Gastric Bypass/Banding

A post at fattoskinny.net where I have commented to about surgical procedures as a way of losing weight

morgan said:

I was just watching a British program about obese patients that undergo either gastic bypass (really major surgery – approx 3 hours) or gastric banding (‘minor’ surgery of approx 30 minutes).  How they cost the health system a fortune due mainly to medication for high BP, heart conditions and mostly diabetes and that this op is the solution.

I watched these people crying, being horrified and terrified they would not wake up after the event, being on a liquid diet a month before hand to clear up a fatty liver so that the surgeon could see around it to do the proceedure, then in one case (not even a month after) eating his wife’s chocolates and  having ice creams when he went out. The other case a woman who moments after coming out of recovery was stating that she was hungry.

It is beyond me that these people would resort to this rather than give up their favourite foods (sugar).  It seemed that they thought that it would be a ‘miracle’ and they would be slim without effort afterwards.  Whilst they did lose weight it averaged at about 6 kg (14lbs) a month, which really is only 3-4 lbs a week.

It seems that the medical board is pushing these types of surgery as a solution to saving costs in the long run.  Is this what health systems now think is the go;  to do these ops, so in the long run they don’t have to pay for medication.

They lost weight in the month prior on a liquid diet (which I think were protein drinks) – why would they not continue with these drinks to loose the weight rather than the op?

I feel I am being harsh because I know it is desparation that makes them do this and they feel it is a last resort of sorts, but it seems they are ill prepared for afterwards.  They obviously still have major food issues.

My thought:

In my mind, operations like this should be banned and the doctors who recommend them should be sent on compulsory  retraining courses to learn about nutrition, that there again, if they advised on nutrition, then they wouldn’t be making money as doctors which if you think about it, is a very sad conclusion.

I would agree with Doug, these doctors do know much of what we know and I’m sure the fact that they receive thousands for doing an operation like this whereas they would only receive hundreds for putting a patient on a sound eating regime has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that they continue to recommend the expensive operations or has it?

Cheers,

Mark