|
The
Perfect Solution?... Well, Not Exactly
Gastric
bypass surgery is not without its risks. Often overlooked and
often understated, the numbers are not very encouraging.
|
%
of Patients
|
Surgery-related
Risk |
|
2%
|
Major
wound infection |
|
30%
|
Nutritional
deficiency leading to anemia, bone loss, etc. |
|
20%
|
Incisional
hernia (for open gastric bypass, not laparoscopic) |
|
12%
|
Stomal
stenosis (causes temporary vomiting after surgery) |
|
9%
|
Ulcer |
|
2%
|
Gallstones
(with anti-gallstome medication) |
|
0.5%
|
Blood
clots in the lungs |
|
1.5%
|
Peritonitis
(leak from the hook-up) |
|
0.5-2%
|
Bedridden
or similarly disabled |
|
0.5-2%
|
Death
(study results vary) |
Other
risks include...
- Stomach
bleeding
- Staple
leakage
- Blood
clots
- Bowel
obstructions
- Stomach
obstructions
- Abdominal
pain
- Respiratory
failure
On
average, a full 20% of patients require some sort of follow-up surgery
to correct any complications or to remove excess skin after weight
loss. Also, most patients experience "dumping" - a combination
of nausea, chest and abdominal cramps, sweating, and diarrhea.
However,
the patient should weigh these risks against the very real risks
of doing nothing... and living with continued obesity. Some factors
have been found that can mitigate these factors, the most important
of which appears to be experience. The hospital where you elect
to have gastric bypass surgery should perform no less than 100 such
procedures per year. Your surgeon should have personally performed
at least 20.
Make
Sure to Explore all Your Options
Given
the very real risks associated with this procedure, it is wise to
consider all available alternatives. Some offer promise, despite
not enjoying the same celebrity that surgery has recently enjoyed.
Make an Informed Decision
Anyone
seriously considering gastric bypass surgery should spend at least
several months reading and thinking about this life-changing - and
largely irreversible - decision
- Read
cookbooks
for people who have had the procedure; cook some of the recipes
and try them out.
- Read
biographies
of people who have already been there.
- There
is a wide range of opinion; you should know all of it before you
undergo this expensive and often dangerous procedure.
For
your convenience, we've collected some books
on gastric bypass surgery here that we can recommend highly.
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