Is Bariatric Surgery a Drastic Measure?
Many prospective bariatric surgery patients believe that surgical intervention for obesity is a drastic measure. They’re concerns are understandable because surgery is, after all, invasive. Consequently, there are risks associated with any surgery including a weight loss procedure. It is important to remember, however, that while surgery is a last resort, it is also currently the most effective long-term method to combat obesity.
It’s also important to remember that other weight loss options may not be as safe or as effective as bariatric surgery. For example, some may take dieting and/or exercise to the extreme causing significant stress on the body that can ultimately compromise their general health – physical and psychological. Further, diet and exercise regimens are not usually successful over the long-term and patients often regain some or all their weight, sometimes adding even more. Diet supplements have also flooded the market. These pills can be ineffective or even dangerous and there is very little oversight on the part of the federal government. Some diet pills contain extremely high levels of caffeine or other chemicals that can cause or worsen medical conditions.
Of course, there’s also the simple fact that doing nothing about obesity is dangerous in and of itself. Obese patients often suffer from excess weight related diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and more. Each of those conditions comes with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and even certain forms of cancer.
The Fear of the Unknown
The fear of something we don’t know, such as a bariatric surgery procedure, is a very real and understandable impediment. However, surgery should not be considered a drastic or extreme step for qualified patients. Rather, surgery should be understood as one of many options for improving the health of it the patient desperately needs to change their life for the healthier.
When compared to the potential complications of obesity, surgery starts to look like a more palatable option. After all, surgery has become far safer over the course of the past several decades. Further, patients have a choice of procedures, one of which may best balance benefits and risks.
To learn more about bariatric surgery, you should schedule a consultation a bariatric surgeon to learn more about your options. You may ultimately decide the bariatric surgery is not the right option for you but finding out everything there is to know is the first step in making that decision.