Health Advice

This column has been written by medical specialists at Apollo Hospitals India. This is a health awareness initiative of AsiaMed Connect in partnership with Apollo Hospitals India and with the cooperation of The Independent in Bangladesh. For free online medical consultation readers may send emails to consultationamc@gmail.com.    

Morbid obesity: why the need for surgical intervention

Morbid obesity is one of the most serious stages of obesity. Most of the obese struggle with their weight and essentially feel as if they are trapped in a weight gain cycle. In addition to this, most of them would have attempted numerous diet regimes only to see their weight continue to increase, to their profound disappointment.
The commonest types of operations done for Morbid Obesity are Sleeve Gastrectomy and Gastric Bypass.
Both of these are Laparoscopic operations. In a Sleeve Gastrectomy about 70% of the stomach is removed while in a Gastric Bypass, a small Stomach pouch is created and joined to the small intestine. Both operations work by decreasing the quantity a patient can eat and additionally by changing the way food is digested.
Bariatric surgery is a permanent solution for obesity, where the recovery is also faster and the patients get discharged in 3-5 days.Along with treating obesity, bariatric surgery can also cure many diseases such as type 2 diabetes
 Infertility
 high blood pressure
sleep apnea
 asthma and other obesity-related breathing disorders
arthritis
 lipid (cholesterol) abnormalities
 gastroesophageal reflux disease
 fatty liver disease
 venous stasis
 urinary stress incontinence
 pseudotumor cerebri and much  more Frequently, individuals who improve their weight find themselves taking less and less medications to treat their obesity-related conditions.
Unlike other surgeries, the results of weight loss surgery are obvious and public. The positive psychological effects of surgery are numerous. Patients feel good about the way they look and this builds up confidence in them. Many patients are finally able to deal with pent up feelings of helplessness because there is something they can now do to combat obesity. They start visualising the world in a new and positive way.
The surgery works by changing the anatomy of your gastrointestinal tract (stomach and digestive system) or by causing different physiologic changes in your body that change your energy balance and fat metabolism. Regardless of which bariatric surgery procedure you and your surgeon decide is best for you, it is important to remember that bariatric surgery is a “tool.” Weight loss success also depends on many other important factors, such as nutrition, exercise, lifestyle modification, and more.
Precautions:
1. Nutritional Deficiencies: Patients who have weight loss surgery may develop nutritional deficiencies such as anemia, osteoporosis, and metabolic bone disease. These deficiencies can be avoided if vitamin and mineral intakes are maintained.
2. Gallstones: More than one-third of obese patients who have Bariatric surgery develop gallstones. Gallstones are clumps of cholesterol, bile pigments and calcium that form in the gallbladder. During rapid or substantial weight loss a person's risk of developing gallstones increases. This can be prevented by taking salt supplements for the first six months after surgery.
3. Nausea and Vomiting: The common side effects that all the patients experience include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, dizziness and excessive sweating.
4. Postpone Pregnancy: Women are advised to avoid pregnancy until their weight becomes stable because rapid weight loss and nutritional deficiencies can harm a developing fetus and maternal health.