Times of India, 23rd August 2009

Decision about weight-loss surgery is never easy. Dr. Stephen Hamn from Baylon Medical Centrer at Frisco suggests a few tips before making a decision.

First of all, do not rush into the decision about the programme. This is very important as will inform about available possibilities as well as post-operative care.

Remember to consult doctors about different types off surgeries. You will be then able to chose between gastric bypass, gastric banding or gastric sleeve.

The doctor will help you to make a decision as it is very individual and depends on numerous factors. As a patient, find out as much as you can before consulting the doctor and then ask questions that will help you to decide.

Do not be afraid of asking the doctor about the experience. Researches show that post-operative complications occur more rarely with experienced surgeons.

Remember that you will see your doctor and his/her staff at least a few times in the first year after the operation. Before making the decision make sure they are interested in you and support you in the way you need it.

And the last but not least – ask about the post-operative support. Does the doctor suggest joining support groups, psychological help, exercise, physical therapy and meeting with dieticians?

“I frequently tell our patients that 90 percent of their long-term success is in their hands, not mine,� Hamn said.

Weight Loss Surgery Channel, 16th August 2009

Latest studies show that hospitals offering higher patient volumes are safer for weight-loss procedures. The research was carried by Healthgrades and showed that patients have shorter stay and fewer complications in such hotels.

The survey rated the quality of weight-loss surgery services and studied the complications reported by patients. Hospitals with lower number of complications were awarder “starsâ€� – the less complications, the more stars the hospital got.

The results showed that the hospitals with higher patient volume got more stars than hospitals with fewer patients. The study conclusion was that “patients who had weight loss surgery at the high volume hospitals were almost 70% less likely to develop post-surgical complications than patients getting the same procedure in lower-volume hospitals�.

High volume hospital patients had also shorter hospital stays and lower post-operative death rate.

This is a generalization only and patients have to bear in mind that some high volume hospitals are not so good whereas some small hospitals in the countryside offer great services. Hospitals vary in quality so it’s worth doing a research about both: the hospital and the doctors before making any decision.

Telegraph.co.uk, 12th August 2009

More and more people undergo weight-loss procedures. Within the last year only the numbers have risen by more than a half.

Between May 2008 and April 2009 there the health services carried out 52% more weight-loss surgeries than previous year. Most of the weigh-loss surgery patients are women.

Rising popularity of such procedures is due to its efficacy but also due to TV stars admitting undergoing weight-loss surgery.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in a publication from 2006 states that patients with BMI of 50 can be considered for weight-loss procedure. Numerous researches show that such operations can significantly improve patients’ health issues caused by obesity.

Worryingly, one-forth of the British population is overweight with the BMI of 30. BMI between 18 to 25 is considered normal, 25 to 30 – overweight, 30 – obese and over 40 – morbidly obese. As doctors highlight, the weigh-loss surgery is only the beginning of a new lifestyle.

Even though women are majority of weight-loss surgery procedures, they are not more likely to be obese than men. “But they are more likely to go to their doctor and get these things sorted out. This is a long seen phenomenon�, said Tam Fry from the National Obesity Forum.
“Men are much more inclined to shrug and say so be it, and also to refuse to believe that they will develop conditions like Type 2 diabetes”, he added.
Over two million British suffer from diabetes and the numbers will grow because of our lifestyle and growing obesity.

Mirror.co.uk, 28th July 1009

William McBride was 14 stone at the age of 10. He could barely walk, not to mention other activities other 10-year-olds do.

William was the world’s youngest patient who underwent the weight-loss surgery. He lost five stone in a year and, as he says, the operation changed his life.

Today William is 12 and weights just over eight stone. “I just feel so good and I don’t have to spend my days in a wheelchairâ€�, he says. “I can still eat what I want, but I’m no longer hungry all the time. My life has changed so much. I can walk wherever I want to go and just feel so much better.”
Obesity is a rising problem all over the world. In England, it doubled in the last fifteen years. Reports predict that 90% of today’s children could be overweight by 2050.

Obesity is expected to cost the nation £50 billion, which is half of the annual NHS budget.

William’s story shows that the problem might be resolved relatively easily. But not all weight-loss surgeons agree with operations at such young age. The boy was refused the weight-loss procedure by the doctors in his country and had to travel 3,000 miles to Spain where the operation took place.
William’s mum, Dina, says she was aware of the risks. But, as she also says, it saved his life because if he didn’t have the operation, chances were he wouldn’t live much longer.

Doctors in America thought the operation was too dangerous for such a young patient. That’s why Dina took her son to Spain. William had lap sleeve gastrectomy in March 2007. The left part of his stomach was removed. Now, it’s only 15% of the normal stomach size, meaning he only needs to eat a bit in order to feel full.

In the UK, until recently, such procedures were not recommended to patients below 18. The rules changed in 2006 but they say weight-loss surgery should be the last resort for the obese children if their health is threatened by their weight.

Dina strongly believes the surgery was the only resort for William. He was not only over-eating but had also a genetic condition which made his weight putting on. What’s more, he was on steroids for asthma which was getting it even worse.

Dina and her husband John had taken William to many doctors when they realised he weighted nine stone at the age of seven. He also had Blount’s disease, a growth disorder. Together with his obesity, it made him use a wheelchair.

As he was barely moving, he piled up 193lbs which is morbidly dangerous for such a young person.

Dina and John were desperate to do something to save his life, even though they knew there were risks. They say now that the £10,000 they spent was the best money spent ever.