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What is Laparoscopic surgery? |
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How is Laparoscopic surgery done? |
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Am I fat? |
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What is bariatric surgery? |
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Which Procedure is right for me? |
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How does weight loss surgery help to reduce excess weight? |
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How effective is weight loss surgery? |
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How rapidly will I lose weight after the laparoscopic obesity surgery? |
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What is the expected hospital stay for the surgery? |
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What type of diet will be recommended after surgery? |
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What is life like, after surgery? |
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When can I have children after the surgery? |
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Will the complications due to my obesity go away after the surgery? |
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What is Laparoscopic surgery? |
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It is a surgery done using a video camera to visualize the abdominal cavity using narrow instruments without making long incision. |
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How is Laparoscopic surgery done? |
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The procedure uses a laparoscope. This is a long, thin instrument with a light source at its tip, to light up inside the abdomen. Fibro-optic fibers carry images from a lens at the tip of the instrument to a video monitor which the surgeon and OT staff can see. By inserting various instruments through small incisions, surgery is performed. |
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Am I fat? |
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"Fat" is also called "obese" in medical terminology. If the patient looks fat, he or she is fat! This is what is known as eyeball test. Doctors calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index) to know how much excess weight a person has in relation to their height. BMI of a normal weight person ranges from 18 to 24.9 kg/m2 |
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What is bariatric surgery? |
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Bariatric surgery is a group of surgeries which are performed to induce long term excess weight loss along with curing and or improving most of the medical problems like diabetes, blood pressure, arthritis etc. |
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Which Procedure is right for me? |
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The most important step in selecting a weight loss procedure is getting all the information you need about the various surgical options. Ultimately your surgeon, pulmonologist, cardiologist, nutritionist, endocrinologist, psychologist, and physician are your best resources for that information. After evaluating you, they can give their best recommendations. |
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How does weight loss surgery help to reduce excess weight? |
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It will restrict or reduce the amount you can eat or it can cause you not to absorb all of the food you eat or it can be a combination of the two. |
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How effective is weight loss surgery? |
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Depending on the type of surgery anywhere from 36% to 90% of your excess body weight (EBW) will be lost over a period of 6 months to two years. Clinical studies have shown that following surgery most patients lose weight rapidly and continue to do so up until 18 to 24 months after the procedure. However you will wake up from the surgery without weight loss. However, patients may lose 30 to 50 % of their excess weight in the first 6 months, and ~77% as early as 12 months after surgery. Another study has shown that patients could maintain 50 – 60% loss of excess weight 10-14 years after surgery. |
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How rapidly will I lose weight after the laparoscopic obesity surgery? |
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About 65-75% of the excess weight will be lost within the first year after gastric bypass surgery and the majority of that may occur within the first six months. The weight loss will taper, but can continue for the subsequent years. Some patients have achieved 100% loss of their excess weight. |
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What is the expected hospital stay for the surgery? |
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Most patients stay in the hospital approximately 4 to 5 days after an open procedure and 2 to 3 days after a laparoscopic procedure. Patients will be discharged when they tolerate liquids and nutrients by mouth to prevent dehydration, having adequate pain control with medications by mouth, and having no fever, vomiting, respiratory discomfort, excess drain output etc. |
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What type of diet will be recommended after surgery? |
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The modifications made to your gastrointestinal tracts will require permanent changes in your eating habits that must be adhered to life-long for successful weight loss. Post surgery dietary guidelines will vary by surgeon, and type of surgical procedure. Some of the generally accepted dietary guidelines after weight loss surgery patient may encounter are as follows:
1. When eating solid food it is essential to chew it thoroughly
2. Do not drink liquids while eating, but approximately thirty minutes after the meal
3. Drink lots of fluids in between to keep yourself adequately hydrated
4. Limit snacking between meals.
5. Eat your proteins first and then the vegetables.
Try to avoid junk foods and sweets. The sweets are well-known to sabotage almost any type of weight loss procedure and that can lead to where one started with all that extra weight. |
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What is life like, after surgery? |
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Over the years it has been observed that the patients who have undergone obesity surgery are satisfied with their decision and leading normal life with improved quality of life. Majority of the patients do not develop any serious side effects, their life will change and so will their health, hopefully, an improvement in both. You may be participating in more activities and getting more exercise. Don't forget the clothes shopping. During your rapid weight loss period don't purchase too many clothes because your size may change rapidly. |
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When can I have children after the surgery? |
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The female patients are advised to wait at least two years after surgery to avoid the stress of a pregnancy during the period of rapid weight loss and allow her weight to stabilize. Please be careful to use birth control methods in the first 18 to 24 months. |
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Will the complications due to my obesity go away after the surgery? |
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Yes, some of the complications will resolve and some will improve dramatically, like sleep apnea, asthma, hypertension and high cholesterol. In fact the Type II Diabetes will respond with 85-90% resolution and obesity surgery is now considered the best treatment for Type II diabetes. |
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