| The number of people who are considered to be | | | | The Lap Band System is accomplished by installing |
| severely overweight or clinically obese is steadily | | | | an adjustable gastric band (a silicone belt) around |
| climbing. The number for adults stands at 34 | | | | the top part of the stomach. It allows the patient |
| million; of those, there are nearly 20 million who | | | | to control hunger and to feel full faster. The lap |
| are at the beginning, in the middle or quitting a diet | | | | band is connected to a port that can be adjusted |
| of some kind. | | | | as weight decreases. Without the adjustment, the |
| Since 1980, the number of children and teens who | | | | band can become too loose and may slip out of |
| are overweight or obese has more than tripled, | | | | place or lose effectiveness. There will typically be |
| with over nine million young people between the | | | | six to eight adjustments of the band in the first |
| ages of six and nineteen are overweight. That | | | | eighteen months following the lap band surgery. If |
| number is equal to nearly twenty percent of this | | | | the lap band is placed in a laparoscopic surgery |
| age group who are overweight. As more and | | | | the patient can return home that same day and |
| more of these children reach young and middle | | | | the surgery itself takes about an hour or so. |
| adulthood with weight issues as well as the other | | | | The sleeve gastrectomy is done as a preliminary |
| health problems that come along with it, gastric | | | | surgery type for those who are considered to be |
| bypass will become the solution for many, and | | | | too obese for the other surgeries to be |
| perhaps the most common type of surgery that | | | | completed safely. For this surgery, the surgeon |
| is performed in hospitals across the country. | | | | removes most of the stomach, leaving about |
| Once considered to be an elective surgery, gastric | | | | fifteen percent of the organ intact. This is not |
| bypass surgery and other bariatric surgeries have | | | | reversible and can then be converted to a more |
| quickly become recognized as important and | | | | traditional bypass, once some of the excess |
| necessary as people continue to gain weight and | | | | weight has been lost, however, this surgery can |
| face increased risk of: | | | | be used as the only one that is used. Some |
| - Cardiovascular disease including heart attack and | | | | surgeons prefer this procedure over banding |
| stroke. | | | | because it eliminates the insertion of a foreign |
| - Gall bladder disease | | | | which increases risk of post surgical complications. |
| - Diabetes | | | | Another type of bariatric surgery involves going |
| - Arthritis | | | | through the mouth using an endoscopic technique |
| - Hypertension which increases the risk of kidney | | | | to bypass the stomach altogether. The options |
| and heart disease | | | | with this surgery include using a small plastic tube |
| - Cancer, especially breast and endometrial cancer | | | | to go from throat to small intestine or stitching |
| as well as a number of others | | | | the stomach wall together to form a very |
| There are more children who are developing what | | | | narrow tube from esophagus to the duodenum. |
| was once called "adult" onset diabetes, type II | | | | The Need for Supplements and Good Nutrition |
| diabetes. There are more children who are having | | | | After the surgery has been completed, the |
| signs of early heart disease and even having | | | | stomach pouch will only hold a small amount of |
| heart attacks decades earlier than have | | | | food at a time meaning that you will not only |
| previously been seen. It is important that the | | | | have to learn a whole new way of eating, but will |
| health of not only the children but the health of | | | | have to make sure that you are making every |
| young adults be considered. As this is a major | | | | single bite count so that you stay healthy and |
| reason that gastric bypass surgery is becoming | | | | strong. Not only will you be learning a new way of |
| not only more common but more necessary as | | | | eating and adjusting to a new lifestyle, but you will |
| well. | | | | also be recovering from major surgery which |
| The cost of the surgery can range from ten | | | | increases your need for protein, vitamins and |
| thousand to thirty thousand dollars but is generally | | | | minerals. The better that you learn to eat, the |
| covered in part by insurance in majority of the | | | | better your health will be and the faster that you |
| cases. | | | | will recover. You will also lose weight more |
| Types of Bariatric Surgery | | | | effectively. |
| There are several different versions of the | | | | Weight loss is almost instant in most cases and |
| weight loss surgery including some that are | | | | depending on the type of surgery that you have, |
| technically reversible, some that are adjustable | | | | the excess weight can be gone in one to four |
| and some that are only temporary- most of | | | | years. During that time you will be eating small |
| them however are permanent. All bariatric | | | | amounts as well as: |
| surgeries should be considered potentially life | | | | - Learning to eat very slowly, including chewing |
| threatening and should only be undertaken if all | | | | very thoroughly or eating only blended foods. |
| risks are explained and understood thoroughly. | | | | - There will be no liquids with your food- you will |
| The most common weight loss surgery is the | | | | either drink thirty minutes before or after every |
| Roux en Y gastric bypass which is done by | | | | meal. |
| making the stomach smaller. A small pouch is | | | | - Vitamins, medications and supplements will be |
| created by stapling the stomach and then | | | | taken with the same restrictions in mind. |
| connecting it to the middle portion of the small | | | | Meals should be eaten every few hours so that |
| intestine, (the jejunum). This procedure is most | | | | your metabolism is kept high as well as keeping |
| typically done as an open procedure; however | | | | your strength up. Protein should be included with |
| there might be a chance that the surgery is done | | | | all meals and carbohydrates should be restricted |
| as a laparoscopic procedure. | | | | to early in the day for better results. |