Diet and Weight Loss Weight Loss Surgery

Weight-Loss Surgery and Quality of Life

Weight-related health problems will also improve, sometimes dramatically. Sleep apnea tends to disappear entirely with both gastric bypass and adjustable gastric banding. In addition, many patients see marked improvement in diabetes, asthma, blood pressure and muscle and joint pain.

The outcome from weight-loss surgery should not be measured solely by weight loss and improvements in medical conditions. After a substantial portion of the excess weight is lost and a patient's health improves, the improvement in quality of life is an equally important outcome.

You may find yourself able to do things you haven't done in years. You may also find that you are better able to live your life in the way you want to.

In studies that have sought to rate a patient's quality of life before and after weight-loss surgery, obesity has been shown to significantly lower a patient's rating of his or her quality of life. The primary objective of weight-loss surgery is to reduce the numerous consequences that may result from being very overweight, by improving a patient's health status, activity level, engagement in life and work productivity.

The authors of one quality-of-life study wrote that they were "quite surprised" to find that, in as little as two to four weeks after surgery, significant improvements were seen in their patients' perception of their overall health, depression and self-esteem. The researchers also found significant changes in energy levels and physical functioning much sooner after surgery than expected. Between several weeks and six months after surgery, patients showed improvements "on all measures assessed."

Many weight-loss surgery candidates have been very overweight for most of their lives and have had to adapt to the many physical, emotional and social consequences of obesity. Dramatic quality-of-life changes can occur after surgery, so patients need to be prepared. It is wise to expect that you may need some help coping with these challenges and the feelings they may generate.

Talk to Your Doctor
If you think you may be a candidate for the surgical treatment of obesity, the first step is to discuss the situation with your doctor. Together, you can consider how being overweight has affected your health and your life, and whether surgery would be a good option.

Sources
1. MacDonald KG, Schauer PR, Brolin RE, Scopinaro N, O'Brien P, Doherty C. Bariatric surgery: a review. Gen Surg News. 2002;29:19-26. 2. Gastric bypass. Medline Plus® Web site, US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. Available at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/print/ency/article/007199.htm. Accessed March 20, 2006. 3. Dymek M, Le Grange D, Neven K, Alverdy J. Quality of life after gastric bypass surgery: a cross-sectional study. Obes Res. 2002;10:1135-1142.

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