Options for Weight Loss Procedures
Posted August 12th, 2007 by Christi_MedNetBrazil
It might be interesting to post here the different types of weight loss surgery procedures and their pros and cons or something to that effect. The more information one has at their disposal, the better, I always feel! I am a post Weight Loss Surgery success story myself so I am very familiar with most of the surgical (and some nonsurgical) options for Obesity. I now help my peers have these life-altering surgeries in Brazil with skilled, English speaking surgeons. I would be eager to share my experience and knowledge with those suffering from M.O. as I did!
Blessings and Boa Saude,
Christina deMoraes
Vertical Gastrectomy, Option for low BMI, LapBand alternative
 Hello,
For those of you researching having a weight loss surgery procedure abroad, especially because your BMI is too low to qualify in the USA with your insurance company...
The lap band or VBG is a popular procedure for "low BMI" patients. Many go to Mexico or Costa Rica or even have it done in the USA. While this is a fairly safe procedure to reduce the volume of the stomach, it is a TEMPORARY PROCEDURE and will require constant maintenance and tweaking and eventually, removal or replacement of the ring. It sometimes can actually erode into the stomach and cause problems and immediate removal.Â
There is a surgical alternative to this purely restrictive procedure that is much more permanent and does not require a high BMI. Typically, after a lap band failure or removal, the patient begins to gain weight once again with the restriction gone. They seek to replace this "tool" but are told to literally "gain weight first" so they can be approved for a WLS procedure! A new alternative (though not a "new procedure") to this absurd thinking is called the Vertical Gastrectomy or Sleeve Gastrectomy. It is accomplished either open or laparoscopically and it basically creates a restriction of the stomach by removing the large curvature of the stomach. So it now looks like a "sleeve or banana!" However, the stomach functions normally with the pyloric valve intact. This procedure can be performed on almost anyone (surgical pre-screening by the surgeon first, of course!) even if their BMI is low and they are told they need to "gain weight first" or their BMI is too low to merit a gastric bypass procedure.Â
There are only a few surgeons worldwide performing this life-altering surgery. Brazil has a few excellent ones. Want to know more? Ask away!! =) I am a successful gastric bypass patient myself and love to help educate others like myself that suffer from obesity needlessly. Â
Christina deMoraes, BA, CMC
President, MedNetBrazil Concierge Services, Inc.
877-9-MedNet
gastrointestinal metabolic surgery
One of the most welcomed result of these weight loss surgeries is the dramatic improvement of diabetes in the patients, often resulting in normalization of blood glucose
levels and discontinuation of insulin therapy or oral hypoglycemic
agents. But like Christina said, one would really have to be obese to get these surgeries.
We have in the Philippines now a doctor who has extensively trained in this field wherein metabolic surgery is used to treat diabetes in patients who are not obese enough to
qualify for bariatric surgery.
The rerouting of the intestine is so that the stomach does not absorb the contents. Insteaed of shrinking the stomach like most approaches to weight-loss surgery, the metabolic surgery approach reroutes the small intestine, leaving the stomach intact. The fasting glucose, fasting insulin and hemoglobin A1c levels are dramatically lowered
in patients yet their BMIs have remained stable.
It's a lot of heartache and headache to have diabetes. A lot of individuals have alreaedy expressed interest, at the very least, in exploring the risks and benefits. If anyone would be interested to find out more, please do not hesitate to ask or contact me at my email address below.
Janice A. Macapagal
janice@philmedtourism.com
Philippine Medical Tourism, Inc (PMTI)
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