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Questions to ask before you leave a hospital

There are many things that you need to know when you leave a hospital after a surgery. I ran into this first hand last week after my dad has a heart attack and then an angioplasty and my mom took him from the hospital with almost no information.

That kind of thing should never happen.

I speak of all this not just a fitness guy, but as someone that has had to eal with a sick daughter with kidnet disease, as well as a very jarring situation with my dad having a heart attack and angioplasty just a few weeks back. Sometimes we get fantastic information from the doctors, nurnses and other health care staff, sometimes not. Most importantly though we need to be very careful with the way that we take in information. sometimes we miss details given to us and sometimes the health care professionals think that we are aware of certain things when in fact we are not.

First of all the hospital staff including nurses, doctors and other health care workers have a head full of knowledge that you just have to ask the right questions to the right people.

Right after leaving the hospital

doctorsRight after you leave the hospital what do you need to know. Are there any special instructions for that first night?
Are there any medications needed? Some medication may need to be taken that first day but some many can wait.

Are there any dietary restrictions? How about water and food intake over the first 24 hours. Often there are water restirctions or a need for water and fasting or not.

How about baths, heat or ice packs? Are these needed, can you pick them up on the way home from the hospital or wait?

The initial day home from a hospital can be difficult so it is important to know what distractions you can get rid of. The last thing you want to do in those first 24 hours is to be running out to the store to buy things, fill prescriptions, get food, or any other things that can just wait a day.

After 24 hours – Through the first week out of the hospital

As any kind of caregiver you need to make sure that you are very clear on the situation above. You need to know things like dietary restrictions going forward, water and liquids, and then all the crazy things that certain surgeries can bring on. You may need to have multiple medications to track and exercise considerations.

As far as medications. How many and how often. It is important to have a schedule of exactly what has to be taken when and any interactions between the medications. You can get this information from a pharmacist or the doctor and in these cases do not trust your memory. Write everything down. Another problem with medications is the side effects.

Make sure that you know what the side effects can be and what to watch out for. Most people do not show side effects but really the fact is that you will be dealing with medications that are not common to you or your patient so you need to be aware if there is an allergy or side effect showing up.

Finally, as far as I am concerned, most medications are for acute symptoms. Right after a trauma or a surgery you need to take a few things like pain killers, blood thinners, anticoagulants, and anti-inflammatories that you should be able to drop once healing has taken place. Please under no circumstances should you make these decisions on your own, but instead consult with the doctors and other staff that you have access to so that the decisions are not going to set you any steps back in the recovery process.

Food, Drink, and Exercise. What you take in an what you do in the days after surgery and recovering from these often has a bigger effect on the outcome and recovery than anyone really suspects. The fact is that your body will heal with what you eat and drink and what you do for exercise is really important.

Critical changes to your diet and exercise are important if you want to heal or support those healing so be sure to be very aware of what is prescribed for in the area of food and restrictions for foods or other things like sodium. Also after a stay in the hospital it can be very difficult to get a lot of exercise but exercise is critical to recovery. In my dads case after his heart attack we of course had no idea how much exercise a moderately physical guy should get afterwards so it is important to talk to the doctor and nurses to see what they have to say.

Permanent changes are often needed after hospital stays. A car accident, heart attack, or other major life event is just that, a major life event and may mean that you have to make permanent changes. You have to look at diet, exercise, ongoing health care, and even lifelong habits may need to change.

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Causes of Childhood Obesity



Strictly speaking, there is only one causes of childhood obesity, and that is consuming more calories than the body can burn each day.  However, there are certain factors that increase the risk of your child becoming obese.  It’s important to take the necessary steps to decrease these risk factors in order to avoid health problems that may arise from obesity.

There are many factors that cause obesity in children and adolescents.  Oftentimes, these factors work in combination to increase the risk of your child becoming overweight.  Below are some of the causes of childhood obesity.

Causes of Childhood Obesity

Environmental Factors – Environmental factors play a huge role in childhood obesity.  American families often eat out, and more often than not, they eat fast food that is high in fats and calories but lacking in nutrition.  Sugary drinks and energy-dense convenience foods like cookies and chips are readily available while wholesome, healthy foods are less accessible and oftentimes more expensive.  Portion sizes are larger than they used to be, so that people tend to eat more without realizing it.

