Risks, Bariatric Surgery

Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites

Weighing the Risks of Bariatric & Gastric Surgery for Weight Loss

Restrictive Surgery (Stomach Stapling) involves a reduction in the size of the stomach so as the individual is able to eat less, thus losing weight. The individual may feel full after eating a very tiny amount of food.  

A 'pouch' is created by the surgeon during surgery that becomes 'the tummy' so to speak, and is capable of holding only an ounce or so of food.  With time, the pouch expands to hold up to three ounces of food.  

At this point, the patient can stretch the pouch by an increase in food intake. When a certain level is reached, the individual may begin to regain weight.

The Negatives of Surgery for Weight Loss

Unfortunately, more patients than not regain all the weight, and more.

Only 30% of the individuals who undergo this procedure achieve reaching 'normal weight'.

Others may achieve weight loss to some degree.  

Stomach stapling is not a guarantee for weight loss success and it comes with serious risks, including risk of death during and following the procedure.

Malabsorptive Surgery for Weight Loss

This type of surgical procedure for losing pounds involves shortening the length of the digestive track to reduce the amount of food that the body can absorb.

The side effects of Stomach Stapling & Malabsorptive Surgery include but are not limited to the following conditions:

These side effects can be both short and long-term: death, stroke, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, chronic heartburn, and vitamin deficiencies.

Up to 20% of individuals who opt for Gastric Surgery as a form of weight loss control, must undergo a second operation to correct the side effects.

Another danger with Stomach Stapling is the potential for the 'patient' to eat to the point that the staples detach which requires emergency MAJOR surgery and can be life-threatening.

Bariatric Gastric Surgery VS Safe Methods for Losing Weight

Healthier, Safer Methods Proven for Losing Weight

On the previous page of this article (located here) we learned that the success rate for individuals undergoing bariatric surgery is about 30%.

Given the long list of health risks and side effects, we feel that unless the patient's life is compromised due to their overweight condition, surgery poses a significant risk.

We also feel that unless the individual is grossly overweight, Gastric Surgery should not be an option - especially given the minimal odds of weight loss success.  

We also learned that the majority of patients regained all of the weight lost - and many gained more than initially lost after the surgical procedure.

Eating Addictions Cannot be Cured With Weight Loss Surgery

The blaring truth is - surgery may physically correct the effects of an addiction, but it cannot cure an addiction. In addition, the physical effects of weight loss surgery stand a high risk of being very temporary.

We only need to look at celebrities who have professed to undergoing surgery in order to lose weight. Even reality stars present an accurate picture of what we-commoners can expect from these aggressive procedures. Most don't lose all the excess body fat. Numerous have regained lost weight.

Again - the solution to losing weight permanently isn't surgery, it's conquering the eating addiction.

Working Towards Defeating the Eating Addiction

A better plan would be to develop a healthy eating pattern and follow your plan until you've reached your weight loss goals.

Should you feel that Stomach Stapling will prevent you from overeating, thus 'forcing' you to become thin, may be clouded thinking.

You will still need to limit your intake of food, and if you don't, then you could face major surgery if the staples pop loose - and that's quite common with this type of medical procedure.  

So if you're going to have to limit your food intake, then why not do that without having painful surgery that is quite expensive and holds no guarantee of weight loss success AND comes with a basket of potential long-term health problems - some of which may require additional surgery to correct?  Over Weight & Undergoing Surgery

In Conclusion

We'd like to address the significant risks of weight loss surgery of any type. This is a topic which is close to my heart, in part due to a friend's friend who had surgery to lose weight and died within days following the procedure. She left behind small children. She was young - with her entire life before her. So sad, and so unnecessary.

Side effects from weight loss surgery include any or all of the following conditions: death, stroke, massive digestive issues from nausea to vomiting to diarrhea, chronic heartburn following the surgery and vitamin deficiency issues which require medical intervention.

Learn More on Weight Loss Surgery Techniques

The Criteria for Weight Loss Surgery, Risks & Benefits

Weight Gain After Gastric Surgery

What is Severe Obesity?

The Risks of Gastric Surgery

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