Friday, February 08, 2008

By Victoria O’Hara - Belfast Telegraph
An Ulster woman last night said she was left devastated after being told - on the very day of the life-changing surgery she had waited months for - that it was only performed in England.

The woman, who is from the Antrim area, had her bags packed ready to undergo bariatric surgery - an elaborate procedure designed to promote weight loss - in the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast on Wednesday.

She had been preparing for almost four months after receiving a date for the operation in October.

By DENISE GRADY New York Times
Published: January 23, 2008
Weight-loss surgery works much better than standard medical therapy as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes in obese people, the first study to compare the two approaches has found.

The study, of 60 patients, showed that 73 percent of those who had surgery had complete remissions of diabetes, meaning all signs of the disease went away. By contrast, the remission rate was only 13 percent in those given conventional treatment, which included intensive counseling on diet and exercise for weight loss, and, when needed, diabetes medicines like insulin, metformin and other drugs.

By LYNDSAY MOSS
HEALTH CORRESPONDENT Scotsman
A SURGEON opted to go under the knife himself for an operation that is becoming popular in the fight against obesity.

Chris Oliver lost more than seven stone after the procedure to limit his food intake. And now he is to donate his surgical robes, or “blues”, which he had to have specially made to cope with his 26-stone bulk, to a museum.

He is hoping his story will inspire others who have struggled with serious weight problems to consider the radical operation.

Scotsman 5 Nov 2007
LEADING surgeon Chris Oliver, who has had gastric band surgery, says he is “delighted” at being re-elected on to the council for the Royal College of Surgeons.

The consultant trauma orthopaedic surgeon at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary had the “life-changing” operation after tipping the scales at 26 stone.

Dr Oliver, 47, said: “I am delighted I have been re-elected to RCSEd Council for five years. Congratulations also to Judy Evans who got the other place.

“It has been an amazing year for me. My life has changed completely since my lap band surgery as I have now lost 100 pounds in weight. My new-found fitness and energy will allow me to return to my previous sporting activities.”

The Border Mail - Australia 30 August 2007
SEVERELY obese Australians should have access to cheap lap-band surgery to lengthen life and reduce the weight burden on the health system, obesity experts say.

Specialists are urging the Federal Government to make Medicare rebates available for the controversial stomach surgery, after international studies confirmed it could cut death rates.

Research from the US and Sweden released this week showed obese people who underwent the procedure had a mortality rate up to 40 per cent lower than their bandless counterparts.

Public health specialists say mounting evidence supports making lap-band surgery more widely and cheaply available for Australians with an extreme weight problem.

Banbury Guardian 29 August 2007

A MOTHER who is sporting a whole new look after undergoing major plastic surgery will be baring all on national television.

Salena Newport, 40, of Adderbury is appearing on Channel 4 makeover programme 10 Years Younger on Thursday, August 30, where viewers will see the results of her extensive operations.

Mrs Newport – who used to weigh 231/2 stone and wore size 32 clothes – lost 121/2 stone in 2005 after paying £5,000 to have a gastric band fitted.

But the dramatic weight loss left her with baggy, excess skin.
As part of the popular TV show, which aims to make participants look ten years younger, Mrs Newport had loose skin cut from her arms and thighs, a complete lower body lift, breast uplift and implants, a nose job and new teeth.

History
The Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy procedure (also called Vertical Gastrectomy, Sleeve Gastrectomy, Greater Curvature Gastrectomy, Parietal Gastrectomy, Gastric Reduction, Logitudinal Gastrectomy and even Vertical Gastroplasty) is performed by approximately 20 surgeons worldwide.  This forum is titled “VSG forum” to include the two most common terms for the procedure(vertical and sleeve).   The earliest forms of this procedure were conceived of by Dr. Jamieson in Australia(Long Vertical Gastroplasty, Obesity Surgery 1993)- and  by Dr. Johnston in England in 1996 (Magenstrasse and Mill operation- Obesity Surgery 2003).  Dr Gagner in New York, refined the operation to include gastrectomy(removal of stomach) and offered it to high risk patients in 2001.  Several surgeons worldwide have adopted the procedure and have offered it to low BMI and low risk patients as an alternative to laparoscopic banding of the stomach.

Studies of stomach-surgery patients offer the strongest evidence yet that shedding pounds can extend life.
Obese people are significantly less likely to die if they undergo stomach surgery to lose weight, according to two new studies that offer the first convincing evidence that the health gains of losing weight translate into living longer.
The research, involving 20,000 obese people in the United States and Sweden, found that those who underwent surgery had a 30 percent to 40 percent lower risk of dying over the next seven to 10 years compared with those who went without the operations.
Previous research has shown that losing weight cuts the risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other major ailments and suggested that might lead to an increase in longevity. But the new studies offer the strongest evidence to date in answer to one of the most important and contentious questions about one of the western world’s biggest health problems: Does weight loss result in not only healthier lives but also longer ones?
“The question as to whether intentional weight loss improves life span has been answered,” wrote George Bray of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., in a commentary accompanying the reports in today’s New England Journal of Medicine.
“The answer appears to be a resounding yes.”

BBC NEWS Scotland 17/07/08

A woman who weighs 24 stone intends to take Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board to court if it does not consider her for weight-loss surgery.
Laura Brown, 34, insists her weight is leaving her in pain and house-bound.  She became angry after the health authority told her she would have to attend a year-long diet programme before she could undergo surgery.

Ms Brown, from Glasgow, believes her only option to lose weight is to have a gastric band fitted around her stomach.

Seven years ago she lost 12 stone with the help of weight loss drugs prescribed by her doctor. Since then she has put all the weight back on.

By Angela Parker Indystar.com 15/08/07
If you’re thinking those laugh lines aren’t so funny anymore or that surgery might be the only way to shed dangerous extra pounds, here’s a tip: Having realistic expectations and determination are requirements for successful cosmetic or bariatric surgery.
 
For cosmetic surgery patients, realistic expectations are like best friends who tell the truth even when it hurts. Expecting surgery to turn a Phyllis Diller into a Julia Roberts is just not realistic — but expecting to look like a younger version of yourself is totally achievable. Dr. Catherine P. Winslow, FACS, Winslow Facial Plastic Surgery, recommends looking at photographs from 10 years ago to get an idea of what surgery can accomplish.