There are a few weight loss surgery risks you need to be aware of if considering any invasive methods to lose weight. Bariatric or weight loss surgery offers many benefits and can help patients lose up to fifty percent of their excess weight within 6 months after surgery. In general, patients also enjoy improved blood sugar levels and have lower incidence of stroke and heart attack after weight loss surgery. However, there are always risk factors associated with any type of surgery, and weight loss surgery is no exception.
Weight Loss Surgery Risks and Side Effects
When talking to your doctor, ask him or her not only about the benefits but also the risks and side effects of weight loss surgery.
Weight Loss Surgery Risks – Vomiting
Vomiting is common in restrictive weight loss surgery where the stomach is made smaller. Eating too much food or not chewing it well can lead to vomiting.
Weight Loss Surgery Risks- Complications
Patients who undergo weight loss surgery run the risk of suffering from complications that may have to be corrected. A few of the most common complications include infections, stretched stomachs outlets, and bleeding. Weight loss surgery where the stomach is stapled off can result in a potentially fatal leak from the staples used to decrease the size of the stomach.
Gastric bypass patients are known to get pulmonary embolism or blood clot to the lungs. In the case of gastric banding surgery, the gastric band can migrate or move from its original placement. The band can also erode and wear into the stomach.
Weight Loss Surgery Risks – Gallstones
Another risk faced by obese patients who undergo weight loss surgery is the development of gallstones. More than a one-third of bariatric surgery patients develop gallstones. Gallstones form in the gallbladder or bile duct and are composed primarily of cholesterol, calcium salts, and bile components.
Rapid weight loss can cause a person to develop gallstones.
Weight Loss Surgery Risks – Dumping Syndrome
“Dumping” takes place when the the stomach contents pass too quickly through the small intestine. The syndrome is a side effect of malabsorptive surgery where the absorption of food nutrients is restricted. Symptoms of dumping include nausea, extreme weakness, excessive sweating, and even diarrhea.
Weight Loss Surgery Risks – Nutritional Deficiencies
Tampering with the digestive system can lead to nutritional deficiencies caused by the inability of the patient to absorb food nutrients efficiently. This may lead to anemia, osteoporosis, hair loss, or muscle wasting. To avoid the risk of nutritional deficiencies after weight loss surgery, you should take vitamin and mineral supplements.
How to Avoid Possible Risks of Weight Loss Surgery
Surgery is always accompanied by multiple risks, and obese individuals are at greater risk than most of the population. Fortunately, hospitals and medical teams are now held to higher standards to reduce the risks of weight loss surgery. Newer techniques in surgery such as laparoscopy and minimal invasive surgery have reduced many of the risk factors significantly, such as infection and bleeding.
Severely obese patients have always been considered risky but taking appropriate precautions helps ensure that the surgical procedure can proceed safely. Weight loss surgery patients are also thoroughly evaluated to make sure that their heart and lungs are functioning well. Before going into surgery, any medical conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure must be under control and beware of these weight loss surgery risks.
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