2008 Woodie Awards
Gastric Bypass: Answer to Obesity Woes?
Tara Golebiewski
Issue date: 4/28/08 Section: Healthcare
According to a survey by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 66 percent of adults in the United States are considered overweight or obese.
With more than half of the population exceeding the recommended body mass index (BMI), many people are turning to Gastric Bypass surgery - also known as Bariatric Surgery. According to the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery, an estimated 205,000 people with morbid obesity in the United States underwent the procedure last year.
During the surgery, the stomach is made smaller by using staples or a plastic band to create a small pouch, which is then connected to the middle part of the small intestines. The stomach, now the size of a walnut, leads to a smaller appetite that leads to losing weight.
Tammy Schroer, teacher and mother of two, weighed 357 pounds before she decided to get the surgery.
"I had tried every diet - Atkins, South beach, Weight Watchers, diet pills and thyroid medications - but nothing worked," says Schroer.
While diet attempt after diet attempt was failing for her, a friend underwent the gastric bypass surgery and had promising results. Schroer was still skeptical of going under the knife. It was after the birth of her second daughter that she decided to go for it.
"My daughter was born when I was 40 years old and it was a difficult pregnancy. I realized that if I didn't do something, that there was the possibility that I might not live to watch her grow up," said Schroer.
Some basic requirements must be met in order to be eligible for the surgery, according to Kristien Murray, a nurse at a gastroenterology practice. Some of these requirements: you must have a BMI over 40, be overweight for more than five years and must be between 18 and 65. One of the most important conditions to meet is a willingness to change your lifestyle by committing to diet and exercise.
"The surgery won't work if the person doesn't change. That's why we have to pre-screen patients before we can refer them to a bariatric surgeon," said Murray.
With more than half of the population exceeding the recommended body mass index (BMI), many people are turning to Gastric Bypass surgery - also known as Bariatric Surgery. According to the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery, an estimated 205,000 people with morbid obesity in the United States underwent the procedure last year.
During the surgery, the stomach is made smaller by using staples or a plastic band to create a small pouch, which is then connected to the middle part of the small intestines. The stomach, now the size of a walnut, leads to a smaller appetite that leads to losing weight.
Tammy Schroer, teacher and mother of two, weighed 357 pounds before she decided to get the surgery.
"I had tried every diet - Atkins, South beach, Weight Watchers, diet pills and thyroid medications - but nothing worked," says Schroer.
While diet attempt after diet attempt was failing for her, a friend underwent the gastric bypass surgery and had promising results. Schroer was still skeptical of going under the knife. It was after the birth of her second daughter that she decided to go for it.
"My daughter was born when I was 40 years old and it was a difficult pregnancy. I realized that if I didn't do something, that there was the possibility that I might not live to watch her grow up," said Schroer.
Some basic requirements must be met in order to be eligible for the surgery, according to Kristien Murray, a nurse at a gastroenterology practice. Some of these requirements: you must have a BMI over 40, be overweight for more than five years and must be between 18 and 65. One of the most important conditions to meet is a willingness to change your lifestyle by committing to diet and exercise.
"The surgery won't work if the person doesn't change. That's why we have to pre-screen patients before we can refer them to a bariatric surgeon," said Murray.
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