If you’re considering weight loss surgery, you first need to meet certain standards to ensure that you’re a qualified candidate. Then, it helps to know the lingo, along with details about the different types of procedures available and the qualifications your surgeon brings to the table.
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Weight Loss Surgery Lingo
When you talk with your surgeon and the other professionals involved in your weight loss surgery, you may hear the following terms, many of which you won’t encounter in any other situation:
American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS): The professional association of surgeons and health-care professionals who work with weight loss surgery patients.
Bariatrics: The branch of medicine that deals with obesity.
Biliopancreatic diversion with/without duodenal switch: A form of weight loss surgery in which more of the intestines is bypassed and a portion of the stomach is removed. It is the most malabsoptive of all weight loss surgeries.
Body mass index: The relationship of height to weight mathematically arrived at by dividing your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared, then multiplying that answer by 703.
Comorbidity: A health condition associated with obesity, such as diabetes, sleep apnea, or heart disease.
Dumping: The reaction that many patients have when they eat something very sweet. Symptoms can include nausea, sweating, lightheadedness, cramps, and diarrhea.
Gastric bypass: A surgery in which part of the gastrointestinal system is taken out of the loop of digestion.
Gastrointestinal (GI) leak: A complication of surgery in which the new connections of the gastrointestinal system leak into the abdominal cavity.
Laparoscopic surgery: A method of doing surgery in which the surgeon inserts into the abdomen thin tubes fitted with surgical instruments and tiny cameras.
Lap-Band: A device approved by the FDA in 2001 for weight loss. A small pouch is formed at the beginning of the stomach using a band that is tightened to restrict food going to the rest of the stomach. There is no malabsorption with the Lap-Band.
Malabsorption: A result of bypassing the first part of the small intestines (as is done in some weight loss surgeries) so that not all the calories that are consumed are absorbed.
Minimally invasive: Surgery or procedure, such as laparoscopic, that is less invasive than open surgery for the same purpose.
Morbidly obese: A clinical term used to describe anyone who has a body mass index of 40 or above.
Open surgery: A procedure in which the surgeon makes an incision that can be from 3 to 12 inches long.
Pannus: The large flap of hanging abdominal skin that sometimes forms after massive weight loss.
Pouch: The part of the stomach that is formed by partitioning the entire stomach.
Roux-en-Y (RNY): The most common weight loss surgery. It combines restriction with malabsorption. With Roux-en-Y surgery, the majority of the stomach and the first part of the small intestines are removed.
Stomach stapling: A general, popular term that refers to any weight loss surgery. Medically, stomach stapling is the vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG).
Vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG): A form of weight loss surgery, more popular in the 1990s, in which a pouch is formed at the base of the esophagus using staples. A small opening is left in the pouch so that food can enter the rest of the stomach slowly.
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How to Qualify for Weight Loss Surgery
In order to qualify for weight loss surgery, you have to meet certain standards — not everyone who wants the surgery actually qualifies for it. To become a surgery candidate, all the following must apply to you:
You have a body mass index of 40 or above, or you have a body mass index of 35 to 39 with other obesity-related health problems.
You have a history of diet failures.
You understand the risks and benefits of surgery.
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Questions to Ask Your Weight Loss Surgeon at Your First Consultation
At your first meeting with a surgeon who may perform your weight loss surgery, you’ll want to ask the following questions to determine whether this surgeon is the right one for you:
How many surgeries have you performed?
Do you perform surgery laparoscopically or open?
Which weight loss surgeries do you perform?
Which surgery do you think is right for me?
What support services does your surgical practice offer?
Do you have a support group?
How soon after my insurance approval can I be scheduled for surgery?
What training have you had in bariatric surgery?
Is your practice a Center of Excellence?
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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/weight-loss-surgery-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html
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