AM I FAT?
Fat is often referred to as obese in medical terminology. To determine whether you are fat, doctors calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index) to know how much excess weight you have in relation to your height. The BMI of a person of normal weight ranges from 18 to 24.9kg/m2.
WHAT IS BARIATRIC SURGERY?
Bariatric surgery is a type of surgery which is performed to achieve long term excess weight loss along with curing or improving a host of medical problems including diabetes, blood pressure, arthritis etc.
HOW DOES WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY HELP IN REDUCING EXCESS WEIGHT?
It restricts or reduces the amount you can eat as well as reduces absorption of food you have eaten. This combination helps reduce excess weight.
HOW EFFECTIVE IS WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY?
Depending on the type of surgery, your complications, and lifestyle anywhere from 90% of your Excess Body Weight (EBW) will be lost over a period of 6 months to two years. Clinical studies have shown that post surgery, most patients lose weight rapidly and continue to do so up until I8 to 24 months after the procedure.
WHAT IS THE EXPECTED HOSPITAL STAY FOR THE SURGERY?
Most patients can actually leave the hospital in 24-36 hours if there are no complications.
WHAT TYPE OF DIET WILL BE RECOMMENDED AFTER SURGERY?
You will be on a liquid diet for almost 4 weeks. Following that our dieticians will advise you on an appropriate diet.
WHAT IS LIFE LIKE AFTER SURGERY?
The weight loss you experience will have a life transforming effect, yes your whole lifestyle changes. It enhances your health and makes you more active and energetic in your daily routine.
WHEN CAN I HAVE CHILDREN AFTER SURGERY?
Female patients are advised to wait at least two years after surgery to avoid the stress of a pregnancy during the period of rapid weight loss and to allow their weight to stabilize. They are strictly advised to use contraceptive methods for the first 24 months.
WILL OBESITY-RELATED COMPLICATIONS GET RESOLVED AFTER SURGERY?
Yes, some of the complications will resolve and some will improve gradually, like sleep apnea, asthma, hypertension and high cholesterol. In fact, obesity surgery is now considered the best treatment for Type-2 diabetes.
WHY IS SURGERY ONLY RECOMMENDED FOR TYPE-2 DIABETES AND NOT FOR TYPE-1?
In Type-2 diabetes, the body usually has some insulin with at least a minimal amount of functioning B-cells, which is important for the success of the operation. In Type-1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin, as nearly all B-cells are destroyed, hence surgery will not help. This operation is a physiological procedure where your body is helped to produce more insulin on eating food, by increasing the stimulation of the B-cells of the pancreas, which is disturbed in diabetic individuals.
AM I A CANDIDATE FOR METABOLIC/WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY?
Surgery is recommended If you have poorly controlled diabetes for 3 years or more in spite of medication & lifestyle changes &/or the condition is hereditary &/or you have progressive worsening of diabetes; and you belong to the age group of 18 to 70 years.
HOW MUCH TIME WILL IT TAKE AFTER SURGERY FOR CONTROL AND IS THE CONTROL PERMANENT?
Anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months depending on the duration of your diabetes & C-peptide levels. It has been reported in studies, that patients who showed increased insulin levels after weight reduction surgery, had the same level of improvement even 20 years after the surgery. This indicates that the effects are permanent.
CAN THIS OPERATION PRODUCE HYPOGLYCEMIA?
No, because as in normal people, insulin levels are only increased when food is eaten.