Bariatric Surgery in El Paso, TX
Dr. Benjamin Clapp MD FACS recommends that patients consider bariatric surgery when dealing with moderate obesity, and a BMI between 35 and 40, rather than waiting until their BMI is over 40 or even 50. This is when the patient is less likely to enjoy the full benefits of the procedure.
Bariatric surgery’s benefits are usually twofold is a fast, safe, and effective way to not only reduce weight, but also ward off the dangers of obesity, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, among others.
What to Expect
Weight loss surgery involves reducing the size of your stomach to physically decrease the amount of food you need to consume. The procedure also causes metabolic changes, such as changes in some hormone levels, which help to decrease your appetite and increase insulin sensitivity. This is actually one of the benefits of bariatric surgery for diabetic patients.
Depending on the procedure, the doctor may remove 80% of your stomach, using the sleeve gastrectomy approach. This procedure is particularly suited for patients with a BMI of 35 to 40. Severely obese patients, on the other hand, use the gastric bypass approach, which involves bisecting the stomach and small intestines into two segments. The smaller ones are linked together to decrease both your food intake and absorption in the intestines.
When to contact Dr. Benjamin Clapp
Most people are suitable candidates of a weight loss treatment, though the main metric that Dr. Clapp will check is your BMI. Generally, adults with mild obesity and BMI of 30 to 35, moderate obesity and BMI of 35 to 40, and severe obesity and BMI of over 40, are good candidates for weight loss surgery.
That said, you should keep in mind that surgery is almost always a last resort, where other lifestyle changes like diet, exercise are ineffective. But after the procedure, you will need to adjust your lifestyle choices.