Thin Blog

First off I am not a doctor and to actually get all the advice you need on gastric bypass surgery you will have to speak with your doctor. This is just a brief over view of what you can expect.

The first big consideration is how are you going to pay for it because without the cash the hospitals are not going to perform the procedure. If you think you can save money by having it done in a third world nation please think again. I have seen photographs of what can go wrong and it was pretty scary and gross. You will need to kind of look around and see what is available. More and more insurance companies are paying larger and larger portions of the bill. I would expect for the total cost to be no less than $17,000.00 and with certain “add ons” cost as much as $40,000+. Those add ons will be something you will discuss with your doctor. One thing to keep in mind is that most insurance companies pay a portion of the actual operation, but will not pay for any of the outpatient visits and those office visits can add up quickly. If money is no object then you just need to choose a doctor and sign up for the program.

From what I have seen is that for you to be a success you have to make a lifestyle change and you will have to make adjustments to your eating habits. You can rest assured that you will lose weight when you opt for gastric bypass surgery but what harms people is the fact that they cannot be disciplined in their eating habits once the procedure is performed. After the operation you will be on small portions of liquids and after a few weeks will start to eat solid foods. The biggest difference is the tiny portions you will eat because of your diminished stomach pouch size. The procedure actually reduces the size of your stomach and you will be full after only one chicken nugget and four french fries. By eliminating the desire to eat a person will eat tiny portions and the end result is massive weight loss in a relatively brief period. You can expect to lose up to 75 pounds in as short as three months. After that the weight loss tends to slow down but it will still drop off.

A big issue is after the surgery when you have lost the weight. What has occurred often is people forget (or ignore) that the stomach pouch has an elastic quality and if you overeat you can increase the size and start to over eat again. Also carbonated beverages need to be forsaken forever once you have the procedure because the carbonation will cause your stomach to expand. You will need to pretty much give up bread and never use a straw again. One sip of alcohol can make you drunk and sober in less than 30 minutes because of the straight absorption of the alcohol. There are many things you need to take into account as to your new “diet” after the surgery. Too many people focus on the surgery and only the result of the weight loss. What you really need to come to grips with is whether or not you can stick to the meal plan after the procedure is performed. There is no going back as the operation is irreversible. Educate yourself and gain all the knowledge you can. Interview doctors and ask hard serious questions and make sure you are ready for life after the operation. That life will be thin and has the potential to make you healthier and has worked for thousands of obese people. Just make sure that you have the mental endurance to be able to spend the rest of your forever on the diet plan you will have to live on. If you have the operation and dismiss the need for vitamins and over eat and eat the wrong items the procedure will be a disaster.

Anybody out there have any personal experiences?

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!