Upon sharing some of my articles with a few friends, one in particular approached me after noticing the piece I did on Gastric Bypass Surgery. Revealing to me what I had never known, she opened up about her experiences with Weight Loss Surgery. The short term success, the long term complications, and her own look back on the past and how important it was that she should have listened to her doctor’s advice, maybe paid more attention to the classes she took post-op. In general, being able to go attend and change her way of thinking… that she was an exception to the rule. She requested that I write this article for her, so she can share it with her friends and fellow surgery patients with the hopes that maybe someone will peer the light at the waste of the tunnel before it’s too late to change their post-surgery habits.
After jumping at the chance to do an interview with Rebecca, a 40-year old mother of 2 from North Carolina, we made plans to get the ball rolling. My first step was to read a few posts of hers in a Yahoo Group that she is subscribed to that allows people who have undergone Weight Loss Surgeries to meet and part their stories with each other. Gaining some basic knowledge of the road she traveled that brought her to the point she is at now, I realized that I knew almost nothing of the surgery in particular that she underwent. So, I spelunked around the internet trying to gain information about Distal RnY Weight Loss Surgery. After almost an hour of searching, I came away nearly empty handed. Only one page offered any insight to the surgery at all, and it still didn’t give me more than a small handful for this interview. So I went through and read the article again. And I was able to glean one small piece of information from it, the actual name of the type of surgery that Rebecca went through. Roux-en-Y (RnY). This opened up the gateway quite a bit, and I was able to pick up the following information about the surgery itself.
It turns out that the Roux-en-Y surgery is one of the most popular types of Weight Loss Surgery performed (hard to fathom when I had such a hard time obtaining information about it). A person who hasn’t undergone this surgery uses a normal function for digestion. Ingested food enters the stomach, then travels to the small, then large, intestines. Someone who hasn’t had Weight Loss Surgery is able to eat larger portions of food because the small intestine is able to absorb more fat and calories than a person who has had the surgery. This form of Gastric Bypass Surgery creates a small pouch in the stomach that restricts the patient from being able to consume as much food as they had before. Sometimes the surgery is commenced with a rather large incision across the abdomen, or in the case of Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y surgery, five smaller incisions are made in the patient’s belly.
The small pouch that is created in the stomach can be done with either a plastic band, or by methods of stapling. Once the pouch is created, it is connected to the middle part of the small intestine, bypassing the duodenum, or the beginning portion of the small intestine that connects to the stomach. The duodenum spot of the small intestine is the portion that absorbs fats and calories that you ingest. With this place bypassed, and the connecting area from the stomach pouch to the newly bypassed area of the limited intestine being so limited, you will be able to reduce the amount of fats and calories that you can bear, aiding in the loss of unwanted weight. And, with the connecting dwelling being its new size, it will also win longer for the food that you eat to fully reach the small intestine, making you feel fuller longer. Most pouches created are around 6 oz. in general, compared to normal stomachs that range from 24 oz. to 64 oz. The Distal part of the surgery comes into play when the amount of minute intestine that has to be bypassed is determined. Proximal RnY is performed when there is less than 150 cm. of intestine to be bypassed, although I have found a few links claiming it to be less than 100 cm. Distal RnY is the procedure used when more than the 150 cm. (or 100 cm., depending on what site you are looking at) of the small intestine has to be bypassed in order for the stomach to connect to an area that has bypassed the complete duodenum.
Before commencing the interview with Rebecca, let me suggest that you take a look at her story by clicking here (I put this on my blog for myspace to protect her privacy; messenger ID’s and e-mail addresses that were previously shown before I moved it). This will give you an overview of what her journey has been like, and might retort some questions that I don’t ask her during this interview.
CP: What was the final event in your life that convinced you to choose Weight Loss Surgery as an option?
Being 26 years old-fashioned and wanting to be able to participate in my children’s lives instead of participating from the sidelines. Besides, when you can no longer fit into the booths at a fast food restaurant, that is a pleasing good sign that you need some help.
CP: What other avenues had you explored before settling on Weight Loss Surgery?
