Bariatric surgery doesn’t just help people become healthier by encouraging weight loss, it can also play a part in helping people with a variety of health problems.
Bariatric surgery, more commonly known as weight loss surgery, is a surgery aimed at reducing morbid obesity.
Your weight loss surgery options
There are many types of surgery available for people who have tried to lose weight through other solutions such as improving their diet and physical activity to no avail. These include sleeve gastrectomy (also known as a gastric sleeve), a roux-en-Y gastric bypass and a duodenal switch.
Your bariatric surgeon will recommend the best course of action should they see you as an eligible weight loss surgery candidate. Various factors will be considered in making the decision, such as a patient’s age, body mass index (BMI), quality of life, mindset and expectations.
How bariatric surgery assists other conditions
There are a whole host of health conditions that can be heavily influenced by one’s weight. Because of that, bariatric operations can increase one’s quality of life. The range of conditions that can be improved through surgery includes type 2 diabetes, sleep apnoea, gallbladder diseases and joint pain. Additionally, it can also improve one’s cardiovascular health and chances of conceiving a child, as well as their emotional and mental health.
Type 2 diabetes
Various studies have shown that bariatric surgery can cause long term remission of type 2 diabetes, with those who are obese potentially being free of insulin and other related medications for at least three years after surgery.
Improved cardiovascular health
Weight loss surgery can result in a decreased risk of coronary heart disease as well as stroke and peripheral heart disease, whilst also helping to prevent the risks of death associated with hypertension and heart attacks. This is because blood pressure and cholesterol levels can return to a healthier level (and even back to normal in some cases) after surgery.
Sleep apnoea
Losing weight and sustaining a normal weight range can allow people who suffer from sleep apnoea to cease using a CPAP machine when they sleep. Approximately 80% of patients experience remission of their sleep apnoea one year after surgery.
Improving fertility
Bariatric surgery performed during a woman’s childbearing years can also assist with fertility. It can also improve the quality of menstrual cycles in women who do not ovulate.
Mental health
Many obese people can feel depressed because of poor body image and the social stigmas which come with obesity, even in younger people who carry significant excess weight, as they may find it difficult to participate in activities that they may otherwise enjoy, leading to social isolation and depression.
Losing their excess weight can help to improve the emotional health of these patients, due to the weight loss which comes because of obesity surgery.
Joint pain relief
Carrying around excess weight can put a lot of stress on your weight-bearing joints, which in turn often leads to chronic pain and damage to said joints. The significant and sustained weight loss which occurs after weight loss surgery relieves the stress on these joints, which allows some bariatric surgery patients to stop using pain medications and enjoy a vastly higher level of mobility.
Bariatric surgery in Perth
Dr Kevin Dolan and his team of bariatric physicians, dieticians, psychologists, exercise physiologists, nurse and patient support groups are committed to achieving and sustaining weight loss. If you are looking to lose weight, Dr Dolan and the WALOS team can help you do so!
If you would like to learn more about what Dr Kevin Dolan can do for you, be sure to contact us by clicking here.