye to soda
You will not be able to consume carbonated beverages, because they introduce air into your belly, creating gas that can put pressure on your stomach and cause it to expand unnecessarily, thereby undoing the surgery results. Instead of soda, you’re supposed to drink lots and lots of water, as dehydration is the most common reason for a patient's readmission to the hospital after bariatric surgery.
You need to experience expert healthcare services with state-of-the-art technology at Max Healthcare. Book an appointment today.