Stomach Stapling & Gastric Banding

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Where I work there is this woman who has had gastric banding done for her stomach in December. She is 30 and obese. Since the banding of 3 months ago she has lost 50 pounds. Evidently this is a new kind of method of making the stomach smaller by literally placing a band around it rather than making an incision in the actual stomach (stomach stapling).

So I started looking up some information on it online and was kindof shocked to see the not-so-great success rate on stomach stapling:

-Only 30% actually achieve a normal weight
-35% of the time the staples pull loose
-The website didn't have a number but it said that a large portion of the patients regain their weight after 3-5 years.

I think the above was only for stomach stapling. When it comes to gastric banding some things to worry about is the band wearing through the stomach wall or slipping. It seems a lot safer than the previous stapling although I couldn't find any statistics for success rates etc.

I guess I just wanted to think outloud about this. It's just crazy the extremes people go through these days. I feel kind of sorry for the girl cause it seems like it doesn't really solve the root of the problem. Drinking calorie drinks is a major no-no after this surgery since (obviously) liquid is digested quickly and won't make you feel full, thus defeating the whole purpose. I've seen her drinking powerade and I just think "Crap, that's no good".

What does everyone think about these kind of surgeries?

~Nicole
 
I trained several people who had this done as it is usually recommended that they start an exercise program at a certain point.

I had a few that were successful at losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle of exercise and good nutrition. However....

My main concern was that people who get that obese in the first place almost always have an underlying mental issue happening that centers around food. The surgery addresses the physical aspect of being obese, with very little emphasis on the pschyological aspect. For these people, food is a large part of their life, then one day, it is all but completely taken away and replaced with liquid vitamins and tablespoon sized portions.

They are able to gradually increase food intake, and what sometimes happens, is they just continue to increase....and restretch their stomachs over time.

Overall, I think the band surgery can be a useful tool in helping the extremely obese get to a healthier weight, for some it pretty much saves their lives. But, there needs to be much more in the way of therapy and training to help these people adjust their lifestyles as a whole, in order to make those changes permanent.
 
All good points deschain. It's kind of nice to know that some manage to live healthy lives after the surgery.

~Nicole
 
I know what you mean. I am also amazed at the number of people willing to undergo gastric bypass as well. This is currently becoming very vogue and I have heard of people gaining weight to meet the criteria for surgery. It is also associeted with some fairly high risk immediatley post-op and many people experience complications. The restructuring is permanent, but like everything else many people are able to gain weight after the surgery. The upside is that most patients lose 100lbs or more over the course of a year following the surgery.

I do believe there are times when the medical benefits outweigh the risks, however none of these procedures address the underlying cause. Anyone undergoing any type of weight loss surgery should recieve counselling, but that doesn't mean they will follow the advise given.
 
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