Diet pills, Weight Watchers, pretty much every type of weight loss program that was available. None of these processes were successful for me, I would lose 10 pounds with one and then fetch 15 back on binge eating.
CP: Was the surgery covered by your insurance company?
Absolutely. I had to meet my out of pocket, and the rest was covered entirely. If I had met my deductions prior to the surgery, it would have been 100% covered.
CP: How much did the surgery cost, total?
I never really saw the bills, but if I’m not mistaken my surgery was $21,000 to $22,000 back in the 90′s.
CP: What kind of pre-op information did you receive before you went under?
That’s the net. I went into this absolutely blind without any information or education about what to expect. No one I knew had the surgery, and in fact I was the first person in my area to have it done, and a lot of it was trial and error.
CP: Were you linked to any support groups before you had the surgery performed?
Again, absolutely nothing.
CP: Briefly give an overview of the injure you felt after the surgery, how long it lasted, how it was eased.
Basically, the actual incision site for a while, but the psychological harm lasted a whole lot longer than any of the short term pains from the surgery. I didn’t know what I could and couldn’t eat so a lot of it was anger at not being able to keep anything down. For the first 2 years, the only food that I could keep down was stewed tomatoes and beets.
CP: How much weight did you initially lose after the surgery, and what was the lowest it dropped to?
I started at 326 lbs. and dropped to 204 lbs, which was my lowest point.
CP: At what point did you start to gain the weight back? Are you mild under your pre-surgery weight from years ago?
I’m still under within at least 25 pounds from my pre-surgery weight. Probably in my 6th or 7th year, I would gain 10 lbs and still be able to lose it. But once I packed on 30 lbs, it was downhill from there.
CP: What was the most difficult thing for you to endure after the surgery (change in diet, energy level, etc.)?
The hardest thing to deal with was psychologically wanting to eat like everyone else, but only being able to eat 2 or 3 spoonfuls.
CP: What is the worst long term complication that you have had since the surgery?
Anemia, definately. Pernicious anemia, along with iron deficiency anemia. With these types of deficiencies, I have to go to the hospital for 8 hours every 3 to 4 months for iron infusions.
CP: If you had the chance to do the surgery again, would you go for it?
I honestly don’t think I would, not with the health problems I am enduring now. I’m obese again, but on top of that I have a lot of health problems that I didn’t have before.
CP: What would be the most important thing you could tell someone who is looking to go for the surgery?
Do your homework. Talk to others who have had the procedures done. Go into this with an open mind, thinking that this is going to be no picnic. If you have no clue what you are going into before the surgery, you will wake up one day and think “Oh my Lord, what have I done to myself? “
For those who are indeed looking into Weight Loss Surgeries, please make distinct that you are well informed of what you are getting into before you proceed. Not all scenarios end in this way, but it has been proven that not everyone can successfully lose the weight after the surgery and manage to keep it off. Sticking to a strict diet as prescribed by your doctor, making sure that you are eating at regular intervals and not “grazing” (eating randomly with no set meal in mind, such as snacking), and exercising can set you on the right path to Weight Loss Surgery success.
If you have found this article helpful, feel free to pass it on to friends who are looking for Weight Loss Surgery options.
Related Posts
Filed under Stomach Stapling Risks by on Sep 6th, 2011. 
For the past ten years, the practice of ear stapling to lose weight has become a very lucrative business. For the cost of $35 to $60 per ear, a practitioner will use a special gun to put a staple on a little piece of cartilage on the outside of your ear. Placing the staple in a strategic place on your ear is supposed to suppress your appetite. The staple remains in the same position for about six to eight weeks. After that, it has to be repositioned, because, by then your body has gotten used to it. Of course, this will cost you another $30 to $60 per ear to have the procedure repeated. Most of the practitioners will tell you it works beautifully along with a proper diet and use. Exactly how it works is not really for certain.
Ear stapling is derived mostly from the Chinese practice of acupuncture. For some it is believed that this particular part of the ear releases the endorphins from the brain that design you feel good. Since the staple always stays in the ear, the carry out from the endorphins is constant and you will therefore reducing your stress and anxiety levels. Stress and scare are the major reason why people over-eat.
