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Last Updated: Oct 23, 2019
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Bariatric Surgery - What Should You Know About It?

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Dr. Satish PattanshettiGeneral Surgeon • 22 Years Exp.MBBS, MS - General Surgery, Fellowship in Minimal Access Surgery, FBMS
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Obesity and a shapeless body are problems that plague many people around the world. Besides leading to an appearance that is less than ideal, it can also lead to severe health problems include heart failure, heart diseases, diabetes and more. While there are many ways to combat being overweight with the help of exercise and a proper diet and even medication, very severe causes of obesity can also be fixed with a surgical process known as Bariatric Surgery. So, here's everything you need to know about it.

  1. Affecting the Digestive Process: As per the normal digestive process, the food moves into the digestive tract, while its nutrients get collected with the help of a well functioning system that includes digestive juices and enzymes. This food moves through the digestive tract, passing through the oesophagus, before it goes down into the stomach where it meets the strong digestive acids, which break it down, and then it enters the small intestine. While the stomach can hold three pints of food at a time, there is a chance that some of this food may not get properly digested in the small intestine. In this case, the food enters the large intestine. Now, Bariatric Surgery helps in restricting the amount of food that a person can have and hold in the first place.
  2. The Process: This surgical procedure may be carried out by cutting open the stomach and removing a portion of the same. This procedure can also reroute the small intestine into the gastric pouch or the small stomach pouch. This process can also be done with laparoscopic invasion, where a few small incisions will be used to insert a tiny camera and instruments for the process.
  3. Ideal Candidates: If your BMI or body mass index is more than 40, then you can opt for this kind of surgery, as mere dieting and exercising will not help you in your weight loss endeavour. This surgery can also help in preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The patient also has to have reached the normal adult height in order to qualify for this surgery. 
  4. Side Effects: After the surgery, the patient may experience a few side effects including leakages and bleeding. An incisional or an internal hernia may also occur after the surgery. Also, for patients who have a poor diet, there may be complications after the surgery due to less intake of necessary vitamins and minerals.

Once you undergo the surgery, it is important to commit to a proper diet with less food intake and proper exercise on a lifelong basis.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult a specialist & get answers to your questions!

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