Gastric Bypass Risks

Every time you go under the knife, there is a risk. The doctor may tell you that the chances of anything bad happens are as low as 1%. However, if something did go awry, your chance is 100%. Are there any risks associated with gastric bypass? The answer is surely a “No,” if you have seen what the surgery has done to Al Roker of NBC’s Today Show. Well, if you read about a new method to gauges the surgery’s risks, the procedure isn’t as glorious as NBC wanted you to believe when it documented Roker’s operation, recovery and weight loss a few years ago. Stomach stapling sounds scarier in the Mayo Clinic’s risk assessment. Did NBC truly want to endorse gastric bypass by making Roker almost the spokesman for the procedure, or did it try to create the buzz to attract more viewers? Besides all the medical risks, no one has mentioned the risk of being socially awkward. After the surgery, a person can only eat a mouthful of food at one setting. If you go out and have a 5-course dinner at a fancy restaurant, would you ask for the check halfway into your first course?

2 out of 5 weight-loss surgery patients develop complications within 6 months. This number is much higher than previous studies had suggested. The most common complications are dumping syndrome, which includes vomiting, reflux and diarrhea Other complications resulting from the surgical joining of the intestine and stomach, such as leaks or strictures, abdominal hernias, infections and pneumonia.

The rapid rise of adult obesity has been spreading across the United States. Such an alarming trend is also seen in the younger population. Now, more than 9 millions youths, or one in every six children, are overweight. We are looking at a population of kids right now that may not live to be the same age as their parents.

Obese teenagers who had surgery to shrink the size of their stomachs on average lost nearly half their weight in the four years after the procedure, according to a study presented on Thursday at a medical conference.

Ouch! Wouldn’t it be good for a kid to develop some disciplines through the process of natural weight loss, i.e., diet and exercise? Wouldn’t it be a good opportunity to teach a kid the lesson of taking personal responsibilities for his/her action? Wouldn’t it be a hugh confidence boost if the kid loses those extra pounds by sticking to a healthier, more active lifestyle?

Living with only a part of stomach for the rest of his/her life doesn’t sound too tempting, even for an adult. What would happen if the kid’s addiction to foods shift to shopping or watching TV? Maybe there will be more magic pills or surgeries for those.