Is Weight Loss Surgery the Right Choice for You?
In the world where we live right now, being slim is the standard. If you are overweight, it might affect your self-image negatively. You might lose your self-confidence, and it can impact your life.
Being overweight can also impact your health condition negatively, causing problems like diabetes, heart diseases, etc.
In this article, Dr Harsh Sheth, who performs weight loss surgery in Mumbai, sheds some light on bariatric surgery or weight loss surgery.
What is Bariatric surgery?
Bariatric surgery is more commonly known as weight loss surgery. It refers to a series of weight loss procedures that a person with obesity can have. It is used to reduce your food intake, resulting in weight loss.
A person is said to have obesity if their BMI (Body-Mass Index) is over 30. If the BMI is over 40, the person has severe obesity. These obesity conditions can increase the risks of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, etc.
Dr Harsh Sheth is one of the best bariatric surgeons in Mumbai and has ten years of experience in this field. He is an expert in performing weight loss surgery in Mumbai.
Who is it for?
According to Dr Sheth, who performs weight loss surgery in Mumbai, the following are the conditions where you can get weight loss surgery:
- A person with a BMI of 35 or more is the ideal candidate for weight loss surgery. It ensures that the patient needs the surgery and will not benefit from other sources.
- If you have poor health conditions that can result in complications during or after the surgery can be a risk to your health.
- If you smoke regularly, it could create complications during the surgery. So you need to quit smoking at least six weeks after the surgery.
Types of Weight loss surgery
It depends on your situation what type of surgery you will have, says Dr Sheth. The following are the different types of bariatric surgeries:
Roux-en-Y Gastric surgeries
The procedure decreases the quantity of the food you can eat at a time and reduces the nutrient absorption. It is generally non-reversible. It is a standard procedure.
This procedure involves a surgeon cutting the top of your stomach. Then they seal it off from the remaining stomach. The visible pouch is about a walnut’s size. It can hold only about 28 grams of the food.
The surgeon then cuts the small intestine and stitches a part of it directly into the pouch. Food will go into this pouch and directly into the small intestine. It enters the middle part of your small intestine. The food avoids most of your stomach and the starting section of your small intestine.
Sleeve gastrectomy
It leaves a long, tube-looking pouch. In this, about eighty percent of the stomach is removed. The stomach gets smaller because of this and can’t hold much food producing the less appetite-regulating hormone, which can lessen your appetite.
Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch
It’s a two-part surgery where the first step is similar to the sleeve gastrectomy procedure. In the next step, the surgeon connects the end part of the duodenum near the stomach, avoiding most of the intestine.
Risks
There are risks involved in weight loss surgery, as with any other surgery. There are some short term risks as well long terms. The risks associated could affect:
- Infection
- Blood clots
- Bleeding
- Lung or breathing problem
Long term damages could include:
- Ulcers
- Malnutrition
- Vomiting
- Acid reflux
- Bowel obstruction
Advantages
Weight loss surgery has other benefits alongside helping you reduce the excess weight.
- Improved cardiovascular health: Weight loss surgery can lower your chances of heart disease. Your blood pressure and cholesterol levels can return to normal or almost normal after the surgery. The surgery can reduce these risks and improve your overall health.
- Improved self-confidence: You might feel depressed because of obesity and body image because of social standards. Losing the excess weight can build up the lost self-confidence.
- Elimination of sleep apnea: Being in a normal weight range can improve your sleep apnea or stop it. Many people see improved results in their sleep apnea within a year.
- Joint pain relief: It can put a lot of pressure on your joints, carrying the excess weight of your body. It can result in joint pain. The weight loss after the surgery can relieve some of the pressure on your joints.
- Improved Fertility: Weight loss surgery can improve your fertility. It can be helpful for women in improving their menstrual cycle.
Cost of weight loss surgery in Mumbai
According to Dr Sheth, the cost of weight loss surgery in Mumbai can differ from doctor to doctor. But the average cost of weight loss surgery in Mumbai is around Rs.190000 to Rs. 50000 depending on the surgery.
Conclusion:
Obesity is becoming a massive problem in India. Being overweight can cause a lot of health problems for you. Whether to avoid that or avoid the negative self-image, you can think about weight loss surgery.