IV Motion
Robotics is just the latest bariatric surgery milestone at UT Southwestern, where specialists performed more than 4,000 operations with new robotic technology and trained more than 100 board-certified surgeons
Although bariatric surgery can be very trustworthy, certain myths have been created overtime on the bariatric surgery and this has influenced the decision of certain people about the surgery. Here are some of the myths as well as some of the facts on the bariatric surgery.
Myths and Facts
- You don’t need the surgical part just exercise and dieting: this may have worked for people who gained a fair amount of weight but for an obese individual, it is most unlikely that you would lose so much weight in years without giving up. To lose so much weight, you may need to invest your time into exercise so much that it may affect the other aspects of your life. It is also known that when you lose weight by dieting and achieving the body size and shape you want, you will gain that weight again most likely but with bariatric surgery, you lose weight and that weight stays lost forever. This is achieved because your body is recalibrated in such a way that it doesn’t want so much food anymore
- The surgery is dangerous: what surgery isn’t? This is the question. If things are done wrongly or rushed, then mistakes can happen. Technology has made it a lot easier. It has found a way to bypass certain complexities and even makes the whole process easier and faster. As it stands there is nothing dangerous about it and there are no life-threatening procedures involved in the process as a whole.
- Insurance would not see this as part of their job: different kinds of insurance companies have different policies. There are a good number of insurance companies that cover these surgeries and its procedures. Of course, you don’t just call an insurance company telling them you want to perform bariatric surgery. They will most definitely give you criteria you have to meet for them to be responsible for your bills. To know if you meet the requirement, you have to go to the hospital to obtain all the necessary information you need. Bariatric surgery was a standard exclusion in mediclaim policies. However, with technological advancements and new IRDAI guidelines, many insurance companies pay for bariatric surgery. However, the benefit is only available if it’s medically necessary and is not being used for cosmetic purposes.
- You can’t get pregnant or have children anymore: most of these myths are conceived by ignorant and uneducated people. They pick a line or half a point and buttress that point without paying full attention to the entire point made. When you undergo bariatric surgery, it is advised that you shouldn’t try to get pregnant in the first two years of the surgery. The reason is that pregnancy induces weight gain and you need to eat healthy for you and your baby, however, bariatric surgery is a weight loss program, exactly the opposite of each other. You can get pregnant, but it is advisable not to. Many people get to the peak of their weight loss after two years at which the surgery was conducted, thus it is better to wait for this time before any pregnancy comes in.
- You will surely gain the weight again: this is one of the strongest of the myths that are believed by a lot of people leading them to have a mindset of “what’s the point”. This is sad not because they will gain the weight again but this isn’t true. Bariatric surgery is a long-term solution to excessive weight gain. With bariatric surgery, you can lose so much weight, even as much as 100 pounds in the first year. Studies have also shown that even after 10 years the individuals still kept the weight off and looked good. The long term is relative, but if you lose 100pounds in the first year and lose some more in the second how much can you really gain back.
- Bariatric surgery causes suicidal tendencies: different changes are experienced in the body after a weight loss surgery has taken place. This could range from physical to, emotional and psychological. Certain studies have correlated suicide rates to weight loss procedures thus drawing conclusions fast that it causes suicide. What was not added was, psychological examination and evaluation were not given to the patient before the surgery. As a matter of fact, many of these individuals already have undiagnosed mental and psychological conditions before the surgery. Now it is of utmost importance that a psychological and mental screening is done before the weight loss surgery begins.
