Personal Narrative: Gastric Bypass Surgery

I was asking myself, “Is this my only option? What are the risks if I do it and what are they if I don't?“ The conclusion I came to was this: I wanted to live and I wanted to be there for my daughter for as long as I could. I decided I was willing to take the risks to ensure that I would be able to accomplish all I had wanted. I had the surgery and lost over 150lbs. Today I live my life completely different. I eat healthy, use proper portions control and exercise regularly.

“I think I may go out on the town today and see what kind of fun things I can do.” Mommy look at that fat girl, fat people shouldn’t be allowed out, quack quack waddle fat girl, hey shamu go back to the water. These are some of the things that I have endured and heard on a day-to-day when going out in public as an obese individual. Like myself, a lot of other obese individuals have embarked on many failed weight loss attempts only to gain instead of lose weight. Bariatric Surgery is a great lifelong tool to help aid in weight loss and manage the success;, however, many individuals shy away from the surgery because many health professionals only state the risks over the benefits. Bariatric surgery has become very popular in the United States, but there are many factors to consider such as the risks and benefits, success rates, and procedure options offered. Bariatric surgery has afforded many obese individuals a new lease on life. Medical doctors and insurance companies seem to be down playing the benefits as a way to keep patients with many obesity related ailments to keep them in business. The benefits that bariatric surgery has greatly outweigh the risks and allows for new beginnings.

When it comes to surgery, there is an intensive pre-operative and post-operative procedure to ensure that the patient is well-prepared and healing mentally and physically, respectively. Now depending on the type of surgery performed, there are a specific set of health risks. Two types of weight loss surgery are currently being utilized, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, a form of stomach stapling to curb food intake, and adjustable gastric banding, a placing of an adjustable band around the stomach to restrict food intake. With Roux-en Y Gastric Bypass, the health risks include Infection at incision points, narrowed links between the stomach and the intestines, loosened staples, vomiting, diarrhea, and hernia. Gastric Banding has health risks, including bleeding, infection, erosion of the band into the inside of the stomach, blockage of the stoma, and band slippage, occurring when moderate food intake does not take place, thus inducing vomiting. Other concerns for both these types of surgery is the after effect and the true effectiveness of the procedure, and the careful and strict adherence to diet, exercise, mental support groups, body contouring, etc. A 2006 group of obese teens who have undergone surgery will be interviewed again in 2011 to determine the actual effectiveness of their

Gastric Sleeve Surgery, also known as the sleeve gastrectomy, has become a popular choice for patients seeking excelling weight loss in a straightforward procedure that doesn't require maintenance and long-term complication rates of a Lap Band. On January 1st, 2010 United Healthcare added gastric sleeve surgery to their list of covered surgeries for weight loss. Over the following two years, almost every other major insurance company followed suit. From 2010 to 2015 gastric sleeves became the fastest growing bariatric surgery procedure. (www.obesitycoverage.com.)

Obesity is one of the most rapidly growing health epidemics in the United States and affects more than 60 million people. Despite recent efforts to understand and treat obesity, there has been little success in reversing the rising trend. There is convincing evidence that obesity is directly related to many health risks. As a matter of fact, morbidly obese people are at a high risk for weight related illnesses, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease. However, research confirms that long-term weight loss success can help to significantly reduce these weight related health risks (Brethauer).

A gastric bypass weight loss program is for those who are recuperating from gastric bypass surgery to assist them to heal and alter bad eating habits. Gastric bypass surgery is among several weight-loss surgical procedures presently carried out. The operation itself has gone through several modifications through the years. The process being used today is known as the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. It should not be mistaken with other weight-loss surgical procedures, like the biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch, that is a more aggressive surgery. Your physician or perhaps a registered dietitian will talk to you concerning the diet you will need to follow after surgery, explaining what kinds

I’ve gotten word of your obesity issues and understand how hard it must be for you to learn that you’re at risk of type-2 diabetes and numerous other health issues and at the age of 15 no less! I’ve taken the liberty to do some research concerning gastric bypass and alternative methods and after careful consideration, decided that Roux-en

The surgery I had was a pretty major surgery some could say, four though six hours and it's compared as open heart surgery. It wasn't the surgical pain though that caused me to stay there longer then i was supposed to no, it was some kind of nerve pain that even the doctors and nurses had know idea what to do. My case was so uncommon they sent me into ICU after fives days of being in pain two hours three times a day. Not knowing what to do the nurses would just shoot me up with a bunch of drugs just to calm down the pain and all I could do was watch as this was all happening while gasping for air.

