The surgery option
You should consider surgery for obesity only if your
health risk is extremely high. In general, surgical
treatments limit the amount of food you can eat and/or
absorb. This decreases the number of calories, or amount of
energy you take in. As with all of the other treatment
options we discussed, surgery is only effective if you
combine it with dietary change, increased physical activity,
and lifestyle change.
The most common procedures are called the Roux-en-Y
gastric bypass (RYGB) and the vertical banded gastroplasty
(VBG). Some surgeons also perform two other procedures
called the bilio-pancreatic diversion (BPD) and distal
gastric bypass, but these operations seem to have more
complications than the RYGB or VBG operations. So, you
should consider these two operations only in special
circumstances.
No one can decide alone if surgery is a good option for
them. Only you and your doctor must make this decision
together, because surgery is very serious. People who have
surgery for obesity must see their doctor for the rest of
their lives. Surgery for obesity should only be performed by
experienced surgeons and healthcare teams who are prepared
to make this commitment to you. When selecting a surgical
treatment program, be sure to find one that treats enough
patients to allow the whole healthcare team, which includes
dietitians, nurses, and those who conduct the follow-up
care, to keep their skills at a high level.
