Gastric Bypass Information
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Do You Qualify For Gastric Bypass or Lap Band®
Surgery?
There are certain criteria you must fit before being accepted for
this major procedure.
Weight loss surgery is becoming more popular as people look for successful
ways of losing excess pounds. Before you spend time and money finding
a surgeon, you should know that not everyone qualifies for gastric bypass
surgery.
The first thing you need to know is your Body Mass Index (BMI). You
can figure this out manually by dividing your weight by your height
in inches squared and multiply by 703 or you can use one of the many
online BMI calculator programs available. Just do a search for "BMI
calculator" and you will get over three million results. You can
also ask your doctor.
Patients looking to undergo bariatric surgery must have a BMI between
40 and 50. That works out to 100 lbs or more overweight for men and
80lbs or more overweight for women. Surgery above this range is riskier
than normal. If your BMI is more than 50, you won't be disqualified,
you will just be asked to lose up to 8% of your weight before undergoing
surgery.
Age plays a part in many surgeons decisions whether to perform a gastric
bypass or other weight loss surgery. Most doctors won't do these procedures
unless the patient is between 15 and 50 years old. Underage patients
will need a parent's consent. Some doctors will set their age range
at 18 to 55. One major thing to consider is studies have shown higher
risks of complications and death in older patients undergoing the weight
loss surgery.
So you are within the age, but not the BMI. You fall short a few points
and you desperately want to lose the pounds to better your health. You
may still qualify if you have a serious or life threatening illness
that could improve with weight loss. Illnesses such as diabetes, heart
disease, sleep apnea, high blood pressure and high cholesterol plus
a BMI of 35 or above will qualify you for gastric bypass or lap band
surgery.
Certain illnesses, mainly psychological ones, will disqualify a person
from bariatric surgery. Illnesses like schizophrenia, bi-polar, and
depression are all exaggerated with weight loss. Every patient will,
or should, undergo a thorough psychological evaluation before one of
these surgeries are performed. Cheating or lying on these tests may
bring harm to yourself. Take the time to deal with your psychological
issues before considering bariatric surgery.
Weight loss intervention procedures can enhance a persons life greatly,
but only if they are the right candidate. Bariatric surgery performed
on someone who doesn't ft the criteria will be riskier and may cause
unforeseen problems. A BMI between 40 and 50 qualifies and a BMI of
35 with serious health issues will also get you in. If you qualify,
congratulations. Be prepared for a major lifestyle change.
More Gastric Bypass Surgery Articles:
Note: The information given here should
not be taken as medical advice. Be sure to talk to your doctor
about any concerns you may have about gastric bypass surgery.
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