What to Expect Following Surgery
Currently, there are no set standards to judge
the success of bariatric surgery. However, the
expected weight loss is 60-80 percent of excess
weight. At this level, most of the obesity-related
health risks are reduced or avoided. Success
is dependent upon the patient’s commitment
to lifestyle changes.
A renewed enthusiasm for life is often observed
after weight loss. Patients are happy about their
loss of weight, their ability to buy smaller-sized
clothing, and their increasing ability to participate
in activities. As a patient’s body image
changes over the course of weight loss, patient
satisfaction can vary dramatically. Frequent
follow-up is needed to insure success in the
early postoperative period and long term monitoring
is recommended to insure continued success over
time.
When weighing the risks of bariatric surgery
against the benefits of post-operative weight
loss one must take into consideration the incidence
of surgical complications versus patient satisfaction
with weight loss, improvement in lifestyle and
reduction of obesity-related health problems.
Careful follow-up over many years is required to
assess whether surgical intervention results in
increased longevity as well as the observed improvement
of obesity associated medical problems. At present,
gastric restrictive and gastric bypass procedures
appear to be relatively safe and effective, and
represent hope for significant, sustained weight
loss.
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