Those that believe in the practice of ear stapling, say that placing the staples on the Zero point or the Stomach point on the ear will not only cause a decrease in stress and anxiety, but will also increase your metabolism as well as curb your appetite. Others have reported they have been able to eliminate migraine headaches, cravings for nicotine, and insomnia.
In a scientific study done at the University of Adelaide in Australia, two groups were studied. One group had their Stomach point stimulated, while the other group had stimulation another piece of the ear called the Shen Men. Those who had the Stomach point stimulated proved to be the group with the decreased appetite and more weight loss.
Other skeptics have a different kind of reasoning about the results. The skeptics stated that anyone could lose weight with their cartilage stapled. You tend to lose your appetite when you have that much pain.
The most important thing for the client to remember is to find someone who is qualified and has sterile equipment. Your risk of infection increases when you pierce cartilage. An unqualified person can also hit a nerve, causing even more damage.
If you are in doubt, acquire off on the ear stapling. Try eating healthier and increasing your activity. You may be able to lose the weight without your ears being stapled. Good luck.
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Filed under Stomach Stapling Risks by on Aug 12th, 2011.
You’ve battled with weight loss for ages, and every slim down quickly, only available on TV, lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks fad has left you feeling hopeless. If you are more than 100 pounds overweight, or have a BMI (body mass index) higher than 40, then perhaps Gastric Bypass Surgery is an option for you. Finding the knowledgeable answers to ease your concerns regarding Gastric Bypass Surgery shouldn’t leave you feeling like you unprejudiced clicked your method around the internet in circles. Read below to find the answers to the most commonly asked questions regarding Gastric Bypass Surgery.
What is Gastric Bypass Surgery? This plot is done by a Bariatric Surgeon, someone who specifically specializes in Gastric Bypass Surgery. By surgically sealing off a large portion of your stomach, then creating a bypass in your small intestines, Gastric Bypass Surgery literally “shrinks” the size of your stomach and its withholding capacity, while it simultaneously reduces your body’s absorption of calories. Also known as “stomach stapling”, this surgery has been refined until it can be effectively conquered with the use of small precision instruments that will make 5 to 6 small incisions in your belly. After Gastric Bypass Surgery has been completed, the patient will no longer be able to ingest as much food as they were before the surgery, and won’t feel the hunger pains that you might think would accompany eating less food. While eating less food, your intestines will be absorbing less calories, thanks to the bypass. Although this surgery seems like an ideal way to shed that unwanted poundage, it is not the last stop to becoming thinner and staying that way. Eating healthier and exercising as a part of your daily routine will get the overall contrivance go more soundly.
What are the risks involved with Gastric Bypass Surgery? With more than a possible 6 million people in the United States that could qualify for Gastric Bypass Surgery, the success rates are particularly high. Over 70% of participants for this procedure have had success. Success for Gastric Bypass Surgery is defined by the patient’s ability to lose at least 50% of excess body weight and acquire that for at least a year. Along with any surgical procedure, there are always risks and side effects. The number one risk for Gastric Bypass Surgery is death. One in nearly 300 participants of this procedure have been known to die from it. Other common risks found with this surgery include incision hernias, leaking at staple sites, blood clots in the legs, narrowing of the opening from the stomach to the small intestine, and “dumping syndrome”. Other side effects from this surgery that have been reported include dehydration, vitamin and mineral deficiency, gall stones, intolerance to definite foods, bleeding stomach ulcers, kidney stones, and low blood sugar. Consulting your physician about Gastric Bypass surgery will give you an overview of whether this surgery is right for you or not.
What are the benefits to Gastric Bypass Surgery? The main goal to this surgery is to help you lose 50 to 60 percent of excessive weight. Other benefits to this surgery range from improving or resolving high blood pressure and cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, Sleep Apnea, and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Gastric Bypass Surgery has been known to increase a person’s mobility, enhancing the quality of their life.
