Illness And Weight Loss

For those with a number of health issues, losing weight can be as important as medication. If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, or kidney disease, being obese often exacerbates them and worsens your overall health. If you cannot manage to lose weight on your own, ask your doctor about both surgical and non-surgical weight loss procedures. 

Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery can help patients with a number of conditions, kidney transplant candidates in particular. Since kidneys are in limited supply, doctors hesitate to place one in a patient who is obese. Your transplant center will have its criteria for placing you on the list for a kidney, and meeting those criteria may mean losing a hundred pounds or more if necessary. Although some people can lose the weight by sticking to a healthy exercise and eating regime, others cannot seem to manage it. One solution may be bariatric surgery. Because this surgery is now minimally invasive, even people with end-stage renal disease can tolerate it. The surgeon does it laparoscopically, meaning small holes are cut into the patient and instruments inserted to either make the stomach smaller or to place a lap band around the stomach. Both procedures make it difficult to overeat. Patients will lose weight rather quickly before surgery and be better able to keep it off after. Many transplant patients have a tendency to gain weight after they receive their new kidney. Of course, this procedure can help many morbidly obese people who have healthy kidneys but other medical conditions. 

Non-Surgical Weight Loss

If you are not morbidly obese but still need to lose weight to be a healthier person and/or patient, your doctor may recommend a non-surgical method such as the gastric balloon. This method is temporary and involves having a balloon inserted through your throat and into your stomach where it is filled with air or saline. It keeps you feeling full so that you cannot overeat. After six months, you should have lost the necessary weight, and the balloon will be removed. Some patients have multiple health issues and eliminating any unnecessary surgery is desirable. For those patients with type 2 diabetes, losing a significant amount of weight combined with exercise can even eliminate the symptoms. 

If you have a chronic condition, losing weight can ease many of the symptoms and make treatment more effective. Consult with your physician about getting either surgical or non-surgical weight loss to make you a healthier individual. For more information, contact Belly Balloon Texas or a similar organization.

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