Weight Loss Surgery Blog

CNN – Reports that the price of obesity is increasing at an alarming rate. Cost are escalating for the health care industry in order to manage the medical needs of those who are morbidly obese.

According to a CNN health report, obesity can remove 2 to 4 years off the average lifespan of a person. Being very obese can shorten the lifespan by 8 to 10 years or more according to a new scientific study which included almost a million people.

Professor of global health, Ali Mokdad, Ph.D., at the University of Washington, states, “This is scary and something that we should pay close attention to. These new findings actually underestimate the true impact of obesity on society because they don’t address the costs of obesity-related illnesses and other factors.”

The original study was conducted by the eminent epidemiologist Sir Richard Peto of the University of Oxford. This study was conducted to figure out how exactly a body mass index (BMI) relates to mortality.

CNN reports that infertility can be attributed to obesity in some women. Women that are overweight produces too much estrogen, this in turn affects other hormone levels within their bodies. This can cause Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) where there is not enough balance of hormones to stimulate and egg to full maturity.

This video is a repost of this report

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CNN report on obese people who live in Alabama who are penalized on insurance premiums for being overweight. This plan was implemented as a means to motivate people to lose weight. However, some feel that this is nothing more than a fat tax.

This video is a rebroadcast of this report.

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Hey y’all!   I am one week post surgical and have my good days and bad days – mostly good.  I never thought that finally being able to have pureed potatoes would excite me more than a new pair of shoes but here I am!

So let’s have some fun!  What are some habits that make you a “Gold Star” earner as a Lap Band-ite? What are some that might put you in detention?  With school starting soon it makes for a fun game.  I’d love to hear from y’all – I would hate to think I am alone on this board!

Go Hawks!

Jill

I have lapband surgery almost a year ago.  While I lost 35 lbs during the first 6 months, I did not lose more weight from months 7-10  As I’m sure many of us know, the nutritionists are very conservative in their approach to fills, and we understand why.  However, at 10 months I was only at a fill of “2″.  A friend of mine who had the same procedure done in Olympia talked to me about the bariatric xray that she’d had and how you could see what was getting through and when a fill was enough.  One of our nutritionists suggested that I go to a 2.2 fill.  I went ahead and scheduled the X-ray prior to the fill and Dr. Billing found that it wasn’t until 2.9 that I personally (and I know this is a personal situation for each of us) was getting any type of true restriction.  Now I can actually feel fuller yet still get enough protein through to be healthy!  Thank heavens for modern science and equipment that helps us “know” where the restriction works rather than have it based on guess work.  I’m now starting to lose weight again. Good luck to you all in your journeys- Jan Schiffner

Hi!  I just found the new weblog site.  This is so great!  We now have our own surgical center blog!  I was at a seminar at the clinic this evening and Dr. Billing told me about this.  The seminar was really fun and informative.  It brought back memories of a year ago January when I was one of those people sitting and gathering info, trying to make one of the biggest decisions of my life.  So glad I did!  I think at least 5 people asked me if it hurts to get a fill and I, who am deathly afraid of needles, said no, it doesn’t hurt a bit…and it wasn’t a lie!  There was one woman there who said that two of her friends had lapbands inserted last year and neither one is doing very well with the band.  She said they have no support system, no nutritionist, nothing… It’s sad that there are places out there doing this surgery and then just kind of “throwing” the patient out there with no support to help them along.  We’re so blessed… Anyway, glad I found the new site.  Have a great rest of the week!  :0) Allison

With this latest medical report from CNN, gives a personal testimonial of how bariatric surgery is making a huge difference in people’s lives. The emotional and psychological healing that comes as a result of the physical transformation is a life saver.

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PSSC is offering the Stomaphyx Procedure for patients who have had gastric bypass and have had some weight gain. It is an endoscopic procedure that pleats the stomach, creating a smaller pouch. We know that pouch dilatation is one reason why patients may have weight gain. This is an outpatient procedure. We are the first in the area to offer this new technology. Make an appointment if you are interested. Here is the website for more information. http://www.endogastricsolutions.com/

When is it time for a fill ? The reason I ask this, is because now that I have been feeling all the signs, I finally bit the bullet and went in for the fill.

Funny how subtle it is. Hunger … suddenly it bothers me when other people are eating.  Taking a risk, eating some bread, and it goes down without a problem…danger signs for sure..  so today, I went in and Joy gave me some happy juice… we will see how the next couple of days go… and hopefully a few lbs will go away…!!

Denise