What can be expected during surgery? Performed under general anesthesia, which is given through a gas mask or IV, you will be asleep for this procedure. During the 4 hour surgery, a tube is inserted through your nose and into the upper area of the stomach. Sometimes this tube is left in overnight. This line is inserted so that it can be hooked up to a suction machine after surgery to retain the small stomach pouch empty, increasing better odds for your staple line to heal. You may also have a line running from the bypassed area of the stomach to the outside of your body, near the side of your abdomen. It is generally removed 4 to 6 weeks after surgery, while it is in dwelling some skin irritation may be present at the tube area. Hospital stays usually range from 3 to 5 days.
What can you expect after Gastric Bypass Surgery? To allow your stomach sufficient time to heal, you may not be allowed to eat for 1 to 3 days during your hospital stay. Over the course of 12 weeks, you will be given a diet of foods that will start with liquids and steadily re-introduce solid foods back into your body. For the first six months after the procedure, your stomach pouch will remain the size of a walnut. You will no longer be able to handle the intake of food that you used to. Eating too fast or too much during this period could cause a afflict high in your chest, honest under the chest bone. Or, you could experience vomiting. The amount of food that you ingest will gradually improve over time. During the first 3 to 6 months following your surgery, you may experience feeling tired or cold, dry skin, body aches, hair thinning and loss, or mood changes. Your physician can help you to monitor these changes to guide you on how to abet them.
Is Gastric Bypass Surgery covered by insurance? Getting an insurance company to accept your claim for Gastric Bypass Surgery could be difficult. Some companies have started requesting that their patient’s not only got a referral to a specialist for this contrivance, but they also request for a complete documented work up form your physician. These complete documents most often have to include documented attempts at weight loss that have been unsuccessful while under your physician’s care. Other companies refuse to accept any claim that is related to obesity, since they don’t view it as a life threatening disease. The companies that do accept claims for Gastric Bypass Surgery do demand that the surgery is being performed for health reasons and not cosmetics. Speaking with your insurance company will give you a broader view of whether they cover the map, and what exactly they need from you.
What is the cost for Gastric Bypass Surgery? If you need to pay for the surgery out of your own pocket, it can be quite costly. The intention alone costs between $17,000 and $20,000 dollars. As with almost anything, the price isn’t etched in stone and varies depending on location.
Other surgeries with similar results are available in today’s market. Lap-Band adjustable gastric banding, Vertical banded gastroplasty, and Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch are the most well-liked alternatives offered on today’s market. The best path to take when considering any of these surgeries or methods is to talk with your physician and research the materials that contain information about them. Changing your lifestyle can commence here.
Related Posts
Filed under Stomach Stapling Risks by on Feb 15th, 2011.
Upon sharing some of my articles with a few friends, one in particular approached me after noticing the piece I did on Gastric Bypass Surgery. Revealing to me what I had never known, she opened up about her experiences with Weight Loss Surgery. The short term success, the long term complications, and her own look encourage on the past and how important it was that she should have listened to her doctor’s advice, maybe paid more attention to the classes she took post-op. In general, being able to go back and change her way of thinking… that she was an exception to the rule. She requested that I write this article for her, so she can share it with her friends and fellow surgery patients with the hopes that maybe someone will see the light at the end of the tunnel before it’s too unhurried to change their post-surgery habits.
After jumping at the chance to do an interview with Rebecca, a 40-year aged mother of 2 from North Carolina, we made plans to get the ball rolling. My first step was to read a few posts of hers in a Yahoo Group that she is subscribed to that allows people who have undergone Weight Loss Surgeries to meet and piece their stories with each other. Gaining some basic knowledge of the road she traveled that brought her to the point she is at now, I realized that I knew almost nothing of the surgery in particular that she underwent. So, I spelunked around the internet trying to gain information about Distal RnY Weight Loss Surgery. After almost an hour of searching, I came away nearly empty handed. Only one page offered any insight to the surgery at all, and it level-headed didn’t give me more than a small handful for this interview. So I went through and read the article again. And I was able to glean one petite allotment of information from it, the actual name of the type of surgery that Rebecca went through. Roux-en-Y (RnY). This opened up the gateway quite a bit, and I was able to pick up the following information about the surgery itself.
