Top 10 Myths About Weight Loss Surgery*Home > Your Questions > Top 10 Myths About Weight Loss Surgery1. Weight loss surgery requires an inpatient hospital stay. Most weight loss surgeries can now be performed on an outpatient basis. Laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery can often be performed as an outpatient procedure. Gastric Bypass Surgery can be performed with a short, two-night hospital stay. 2. Weight loss surgery has high risks. In the 1970s and 80s, weight loss surgery was considered a high-risk procedure. A large, open incision was required. Most patients had severe co-morbidities. And many surgeons had relatively little experience with the procedure. Things have changed. Today, weight loss surgery is widely performed, using low-risk minimally invasive techniques. While any surgery involves some risk, if you are morbidly obese, it may be riskier to avoid weight loss surgery than to have one of the proven procedures. 3. Surgery is the “easy way out.” Even if you have weight loss surgery, successfully losing your weight – and keeping it off – will require lots of hard work. You’ll need to make changes in your eating habits and activity level. You’ll need to attend educational classes and support groups to work on developing new, lifelong healthy habits and behaviors. Above all, you’ll need to maintain a commitment to reach and maintain a weight that keeps you healthy. 4. You must weigh over 300 lbs. to qualify. It’s not just about your weight. Your health conditions are also a big factor. Numerous recent studies have shown that even moderately obese individuals who have significant health issues can show marked health improvements after undergoing weight loss surgery. 5. You need to have advanced, serious health conditions to qualify. Every candidate for weight loss surgery must be assessed based on his or her specific health conditions and Body Mass Index (calculate your BMI). It is widely agreed that anyone with a BMI over 40 qualifies, even if they do not have significant health problems. Individuals with a BMI over 35, plus one or more obesity-related health conditions are considered candidates for surgery. 6. You have to be in perfect health to qualify. Many patients have obesity related health problems. Some have mild forms of the conditions; others have more severe disease. An experienced bariatric surgeon should assess you to determine whether surgery is right for you. 7. There is a long recovery time after weight loss surgery. Most people recover from weight loss surgery within one to two weeks. Some patients are able to return to work and their normal activities within just a few days, especially if they’ve had Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding. 8. After surgery, you won’t be able to eat anything good. Most people can eat a wide variety of all kinds of foods. Some patients who’ve had Gastric Bypass Surgery experience an unpleasant sensation when they eat very sweet foods. However, most people can eat just about any kind of food in small quantities. 9. You have to be a certain age to have surgery. While most surgical weight loss centers include age as a criterion, the ages of the patients they treat often cover a wide range, from 18 to over 65. 10. You can’t have surgery if you have diabetes. Weight loss surgery is becoming a primary treatment for diabetes, especially for patients with Type II Diabetes, because of the high rate of cure after surgery.
* Based on information from www.obesityhelp.com. |
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