Medical Treatment For Obesity
Your weight is now as out of control as a runaway train. Your body mass index (BMI) labels you as obese. You are having problems sleeping, your blood pressure produced a shocked gasp from the nurse at your last doctor’s visit, and you are borderline diabetic. You have tried every new diet and diet pill on the market, and you try to be more active, but the extra load you’re carrying makes that extremely difficult. Before things get worse—and they can—it may be time to seek medical treatment for your obesity. This can take one of two forms: prescription medication or surgery.
Prescription medication is what your doctor is likely to recommend first. Bear in mind that these aren’t miracle drugs. They may not work for you. There are two that authorities have deemed “safe.” Both change your body chemistry, but in different ways, and they differ in the possible side effects you might experience. And, you’re not off the hook here. Both are designed to be taken as part of a total weight-loss plan that includes a reduced-calorie diet and an exercise program.
The first is sibutramine, better known by its brand name, Meridia. It works by altering the chemicals in your brain so that you feel full quicker. This results in a lower food– and therefore lower caloric– intake. The average person can expect to lose 5 to 10% of his initial weight within a year. Bear in mind that sibutramine may be habit forming, and that some prescription drugs, including Prozac, can inhibit its effectiveness and may even produce a serious reaction. Less serious side effects of sibutramine range from flushing and dry mouth to back pain, headache and flu-like symptoms. More serious side effects, though rare, include an elevated heart rate, stomach pain, vomiting, and seizures.
Orlistat is the second weight-loss drug. It is better known as Xenical in its higher-dosage, prescription form, but it can also be purchased over-the-counter in its lower-dosage version, Alli. Orlistat changes your body chemistry by blocking an enzyme that functions to break apart fat so that it can be absorbed into your body. Blocking the enzyme, therefore, blocks the fat absorption, and the fat, instead, passes through your body and is excreted. Like sibutramine, the weight loss averages 5 to 10% of the beginning body rate within a year. Because orlistat blocks not only the absorption of fat, but also the absorption of nutrients, it is recommended that a multivitamin supplement be taken as well. Side effects include more frequent and urgent bowel movements, and the drug may also result in irregularities in menstruation.
Weight-loss, or bariatric, surgery is generally recommended for those with a BMI greater than 40 although you may be considered a candidate for it if your BMI is between 35 and 40 and you suffer from a serious health problem due to it. Like the prescription medications, it isn’t a miracle cure for obesity, and for it to be successful in the long run, you need to commit to making the necessary changes in diet and exercise. There are three common types of bariatric surgery: gastric banding, duodenal switch, and gastric bypass surgery.
Gastric banding involves the least risk of the three, and it is reversible. In gastric banding, the surgeon puts a band around your stomach and tightens it as you would tighten a belt to separate the stomach into two pouches, joined by a small channel. The band is typically placed high on the stomach, so that the top pouch is small, leaving little room for food to be stored. From there, the food must pass through the narrow channel to the intestine. The combined effect is that you can eat only small portions and you feel full longer because it takes longer for the food to move through your system. The result is less food consumed and, consequently, a lower caloric intake, and, thus, weight loss.
Duodenal switch surgery is significantly more invasive than banding. Essentially, this procedure involves cutting the intestines and reattaching them in a manner that bypasses most of the small intestine. The small intestine is rerouted, resulting in two paths, one short and one long, and a short common channel. Food passes from the stomach through the shorter channel to the common channel while the digestive juices move through the longer channel into the common channel. The end result is that the food goes through your system faster and is separated from the digestive juices, so you don’t absorb the calories. The downside is that you don’t absorb the nutrients your body needs either, so you can expect to have to take vitamin supplements for the rest of your life.
Gastric bypass surgery combines the effects of the gastric banding and the duodenal switch surgeries. In a gastric bypass, the surgeon will staple off part of your stomach to create a small pouch so that you can’t consume as much food at one sitting without getting ill. The remainder of the stomach drains into the duodenum, or the initial section of the small intestine, but no food goes there, so there is no absorption of calories, but no absorption of nutrients either. Therefore, a downstream piece of the small intestine is attached to the top of the stomach to create a means for some absorption to take place. The end result is that about 33% of the small intestine gets bypassed, so you absorb fewer calories from the food you consume. Thus, you eat less and absorb fewer calories from what you do eat with this procedure.
As with any major surgery, all three techniques involve significant risk and can result in complications. You may lose as much as half of your excess weight with bariatric surgery, but as with any weight-loss technique—medical or otherwise—you can expect to gain it back if you revert back to your former, unhealthy lifestyle.
If you happen to suffer from clinical or medical negligence due to unexpected medical behaviour. Then you could be entitled to claim for compensation, seek help and advice from Alexander Harris the medical negligence solicitors at http://www.alexanderharris.co.uk/