It turns out that the Roux-en-Y surgery is one of the most popular types of Weight Loss Surgery performed (hard to fathom when I had such a hard time obtaining information about it). A person who hasn’t undergone this surgery uses a normal function for digestion. Ingested food enters the stomach, then travels to the small, then vast, intestines. Someone who hasn’t had Weight Loss Surgery is able to eat larger portions of food because the tiny intestine is able to absorb more fat and calories than a person who has had the surgery. This form of Gastric Bypass Surgery creates a petite pouch in the stomach that restricts the patient from being able to consume as mighty food as they had before. Sometimes the surgery is commenced with a rather large incision across the abdomen, or in the case of Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y surgery, five smaller incisions are made in the patient’s belly.
The small pouch that is created in the stomach can be done with either a plastic band, or by methods of stapling. Once the pouch is created, it is connected to the middle allotment of the small intestine, bypassing the duodenum, or the beginning portion of the small intestine that connects to the stomach. The duodenum area of the small intestine is the portion that absorbs fats and calories that you ingest. With this area bypassed, and the connecting area from the stomach pouch to the newly bypassed area of the small intestine being so small, you will be able to reduce the amount of fats and calories that you can acquire, aiding in the loss of unwanted weight. And, with the connecting area being its new size, it will also take longer for the food that you eat to fully reach the small intestine, making you feel fuller longer. Most pouches created are around 6 oz. in general, compared to normal stomachs that range from 24 oz. to 64 oz. The Distal part of the surgery comes into play when the amount of tiny intestine that has to be bypassed is determined. Proximal RnY is performed when there is less than 150 cm. of intestine to be bypassed, although I have found a few links claiming it to be less than 100 cm. Distal RnY is the procedure used when more than the 150 cm. (or 100 cm., depending on what site you are looking at) of the tiny intestine has to be bypassed in order for the stomach to connect to an space that has bypassed the complete duodenum.
Before commencing the interview with Rebecca, let me suggest that you take a look at her tale by clicking here (I put this on my blog for myspace to protect her privacy; messenger ID’s and e-mail addresses that were previously shown before I moved it). This will give you an overview of what her journey has been like, and might answer some questions that I don’t ask her during this interview.
CP: What was the final event in your life that convinced you to choose Weight Loss Surgery as an option?
Being 26 years old and wanting to be able to participate in my children’s lives instead of participating from the sidelines. Besides, when you can no longer fit into the booths at a fast food restaurant, that is a pretty estimable sign that you need some help.
CP: What other avenues had you explored before settling on Weight Loss Surgery?
Diet pills, Weight Watchers, pretty much every type of weight loss program that was available. None of these processes were successful for me, I would lose 10 pounds with one and then gain 15 relieve on binge eating.
CP: Was the surgery covered by your insurance company?
Absolutely. I had to meet my out of pocket, and the rest was covered entirely. If I had met my deductions prior to the surgery, it would have been 100% covered.
CP: How much did the surgery cost, total?
I never really saw the bills, but if I’m not mistaken my surgery was $21,000 to $22,000 back in the 90′s.
CP: What kind of pre-op information did you receive before you went under?
That’s the catch. I went into this absolutely blind without any information or education about what to expect. No one I knew had the surgery, and in fact I was the first person in my area to have it done, and a lot of it was trial and error.
CP: Were you linked to any support groups before you had the surgery performed?
Again, absolutely nothing.
CP: Briefly give an overview of the pain you felt after the surgery, how long it lasted, how it was eased.
Basically, the actual incision site for a while, but the psychological pain lasted a whole lot longer than any of the short term pains from the surgery. I didn’t know what I could and couldn’t eat so a lot of it was anger at not being able to keep anything down. For the first 2 years, the only food that I could keep down was stewed tomatoes and beets.
CP: How much weight did you initially lose after the surgery, and what was the lowest it dropped to?
I started at 326 lbs. and dropped to 204 lbs, which was my lowest point.
