When you read about weight loss surgery (WLS), it’s always about the before and after stages. Decision making, mood at the moment, weight loss in the first few months. Thick pictures, thin pictures. But despite its high success rate and low level of risk factor. Unlike obesity, WLS is not yet mainstream.
I continue to see the whole picture of bariatric surgery as a little mystical, a little extreme, a little different. Do this only if you are about to break the scale, not as a preventative measure.
Bariatric surgery is still rare in Ireland, even though the classic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass has been around for over 50 years and the keyhole gastric sleeve has been in use since 1999. We tie his WLS with a documentary on extreme obesity. Weight has to be a serious issue to be medically “qualified” for surgery, unless you finance it yourself.
Although more than 92,000 Irish are medically fit (defined as having a BMI of 40 or greater), only 1 in 100,000 Irish actually undergoes the necessary surgery. Hmm. This often means traveling abroad, where the cost is considerably lower. But beyond initial weight loss, does WLS really work long-term?
3 years ago I went to Tallinn, Estonia in search of a gastric sleeve. This would be a tube instead of a pouch as it would permanently reduce the stomach volume by about 80pc. It differs from bypass surgery because it does not reroute the small intestine.
The gastric sleeve was originally conceived as a predecessor to bypass to allow very overweight patients to spend time losing weight to make bypass surgery safer. However, sleeve results were often so satisfactory that the patient did not need her second (bypass) surgery a year or so after her.
His BMI at the time of surgery was approximately 35, but he had been overweight/obese for many years, with an overweight that varied between 10 and 30 kg. -Step Food Fellowships and more. And there are less common ones — diet pills from doctors that were later banned across the EU because of the risk of heart attack/stroke. A 100-day protein shake that affected my colon and resulted in a trip to A&E (which wasn’t fun). The 2012 gastric band was like igniting 6 grand in terms of effectiveness.
Finally, in 2019, 51 years old, weighing 92 kg, I flew to Tallinn for gastric sleeve surgery and the (useless) gastric band was removed. done. Statistically less risky than gallbladder surgery, keyhole surgery takes two hours and is performed by Dr. Ilmar Kaur, who has performed thousands of such surgeries and has trained other bariatric surgeons in the area. I was.
near
Suzanne Harrington underwent elective weight loss surgery in 2019.Photo: Jonathan Goldberg
Going to Estonia is much cheaper than going to Ireland or England. If I didn’t want to go alone, the clinic I chose had the option to bring a partner/support buddy. Our 5 days package started and ended at the airport, the first night was at the hotel and the rest at the clinic. It was an easy and positive experience.
The day after the surgery, I was able to (slowly and carefully) explore Tallinn. When I got home, I was relieved that my recovery was easy and that the clinic was quick to respond to any questions I had. I also informed my doctor about the surgery. Friends kept asking me about side effects, but the only side effect I was experiencing was effortless weight loss – the Holy Grail for fat people.
‘That happily-forever-usually concludes the story.
That’s usually the end of the story when it comes to WLS. A beaming ex-fat gumboing a field of daisies. end. Of course not. It’s the beginning of a new way of life, at least at first. Here are some of the things I’ve learned over the past three years.
eat
At first, you should read the letter according to the diet instructions of the clinic. This will last for several weeks until the stomach heals, and will contain a lot of water, but best of all, you won’t feel hungry. Too much and you feel terrible.
Therefore, you should eat slowly, eat healthy foods rather than high-fat, high-sugar foods, and stop the moment you feel full. You may feel uncomfortable or simply be exhausted and need to lie down.
eating out
As I was leaving the clinic, the surgeon gave me a card explaining that I was post-WLS and that restaurants only let me eat child-sized portions.
i have never used it. Instead, for the first two years after surgery, I ordered starters instead of mains.I also ordered desserts when I felt like it.
tell people
When I lose a lot of weight (I went from 92kg to 70kg) people tend to notice and comment on it. Take up jogging, go pareo, and tell people that you felt a little dishonest.
I just told people I had weight loss surgery and it worked for the treatment. will unravel.
And their health, then great.
vitamin
You will need to take supplemental vitamins and minerals daily for the rest of your life, and you will need to take B12 Jabs every three months (I get B12 by prescription and a syringe, and do my own injections at home. do — very easy with an intramuscular injection — you should aim for the upper arm). Also, every year she needs to have one blood test. This was arranged by my family doctor when I returned from Tallinn.
