Bariatric Surgery Facts
It’s just as important for you to ascertain whether bariatric surgery isn’t for you as it is to determine if it is. There are many ways that you can reach your weight-loss goals, and its essential for you to learn everything about every option to find the one that’s best for you.
Here are some facts to help you determine if you should ask your doctor about bariatric surgery:
1. Patients considered morbidly obese (having a body mass index greater than 40) or those with debilitating health problems are the best candidates for bariatric surgery.
2. Surgical options such as bariatric surgery should only be undertaken after other options have been exhausted, even for morbidly obese patients.
3. Bariatric surgery is not a quick fix! Bariatric surgery is most effective when you follow it up with changes in diet and exercise.
4. You may be overweight because of factors besides the obvious physical ones. Bariatric-surgery patients are encouraged to deal with emotional and psychological issues that may have contributed to their condition.
5. Bariatric surgery can take a number of different forms. Talk to your doctor about which form of bariatric surgery is best for you, so that you can decrease or correct many obesity-related health problems, such as diabetes, asthma, cardiopulmonary failure, and stress incontinence.
6. According to most medical authorities, bariatric surgery is the only effective therapy for morbid obesity and its complications, so consider asking your doctor about how it can help you.
Remember that in order to be considered for bariatric surgery, the following criteria must be met:
an assessment of obesity on BMI measurement
obesity-associated medical problems
confirmation that other means of losing weight have been exhausted or at least attempted.