In my heart I truley believe the benefits of this surgery greatly outweigh the risks. Everything Ive done so far with my eating habits and diet have put me at a greater risk.I do understand the seriousness of this surgery and understand it can never be undone. A portion of my stomach is going to be cut away and removed limiting my food intake forever. Im going to implement the triangle of sucess into my everyday life Im going to replace T.V. time for exersise time and choosing and planing a healthy menu and portion control not only for me but my family as well.

On December 17, 2014 I went to the hospital, I weighed 382lbs and had the gastric sleeve surgery. During the Gastric Sleeve procedure, my surgeon tapered my stomach, which is generally about the size of a football, into a thin vertical sleeve, about the size and shape of a banana. The remainder of my stomach

I was in the first grade when my weight increased significantly with no clear reason. After being tested for several different health conditions, we found out that I had been born with insulin resistance. This was a very hard time for my family and me because we had to figure out how to change our lifestyle in order to accommodate my new circumstances. But we did, and as my health increased I began to lose weight. However, after a while, I began to resent taking my medication and wanted to be able to eat all of the other foods my friends were able to enjoy.

On July 22, 2013, I made a decision that changed my life forever. I had a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, and it was honestly the hardest decision I've ever made. A Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy is a type of weight-loss surgery in which the majority of the stomach is removed. I made the decision because six months before, I was diagnosed with NASH or Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis, I was told that without losing a large amount of weight quickly, my liver would soon go into cirrhosis. At the time, I was a 15 year old girl, and this was the hardest decision I had to make. The surgery would not only just allow me to lose a large amount of weight quickly, but it would change my life forever. I had to change my lifestyle, this included working out almost

While there are several surgical options, there are two procedures that are most commonly perfomed. The gastric bypass procedure divides the patients stomach into two pieces, rerouting the large intestine to the smaller of the two pouches—limiting the amount of food a patient can eat, as well as reducing food absorption after indigestion (Groven et al 509). So, the gastric bypass surgery is not only the most commonly performed procedure, but it results in the most significant amount of weight loss (Groven et al 509). Another commonly performed and fairly new procedure is the sleeve gastrectomy. During a sleeve gastrectomy procedure, the surgeon removes 70-80% of the patient’s stomach, creating a tubular pouch that often resembles a banana—limiting the number of calories that can be absorbed (Gumbs et al 962). This new tubular stomach pouch holds a considerably smaller volume than the normal stomach, helping significantly reduce the amount of food that can be consumed, as well as reducing hunger and blood sugar levels (Gumbs et al 962). Although the gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy are the most common bariatric surgeries, every weight loss surgical procedure reduces caloric intake by modifying the anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract; therefore, resulting in not only weight loss but the loss or reduction of existing

Other than mortality, survival analysis can be used for those patients having gastric bypass surgery. Many advertisements are geared toward the obese patients in my area, much weight loss clinical and more surgeons are performing gastric bypass surgery. We have designated an entire unit for gastric bypass patients. Survival is said to improve in patients who have surgery those who don’t (Seppa, 2015) Studies also at the 10 year mark after surgery the death rate was 23.9 percent among thse who didn’t have surgery and 13.8 % who had surgery ( Arterburn, et al., 2014). However many claim that after a couple years, most of the patients regain their weight and added extra pounds. Dr Arteburnan, an internist at the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle who studies obesity, stated that that they still do not know at 10 and 20 years what portion of patients kept their weight off (Arterburn et al., 2014). A survival analysis to study from time of surgery to and the length of time weight loss was maintained after reaching established weight loss goal should be done.

However, her weight began to increase slowly throughout the next three years. She had the RYGB surgery. Her diabetes and high blood pressure were resolved however, it returned with the weight gain. This surgery seems successful in patients who follow the diet and exercise suggestions. I understand how important the pre-surgical screening and education is for the potential patient. If my mother would have followed the guidelines and kept her follow-up appointments, according to my research she would have been more successful. Typically, patients within ten years gain back 20-25% of the lost weight (Weight Loss Sugery Health Center: Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass, 2011). This can be a lack of follow-up and also the compliance of the diet is reduced when patients add soda pop and fruit juices back in their diet.