Weight loss surgery may seem like
a quick fix to shed pounds and reduce your chances of associated health risks,
especially in extreme cases such as morbid obesity.
However, bariatric surgery
is major surgery, and with it comes hefty
risks.
This is true for both types of
bariatric surgery; gastric banding and the more invasive gastric bypass.
Gastric banding consists of surgically
inserting a band around the top section of your stomach, and cinching it into a
small pouch. While gastric banding is at least reversible, the complications
are often so debilitating that patients opt to have the bands removed
completely.
In gastric bypass,
a section of your small intestine is typically removed and your stomach is
reconnected further down your intestine, bypassing the duodenum, hence the name
"gastric bypass."
Your duodenum — that first
section of your small intestine — is responsible for the majority of nutrient
absorption. Hence, if you make it through the surgery, malnutrition is a common
concern after this type of surgery.
All surgeries have inherent risks, but bariatric surgeries seem to
have an especially high ratio of complications. In fact, nearly 50 percent of
patients who undergo weight loss surgery experience major complications,
including:
·
Infection
·
Malnutrition
·
Liver failure, kidney stones, bowel and gallbladder problems
·
Blackouts
Beware.
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