Weight Loss Surgery GrowsIn Popularity (NAPSA)—The National Institutes of Health (NIH) calls it the only proven method of achieving long-term weight loss and now tens of thousands of morbidly obese people are turning to surgery to dramatically shed the pounds and changetheirlives. Forty-four-year-old surgeon Robert Marema weighed as much as 340 pounds when he decided he was a candidate for the weight loss surgery he had been perform- ing so successfully on thousands of patients over the last few years. “Patients were asking me, ‘Hey doc, when are you going to do this yourself?” said Dr. Marema, President, U.S. Bariatric in Florida. “I finally decided that if I wanted to Questions to ask a weightloss surgeon from experts at www.weightlosssurgeryinto.com: 1. What type of weightloss surgery procedures have you performed? 2. How many procedures have you performed? 3. Can the surgery be performed using minimally invasive techniques? 4. Which procedureis best for me? Whataretherisks involved? 5. Whattype of long-term, atter-care services can you provide for me? @ between 11 and 15 million people 210 and 220 for the last several years. In addition to the pounds, the reflux disease, sleep apnea, arthritis and back pain he suffered because of his morbid obesity, have also gone away. “The bottom line is that there about 45,000 in 2001. According to the ASBS and the methods people can choose from to deal with their morbid obesity,” said Dr. Marema. Dr. Marema says weight-loss surgery is a major operation and see my children grow up, I needed to have the surgery.” Dr. Marema is not alone. According to the American Society of Bariatric Surgery (ASBS), are morbidly obese (100 pounds or more overweight) and about 75,000 of them will undergo weight-loss surgery this year. That’s up from are a variety of effective surgical NIH, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the current gold standard and the most common surgical procedure people should thoroughly research their options before making a is made into a small pouch, created by stapling. This restricts the amount of food a person’s stomach can hold, reducing calorie and nutrient absorption and leading to dramatic weight loss. Gastric bypass may be performed laparoscopically, through several small incisions. This ing nutritional and psychological counseling, before and after the surgery. People should be encouraged to attend ongoing support groups where patients can share performed to treat morbid obesity. In the procedure, the stomach method often reduces hospital stay time and post-surgical pain. Six months after his gastric bypass surgery, the six-foot-five Dr. Maremalost about 110 pounds and in the next three months, he lost another 30 pounds. He’s been able to keep his weight between decision. They should look for surgeons who are experienced and offer comprehensive care, includ- their experiences with each other. One resource patients can con- sult is www.weightlosssurgery info.com, a Web site that offers information about weight-loss surgery options, including an interactive questionnaire that can help determine if Someone is a candidate for the surgery, as well as a wayto identify experienced surgeons in their area who offer the weight-loss surgery option.