CP: At what point did you start to gain the weight relieve? Are you still under your pre-surgery weight from years ago?
I’m still under within at least 25 pounds from my pre-surgery weight. Probably in my 6th or 7th year, I would gain 10 lbs and level-headed be able to lose it. But once I packed on 30 lbs, it was downhill from there.
CP: What was the most difficult thing for you to endure after the surgery (change in diet, energy level, etc.)?
The hardest thing to deal with was psychologically wanting to eat like everyone else, but only being able to eat 2 or 3 spoonfuls.
CP: What is the worst long term complication that you have had since the surgery?
Anemia, definately. Pernicious anemia, along with iron deficiency anemia. With these types of deficiencies, I have to go to the hospital for 8 hours every 3 to 4 months for iron infusions.
CP: If you had the chance to do the surgery again, would you go for it?
I honestly don’t deem I would, not with the health problems I am enduring now. I’m obese again, but on top of that I have a lot of health problems that I didn’t have before.
CP: What would be the most important thing you could tell someone who is looking to go for the surgery?
Do your homework. Talk to others who have had the procedures done. Go into this with an inaugurate mind, thinking that this is going to be no picnic. If you have no clue what you are going into before the surgery, you will wake up one day and think “Oh my Lord, what have I done to myself? “
For those who are indeed looking into Weight Loss Surgeries, please make sure that you are well informed of what you are getting into before you proceed. Not all scenarios end in this draw, but it has been proven that not everyone can successfully lose the weight after the surgery and manage to keep it off. Sticking to a strict diet as prescribed by your doctor, making clear that you are eating at regular intervals and not “grazing” (eating randomly with no set meal in mind, such as snacking), and exercising can site you on the right path to Weight Loss Surgery success.
If you have found this article helpful, feel free to pass it on to friends who are looking for Weight Loss Surgery options.
Related Posts
Filed under Stomach Stapling Risks by on Oct 23rd, 2010.
Ear stapling has been around for a long time as a way to lose weight. It is drawn from the acupuncture theory, which identifies acupuncture points in the ear requiring certain areas to be punctured in order to invoke weight loss.
The ear stapling diet starts by inserting a small steel staple between specific acupuncture points in the ear; generally in the inner cartilage region. The staple then provides pressure to those points that lead to the stomach, which sends a signal to the brain telling it the stomach is rotund, thereby eliminating cravings.
Only one ear is required to be stapled, although some people have both ears done. Once the staple is placed in the ear, it can remain in there from two to six months, depending on how long you want to leave it in. People having this procedure done have said that it is similar to getting your ears pierced. As of 2009, the ear staple design can cost anywhere from $60 to $85.
The average weight loss associated with ear stapling is around two to five pounds per week, although there are no scientific studies to prove this. This procedure has also been effective in reducing hot flashes, sugar cravings, heartburn and migraines. More weight loss occurs when paired with a healthy diet and exercise.
Ear stapling does not generally require any qualifications. Practitioners are not required to have any medical training. There are many risks associated with ear stapling; one of them being infection. If the staple is left in the ear for a long amount of time and not properly cleaned, you can get an infection in the outer ear that is not only painful but can cause permanent scarring. Another risk of ear stapling is that the staple can drop out and possibly enter the inner ear causing damage to the ear and eardrum.
The practice of ear stapling led to many fraudulent practices which opened up in certain areas. These unlicensed and untrained people did not need any medical training to do the procedure. In 2006, the area medical board of Mississippi ordered the closing of 14 businesses offering ear stapling after there were reports of people getting serious infections from the procedure. This then led to the decision in Mississippi that ear stapling is considered acupuncture, which can only be performed by licensed physicians.
If you want to get ear stapling done, make determined you find a qualified practitioner or talk with your doctor for information and advice.
“Ear Stapling to Lose Weight.” Healthy Women’s Healthy Living Goals.
Andrew Weil, MD, “Ear Stapling Acupuncture for Weight Loss.” DrWeil.com
“Ear Stapling Review.” Diet Spotlight.
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Filed under Stomach Stapling Risks by on Aug 5th, 2010.