This monitoring is actually a good thing. Because it gives you a more accurate picture of your overall long-term health. It should not be skipped or intermittent.
acid reflux
About 35% of people experience new or worsening acid reflux after gastric sleeve surgery, but in my experience this was the only negative side effect. Coffee, tea, alcohol, spicy foods and even water can make it worse.
It can be treated with a prescription drug called omeprazole. Over-the-counter medications such as Rennie and Pepto-Bismol were ineffective, but over time the reflux was significantly reduced.
hunger
I don’t feel very hungry for about two years. This is because sleeve surgery removes the region of the stomach that produces the hunger hormone ghrelin, and it takes about 24 months to “grow back.” (This is not a medical term, but I’m not a doctor).
It’s great not to feel hungry, but that’s what we dream about when we’re chronically overeating. Even if you’re not receiving normal hunger signals, you should eat healthy, protein-rich foods in small amounts on a regular basis.
However, this changes about 2 years after surgery. You will begin to experience normal hunger and start eating more. (My surgeon told me to expect this increased appetite).
However, be careful if you unconsciously start changing your eating habits over the long term and start snacking more. This can lead to weight recovery.
alcohol
It is recommended to avoid all carbonated beverages after surgery, as carbonated beverages can stretch the newly reduced stomach. It is recommended.
Anecdotally, and in my first-hand experience, there is a link between alcoholism relapse and weight loss surgery. Drinking may seem like a good idea. (This has happened to me and several other ex-drinkers I know. You may not have liked the drink for years, but suddenly you really like it. No. Be aware of this.) That’s why it’s so important to keep blood sugar levels constant.
weight recovery
Million dollar question — are you still losing weight? I’m not going to lie. In her 3rd year from WLS, she regained 6kg. Weight gain can occur when hunger hormones start to be produced again (after about 2 years) and when the stomach stretches over time. I was — my old eating patterns crept back in.
I contacted my surgeon who reassured me that this weight gain was within normal parameters after WLS. Now I realize that I am exercising more and snacking less, 6kg is much easier for him than 6 stone.
I’ll never be thin, and while that wasn’t my goal, the freedom to not be obese and reduce the health risks that come with it was the reason I took that flight.
Expert Opinion: John Connery, Bariatric Surgeon at Mater Private Hospital
Metabolic surgery is very safe when performed in large facilities with properly trained and certified professionals and ancillary services. “Even though metabolic surgery has a mortality rate of less than 1 in her 1,000, less than gallbladder surgery, people undergoing metabolic surgery are more likely to have metabolic conditions associated with obesity with comorbidities such as diabetes. Higher risk profile.
“However, we are seeing an alarming trend of people returning from overseas troops returning with complications, which is causing serious concern. People are returning unwell here in Ireland and need urgent help from the hospital.”
As a result, Connelly called Ireland’s “ridiculous position” to spend more on treating patients who had bariatric surgery abroad than on the same procedure in Ireland.
He says the reason many people go abroad is because there is a huge gap between supply and demand. And traveling abroad to Turkey, Belgium and Eastern Europe is quite cheap. However, it is important to choose your clinic carefully (rather than looking for the cheapest price), prepare yourself psychologically and physiologically, and have long-term aftercare with a medical professional at home. Sex cannot be overemphasized.
“Anecdotally, the highest complication rates come from Turkey, where surgery is the cheapest,” Connelly says. “Because of the apparent lack of preparation, the patient is completely unprepared for life after surgery and has not undergone a psychological evaluation.
“At Mater, we have an average of 9 months of pre-surgery preparation and 2 years of follow-up. The program will cost around €20,000. Connealy says this cannot even cover Ireland’s cost of the medical materials used.
The solution, he says, is better funding of metabolic surgery in Ireland. It remains “20 years behind the rest of the world” in both the provision of metabolic surgery and overall attitudes towards obesity.
“In Ireland we have a terrible attitude towards obesity,” he says. “We don’t treat it as a disease, but as a character failure. But as a chronic disease, it’s highly treatable.
“Diabetes [when brought on by obesity] It uses up to 11% of the entire Irish medical budget, but is completely cured by metabolic surgery. It does not mean that it can be cured by medicine, but it means that it can be completely cured by surgical intervention.
“We are now the second most obese country in the EU since the UK was taken off the charts. It gives individual patients a lot of freedom.”
