Morbid Obesity Surgery: The Facts

Current statistics suggest that greater part of the urban population is obese. The faster our life gets the less time do we have to dot he simple activities that keep us fit and active. For instance, researchers suggest that people who cook their own food and take a daily brisk walk of at least half-an hour, tend to be 30% less obese than those who are doing jobs that involve more sitting around or eating meals from take-aways. Regular intake of high fat food and a very sedentary lifestyle can even lead to the associated health risks of 'morbid obesity' (unhealthy weight) including diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, sleep problems, reduced energy levels, arthritis, and reduced mobility and life expectancy. In case of certain 'morbid obesity' clinical specialists in this field may consider a surgery which means balancing the risks of obesity against the chances of success and possible side effects of such procedures. Unlike a cosmetic surgery, meant to elevate or enhance one's looks this is a bit more complicated process requiring long-term maintenance and lifestyle alterations. Otherwise the backfiring of an ill-maintained surgery can be seriously dangerous.

Obesity surgery can offer rapid weight loss but, healthy eating habits and regular exercises have to be maintained according to the prescribed routine. genetic tendency resulting in obesity can never be cured permanently .A great deal of willpower has to be monitored during the entire period of maintenance .Once the operation is reversed the weight regain occurs. So an entire consideration rescaping one's lifestyle has to be planned in advance. Among the various kind of surgeries the lapband technique is currently very popular. Other than this there are the techniques of:

1.bowel bypass As food is normally digested and absorbed by the small intestine a bowel bypass operation reduces the size of this intestine by bypassing about three quarters of its actual length. Therefore less food gets digested and absorbed. The consequence of this is that the undigested food passes straight through the bowel. Its side effect includes severe diarrhoea in the early months right after surgery. Other problems include nausea, abdominal cramps, wind passing and, so deficiency syndromes due to lesser absorption of vitamins and minerals. There are several types of bypass surgery that are done today. However they are not frequently recommended as they involve major operative processes as compared to other stomach operations.

2.jaw wiring IN this case the jaws are actually made closed and immobile since screws and wires get installed into them. slow consumption of liquid has to be done through a straw and even thereafter food has to consumed in pureed form. The long term results of jaw wiring are very poor and it is very rarely used except in unusual circumstances. The entire taste of food gets lost while consumption and in case of emergencies the wiring has to be unscrewed.

Stomach balloon This technique involved inflating a balloon inside the stomach to render a false fullness. Success rates in terms of weight loss are poor. There remains the risk of stomach ulcer formation and bowel blockage too. Among more advanced forms of operations int his field it no longer gets recommended.

The top notch among the different processes of surgery is thereby occupied by the lap band and gastric bypass process. Among the reasons for the dramatic increases in the number of people opting for surgery as a cure to their morbid obesity is that the mortality outcomes from obesity surgery have improved greatly since 1998. A survey shows death rate for patients hospitalized for bariatric surgery declining to 78 percent, from 0.9 percent in 1998.

Certain procedures, which are collectively known as bariatric surgery, have been proven extremely beneficial in obese persons who have tried, tested and failed to lose excess weight by other regular means of dieting and exercising. Doctors may recommend bariatric surgery for patients who have a Body Mass Index of 40 or greater having serious, obesity-related medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes or sleep apnea.