Bariatric Surgery FAQ
Who should undergo this surgery?
For Indian population it is recommend that the following group of patients should undergo bariatric surgery –
- Patients with BMI > 37.5
- Patiens with BMI > 32.5 along with any one of co-morbidities (diabetes, high blood pressure, breathing problems due to obesity, cholesterol problems, joint pains etc.)
- Patients must try other weight loss attempts before undergoing surgery.
- Patients must fully understand the nature of surgery.
What is BMI?
BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It is a measure of obesity and is calculated by –
BMI = Weight / (Height)*(Height) (Weight is in kilograms and height in meters)
Are these procedures safe?
In an advanced centre with an expert team these procedures are almost as safe as undergoing a laparoscopic gall bladder removal surgery. Most of the patients can go home in 2-3 days.
Is liposuction a choice?
Liposuction is a cosmetic surgery designed to remove a few kilograms of weight from a part of body and is not meant for general weight loss. If used solely for purpose of generalizes weight loss, the lost weight can come back easily. It has no effect on associated problems of obesity (Diabetes, BP etc.) as no fat is lost from deeper organs inside the abdomen which is more dangerous fat.
What are kinds of fat deposits inside my body?
There are two major fat deposits: Visceral and Subcutaneous.
Visceral fat is stored mainly inside the abdomen around and inside many organs like liver, intestines etc. This far plays major role in Diabetes as it releases toxins leading to insulin resistance. People with fatter belly than thighs/hips have more visceral fat.
Subcutaneous fat is stored just underneath the skin.
How about other ways of losing weight?
You must try other measures but research has proven that once you have entered the surgical limit of BMI, the success rate of other ways of weight loss becomes very feeble. Dieting, exercise etc. mostly fail. Even the drugs meant for weight loss don’t lead to satisfactory weight loss and have their own set of side-effects. After stopping any of these modalities of limited weight loss, weight regain is almost universal.
What are other beneficial effects of these surgeries in diabetic patients?
Apart from treating diabetes, these surgeries help in decreasing as well as preventing diabetic complications on kidneys, heart, eyes etc. Blood sugar levels remain much better controlled and fluctuations in them are much less after surgery. Patient is also saved from side-effects of insulin and other drugs for diabetes.
What happens to my diet after surgery?
After surgery you usually go home within 2-3 days. You can walk on the evening of surgery. Clear liquids are started on the evening of surgery and quantity increased slowly. You go home on a written liquid diet to allow surgical area to heal fully. We see you after a week in our clinic and increase your diet. We give puried diet for few days and later you are back to normal diet 2-4 weeks from surgery). You will have three main meals and two snacks. Will will like you to have more proteins (Egg white, chicken, pulses, soyabean etc.) and less of oil / sweets to help you in shedding weight.
Can I exercise / do heavy work after surgery?
Sure, you will love to do that all the way more after surgery as you start to shed weight! There will be no restriction on any kind of work after you have recovered from surgery (about a week).
How much leave do I need for this procedure?
We usually admit you a day before surgery or on day of surgery and you can go home in next 2-3 days. We would like you to abstain from heavy work for a week. So about 10 days of leave should be enough. But you can engage in light work immediately after discharge.
How frequently I need to visit hospital again after surgery?
We would like to see you once after a week from discharge and thereafter once every 1-3 months to make sure your weight loss progress is as expected and to guide in that process.
I heard my skin may show wrinkles after weight loss! True?
Fat under the skin dissolves at a faster pace as compared to shrinkage of skin. Mild wrinkling may appear for some time but later skin also shrinks and wrinkles go way. In younger and active people who are not too obese wrinkling is usually not seen. We encourage exercises to avoid / decrease this problem.
I also heard it may lead to hair fall?
Any kind of weight loss can lead to hair fall and Bariatric Surgery is no exception. But this is a temporary phenomenon which reverses as weight starts to stabilize. Eating balanced diet and vitamin supplements help in this condition.
Ok, I’m impressed, so how do I book an appointment?
Good. It takes lot of courage to take this step. Congrats!
Just click “Contact Us” on top right of web-page and take your first step – You can call us, mail us or just drop-in in one of our centres.