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Bariatric Surgery - Myths and Facts

Myth: Surgery is the easy way out. You just don’t have any will power. Nothing could be further from the truth. Surgery is the last resort for many who are morbidly obese. Patients who make the decision to undergo weight loss surgery do not do so arbitrarily. They have tried dozens of other methods to lose weight and, for whatever reason, have failed. It isn’t just a question of a person pushing oneself away from the table while there’s still food on the plate or of making the commitment to join a gym or following a doctor’s prescription for pills. The stomach of someone morbidly obese has become so large that it’s basically physically impossible to satisfy it sufficiently without gaining weight. Many obese people find it physically difficult to move, let alone perform any kind of aerobic activity sufficient to produce weight loss. And we all saw the pitfalls with medication with the awful complications of Phen-Fen. Preparing for, undergoing, and living life after weight loss surgery requires courage, tenacity, and dedication. It’s an enormously challenging path. We have nothing but respect for people who are honest enough to know what they need, and strong enough to go for it.

Fact: Bariatric surgery has a significant impact on the patient’s overall health. Shortly after surgery, co-morbid conditions (those other health problems present at the same time as the patient’s obesity) are reduced or eliminated. Among these are hypertension, diabetes and sleep apnea. Heart function, mobility and stamina also often improve soon after surgery. In addition, many of our weight loss surgery patients also needed to have other surgeries, such as hip replacements, arthroscopic knee surgery and foot surgery. But their doctors wouldn’t give approval for these procedures. The patients weren’t physically able to undergo the operations, or the operations wouldn’t have made any difference while the person was still morbidly obese. After their bariatric surgery, these people were now able to receive the additional treatment they required.

Myth: You’ll never be able to enjoy a real meal again OR Now you can eat everything you want! Patients who undergo bariatric surgery can, in fact, celebrate their birthday with a little cake they just can’t eat the whole thing anymore! People learn new, reasonable, healthy eating behaviors. Trying to eat too much at one time would make it hard to keep the food down. With those caveats, a person can live an unrestricted life following surgery. They can go out to restaurants, take a cooking class and host the family Thanksgiving dinner!

Fact: Bariatric surgery has a significant impact on the patient’s personal life. Men and women who are morbidly obese deal every single day with deep, core issues of self-esteem and pride. For example, there are physical repercussions of being so overweight (like an inability to control the bladder) that can be embarrassing, if not humiliating. Bariatric surgery can help restore dignity. About ninety percent of our patients are women. Many obese women have suffered not only emotional abuse because of their weight, but actual physical abuse as well, perpetrated by partners who didn’t respect them and convinced them they were unworthy of love and affection. Dramatic weight loss over time often brings these women a new self-confidence. Emboldened, they’re able to resolve or terminate destructive relationships, and find someone else, or enjoy life on their own.

Myth: You’ll gain back all the weight. We find that when a prospective patient first tells friends or family that they’re thinking about having the procedure, 75 percent of the time, the reaction from their so-called “support group” is a negative one. This skepticism is almost always based on misinformation, yet sooner or later, they often become the staunchest supporters of their loved one’s decision! Early bariatric surgical procedures those performed 20 and 30 years ago were not nearly as technically sophisticated, and many people did indeed gain back their weight. Today, for the most part, we find that individuals who have been compliant with their post-surgical regime have success keeping their weight off. For those who don’t follow the rules, the outcome can be less positive. Bariatric surgery is a tool, not a magic pill. Patients get as much out of it as they’re willing to put in. If they treat it with respect, it will do well by them for the rest of their lives, lives they might not even be living if they hadn’t had the surgery.

Fact: Bariatric surgery can provide an opportunity to do something productive with one’s life. After surgery, patients literally have a new lease on life. Most patients discover they have or deep down, have always had the physical and psychological wherewithal to accomplish all sorts of things that were previously just a dream. We’ve had patients who have gone back to school, received promotions, developed new skills or hobbies, become involved with volunteer organizations, run for local office or have even embarked on a new career. We tell our patients to grab the procedure and run with it. Bariatric surgery can help put together lives that have been broken by obesity.