New Body, New Life
Great Falls Tribune, 27th March 2009
Obesity is a big world problem that makes people’s lives difficult. Some people try to lose weight unsuccessfully, using all possible methods.
Krista Freeny is one of them. She tried all possible weight-loss diets. All of them had one fault – the yo-yo effect.
At some point she started researching about batriatic surgery. Firstly, she made a list of pros and cons. She quickly realised that the risk of heart attack, diabetes and stroke is far too much for her. She wanted to enjoy life and see her kids growing which was probably not going to happen.
Krista’s surgery took place in September 2007. From then, she lost 130 pounds and sees the difference: her feet don’t hurt any more, she can easily play with her children, even her asthma improved.
In the past, obesity was her excuse not to do anything. It was taking time and energy. Now it all changed.
Weight-loss surgery is a very popular procedure. It gained its popularity especially in 1998 and 1999. Dr. Elizabeth Martin emphasizes it is not a cosmetic operation. It can help many diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and many others. She also adds that looking good should not be the only reason of having it.
National Institutes of Health require that the BMI (body max index) of a patient eligible for the surgery should be at least 40. It means such a patient is about 100 pounds overweight. Also patients with BMI between 35 and 40 might be eligible if they have health issues connected with obesity.
Insurance companies might have other criteria such as trying low-calorie diet or follow physical exercises.
Gastric bypass and lap-band are two most popular surgeries. The lap-band procedure consists on placing an adjustable band around the upper part of the stomach. The result is quick feeling of fullness even after eating a small amount of food. The procedure helps to control how much food is taken.
The lap-band was invented in Australia in 1990s but then improved since.
Gastric bypass, on the other hand, is about creating a small pouch in the upper stomach. A portion of the small intestine is attached to the pouch which results in food bypassing a large portion of the stomach and small intestine.
This procedure allows quicker results as patients tend to lose 50-60% of excess weight in the first months after the operation. With the lap-band the same results can be seen in about 18 months afterwards.
But then, after 3-5 years, both surgeries have equal results.
The other difference in both procedures is that the lap-band is less invasive and can be reversible. The band is designed to stay in the patients’ bodies till the end of their lives even if they lost unwanted weight. Once removed, they would start gaining weight again. Placing the lap-band requires only overnight stay in the hospital, whereas gastric bypass patients stay for about two to three days.
Even though a normal BMI is rarely achieved by patients who underwent weight-loss surgery, it brings major health benefits. Weight-loss procedures reduce type 2 diabetes in 90% cases and improve sleep apnea in 75%.
Before a patient can undergo any procedure, a psychiatric evaluation and counselling about nutrition has to take place. Then, together with the doctor a decision is made on what type of surgery is needed, depending on patient’s conditions and preferences. Also information about what to expect from the surgery and how life afterwards will look like, is given.
Krista Freeny waited five years for the procedure as she wanted to be ready for it. “It’s a tool,” she says. “It’s not a cure.” She also adds life after the surgery requires lots of work so patients need to be really motivated. They have to change lifestyle, diet and start exercising, if they want to succeed.
After-surgery diet should be rich in proteins and patients should not eat anything between meals.
If those rules are not being followed, the stomach gets bigger and the operation will not be effective.
All patients who had the surgery say it is not easy but well worth it.