Causes of Childhood Obesity

Kids Need Exercise

Children these days do not get enough physical activities.  They spend too much time using entertainment media such as television, video games, computers and movies.  TV viewing is a major cause of childhood obesity because it discourages physical activity.  In addition, it can lead to increased food intake through snacking and eating in front of the TV.  Television commercials also encourage children to make unhealthy food choices.

Genetics/Family History – Another factor that can cause childhood obesity is genetics.  A child that comes from a family of overweight people is more likely to put on extra weight, too.  While genetics plays an important role in childhood obesity, family factors also have a significant impact particularly if these factors include eating too much without getting enough exercise.  Dietary and lifestyle habits within the family contribute to childhood obesity.

Socioeconomic Factors – Children from low-income backgrounds, including lower level of education,  are more likely to become obese.  Healthy eating and exercise is difficult for families with limited time and resources.  High-calorie processed foods are often cheaper and more readily available than fresh fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods.  Families with low socioeconomic status may also have limited access to safe recreational places, thus making it difficult to participate in sports and physical activities.  However, recent studies into obesity show that the rate of childhood obesity among high- income groups is now on the rise.

Psychological Factors – Some people, including children, are “stress eaters”.  They overeat in order to handle stress or deal with negative emotions.  There are also people who eat to fight boredom.

Medications – Certain drugs can cause obesity in children, such as steroids and antidepressants.  Children who are taking medications for a psychiatric condition or seizure disorder may gain excess weight.  These drugs cause weight gain by stimulating the appetite or slowing down the body’s metabolism so that it burns calories more slowly.  In some cases, the medication may cause the body to retain water.

The CDC has a great page on their plan over the last few years to try and stop these causes of childhood obesity

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Gastric Sleeve Weight Loss Surgery

There are several options for weight loss or bariatric surgery and one of them is gastric sleeve weight loss surgery. This type of surgery is often recommended for patients with a BMI higher than 40. Patients who are extremely obese can undergo vertical sleeve gastrectomy, as it is also called, to allow them to reach a safer weight, after which they can have another bariatric surgery such as gastric bypass. A gastric sleeve operation is done laparoscopically or using small incisions, removing up to 85% of the stomach to reduce food intake.

How it Works

Using small incisions, the bariatric surgeon removes two-thirds or up to 85% of the patient’s stomach, so that the remaining stomach is in the shape of a tube or banana. Staples can be used to create a smaller stomach, which typically has a capacity of about 200 ml. With a smaller stomach, the patient can take in only small quantities of food.

Who is a Good Candidate for Gastric Sleeve Weight Loss Surgery?

Although the procedure is relatively new, gastric sleeve surgery is now one of the recommended weight loss procedures for patients with BMI higher than 40. The procedure can also be offered to individuals with BMI between 35 and 39 who have obesity-related health disorders such as diabetes and high blood pressure. It can also be offered to those who find it difficult or impossible to make the follow-up visits required by a procedure like gastric banding, which leaves a foreign object in the patient’s digestive system.

How Effective is Gastric Sleeve Surgery?

Most patients who have gastric sleeve surgery experience a weight loss of 50% to 80% of their body weight within 6 months to one year after surgery. Within two years, patients can lose an average of 60% of excess weight. One of the benefits of this bariatric procedure is that patients experience an improvement in blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Patients with diabetes and sleep apnea also show an improvement in their condition.

Comparison of Gastric Sleeve and Other Weight Loss Procedures

Unlike gastric bypass procedure, gastric sleeve surgery allows normal food digestion and absorption of nutrients, yet weight loss is about the same as that experienced by gastric bypass patients. In addition, the procedure is not as risky as a gastric bypass.

Gastric sleeve patients are also able to lose weight more quickly than those who have gastric band surgery. Being a relatively new procedure, however, there is limited data on long-term weight loss with gastric sleeve surgery compared to other procedures like gastric bypass.

Successful Weight Loss

People who have gastric sleeve surgery must make certain lifestyle changes in order to continue supporting weight loss. It’s true that the procedure creates a smaller stomach and forces you to eat less, but you will still have to exercise and eat a sensible diet in order to remain healthy and continue losing excess weight. Eating larger amounts of food can gradually stretch the stomach and make it bigger, thereby negating the effects of the weight loss procedure. Patients must commit to a healthy lifestyle and good eating habits.


Gastric Sleeve Weight Loss Surgery

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