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Risks of surgery
Statistics show that 1 in 300 patients die from gastric
bypass surgery. As with any surgical procedure, different reactions to
stress, trauma and medications can sometimes cause unpredictable negative
results. This surgery should only be considered after many other
attempts with diet control and exercise have failed. Keep in mind though,
that diet and exercise will play a large role in your life after the
surgery.
Other medical conditions can also complicate the surgical procedure as
well as the recovery period. Make sure you discuss the
risks of gastric bypass
with your doctor. Since morbid obesity usually causes other serious
medical conditions, the higher your BMI is, the more likely that these
other conditions will exist.
Benefits of the procedure
The
benefits of gastric bypass
surgery very much outweigh the risks. Patients are expected to lose 75 -
80% of their excess body weight. Over 70% of patients with hypertension
will be off medications and over 90% of patients with type II non-insulin
dependent diabetes mellitus are expected to be off medication. Medical
conditions that expect to be drastically improved, if not completely
resolved include: sleep apnea, asthma, joint pain, arthritis, reflux,
fatigue and shortness of breath.
Candidates for gastric bypass surgery
Gastric bypass surgery is only recommended for people who are 90 pounds or
more overweight and have serious medical complications that will be helped
or cured by substantial weight loss.
While
weight loss surgery is not for
everyone, there is a large number of people for whom losing a lot of
weight is imperative. This includes those who are suffering from diabetes, high
blood pressure, heart trouble, shortness of breath, arthritis and
orthopedic problems with their legs, hips or back.
It is also important to
understand that if you consume large quantities of soft drinks, junk food
or fried foods and do not believe that you can switch to diet drinks and
healthier foods, then you may not be an ideal candidate for gastric bypass
surgery. If these types of foods are consumed after the surgery, then it
is very likely that the surgery will fail. To find out if you are a
gastric bypass candidate,
please contact us for more information.
The cost of surgery
The cost of gastric bypass surgery varies according to where you are
having the procedure done. A typical procedure can cost between $20,000
and $35,000 including hospital fees as well as the surgeons and other
professional fees. Although weight loss surgery is an elective procedure,
it may be covered by your insurance company. Many health insurance
companies will pay for some or all of the costs. However, some do not
cover the procedure at all. It is important that you understand what is
covered in your policy.
Insurance Coverage for
the surgery
Since morbid obesity is a life threatening disease,
most insurance companies
will cover gastric bypass surgery when it is considered medically
necessary. Any insurance company covering
surgical procedure will require you to meet several different criteria. It
is important that you understand your policy and what needs to be
documented before the surgery will be approved.
Aetna Insurance asks for the patients
entire medical work-up along with the pre-authorization request as well
as documented weight loss attempts supervised by a physician for the
last 2 years. Many times you must also be able to show a documented weight history for the last 5
years.
LAP BAND Surgical Procedure
By creating a smaller gastric pouch, LAP BAND
surgery limits the amount
of food that the stomach will hold at any time. The inflatable ring
controls the flow of food from this smaller pouch to the rest of the
digestive tract. The patient will feel comfortably full with a small
amount of food. And because of the slow emptying, the patient will
continue to feel full for several hours reducing the urge to eat between
meals.
If you
feel that you or someone you care about is considering gastric bypass or
lap band surgery please contact us today and our
friendly staff will be happy to answer your questions.
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