When considering medical weight loss solutions like bariatric surgery, it’s important to gather as much information as you can. If you have specific questions about bariatric surgery side effects, then you should always consult your physician about what is best for your body, your health, and your weight loss goals.
But if you’re looking for background information on the most common bariatric surgery side effects, then here’s what you need to know.
Bariatric Surgery Side Effects: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
To understand why new types of weight loss surgery are so popular, we have to look back.
The modern weight loss industry traces its roots back to the 1950s, when doctors peddled speed pills to American housewives. For decades, scams and weak science have dominated the industry, but in the past decade America has given rise to a new medical weight loss industry, and not a moment too soon.
With obesity at epidemic levels, more doctors are creating medical weight loss programs, which offer science-based solutions to obesity. That’s why weight loss surgery has suddenly become so popular across the United States, with more than 200,000 weight loss surgeries performed every year (and counting). The average American dieter will make four weight loss attempts this year, with little to show for it, but gastric bypass, lap band surgery, and other surgical options offer hope for a permanent solution.
However, like every type of surgery, it’s important for patients to understand the side effects of bariatric surgery. So what are the most common bariatric surgery side effects?
- Infection following surgery
- Blood clots
- Bleeding ulcers
- Gallstones
- Nausea and vomiting when patients eat too much
- Abdominal scarring
- Malnutrition
- Hernia
- Gastrointestinal hemorrhage
Additionally, any surgery carries risks, such as allergic reactions, blood loss, and pain during the recovery period. Fortunately, according to data from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the risk of fatal complications within 30 days following bariatric surgery is 0.13%, far lower than common operations like hip replacement surgery.
If you think these negative bariatric surgery side effects sound severe, then you need to balance these possible side effects against the benefits of weight loss surgery, too.
The Positive Side Effects of Bariatric Surgery
While these side effects may not be justified when other weight loss methods are still on the table, chronic obesity may justify drastic gastric options. While millions of Americans are overweight, obesity is a medical term that signifies a person weights 20% or more above the “normal” weight for a given height.
Obviously, the most immediate result of weight loss surgery is, well, weight loss. And because obesity drastically increases the risks of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, impotence, erectile dysfunction, and a host of other serious illnesses, weight loss surgery helps obese Americans find a new lease on life. New research even indicates that weight loss surgery cures about half of all diabetes cases!
So if you’re scared of the way obesity is affecting your health, then consider how your weight loss surgery options could change your life for the better.
