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Strange but true: 14 year old girl benefits from gastric band surgery

November 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment

A 14 year old girl became the youngest person in the UK to have weight loss surgery, after undergoing gastric band surgery in Belgium four years ago. Teenager Katie Hill weighed more than 18 stone and was a size 26 before she had the operation. Before the treatment she was incredibly unhappy and had tried a string of diets without any success.

Katie’s story

Most teenagers enjoy spending time with their friends, but for Katie Hill life was miserable because of her size. At 18 stone, she was more than double the weight of most of her friends and she confided in her mum about just how unhappy she was with the way she looked. Katie had tried a series of diets but had not been able to lose weight. Katie’s mum, Juliet, decided to take her daughter to a private clinic in Belgium for gastric bypass surgery, a step which received criticism from doctors and members of the public at the time. People suggested that weight loss surgery was a drastic step, especially as Katie was so young, but her mother stuck to her guns and now, four years later, Katie credits the operation with saving her life.

Four years after her operation, Katie appeared in the national press, showing off a svelte size 8 figure, having lost more than 10 stone. Her mum said that she had thought long and hard about the decision but she had to act to save her daughter.

Gastric band surgery

The number of gastric band procedures carried out in the UK has increased significantly in recent years. The number of teenagers having gastric band surgery on the NHS has quadrupled over the last 4 years and there have been suggestions that children as young as 11 years old will soon be treated for obesity by means of weight loss surgery.

The rise in gastric band procedures has caused controversy, especially as the NHS budget is being stretched more than ever. Some critics believe that more money should be invested in educating children and parents about healthy eating and exercise, in order to reduce the amount of money spent on procedures such as gastric band and gastric bypass surgery.

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Increased Weight Loss Through Transoral Gastroplasty

April 1, 2010 by

Transoral gastroplasty is an innovative procedure that can take over the Gastric Sleeve procedure. Transoral gastroplasty is also known as TOGA. The best thing about this procedure is that it does not require any incision on your abdomen. This is a surgery without an incision made on your skin.

This weight loss surgery procedure is done under general anasthesia and it usually takes about two hours to complete the procedure. The individuals who have undergone this procedure have shown to lose about 35-40% of their excess body weight. This is a good amount of weight loss that one can achieve without undergoing an invasive surgical procedures as was once thought.

Now we will see how transoral gastroplasty is performed. The patient is prepped and then general anaesthesia is given. The respiratory system is secured through an intubator. Once everything is secured, the surgeon then passes the endoscope through mouth and with the help of that and the stapler starts the stapling process in order to make a gastric sleeve.

Before stapling, the stomach is inflated with carbon dioxide or air so that the surgeon can have the maximum area to staple the desired areas of the stomach to create a pouch. A small pouch is created that makes the individuals feel full. This curbs their appetite and individuals do not overeat.

The difference between the traditional gastric bypass surgery and transoral gastroplasty is that in the traditional one, the surgeon reaches the stomach by performing incision on the abdomen and then perform the stapling. In transoral gastroplasty the surgeon performs the procedure with the help of an endoscope.

The criteria that surgeons have marked for individuals wanting to go through transoral gastroplasty is they should be between the ages of 16 and 60, not suffering from any life threatening diseases, GI disorders, as well as have failed different diet and exercise regimen.

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Antiobesity Medications Versus Weight Loss Surgery

April 1, 2010 by

Weight loss is a billion dollar industry. There are a lot of over the counter supplements, diet programs, drugs, weight loss procedures available to help treat obesity. Weight loss surgery is the last resort to achieve the desired weight loss results. Weight loss is a step by step program that should be followed under the strict guides of your physician.

Why should your weight loss plan be developed by your physician? Your physician has the most knowledge with regards to the right foods that you need to eat, the exercise plans you must follow, the weight loss drugs or supplements that can help you lose the weight in the most effective manner.

Along with your physician, a nutritionist and a physical trainer will make an ultimate team to help you through the entire process. This article will focus on the antiobesity medications, which help lose weight gradually. These drugs have different mechanism of actions and your physician can make the right choice for you.

The antiobesity medications prescribed by your physician are Reductil and Xenical. These medications must be taken under the supervision of your physician. It is important to follow all the different set of guidelines set so as to get the best results. These medicines work through by lowering down the amount of fat being absorbed by the body.

Our bodies produce hormones known as ghrelin and leptin. These hormones are responsible to inform our body as to when we are feeling hungry or full. These anti obesity drugs also function by acting on these hormones that make us feel full and hence decrease the amounts of carbs that we take.

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Basics About The Bariatric Procedures, Gastric Banding / Gastric Bypass

April 1, 2010 by

Gastric bypass and gastric banding surgeries are also known as bariatric surgery. The word “Bariatric” means to perform surgery on the stomach to reduce its volume. The weight loss procedures are opted based on the results that are desired. Gastric banding is considered safer as it is reversible, whereas gastric bypass involves removal of the part of stomach and intestines.

Through both the gastric bypass and gastric band, about 30 mL of the stomach volume is reduced. This means that an individual who goes through this procedure will eat less food to make them feel full. This in turn will decrease the food intake and lower the calories consumed. This allows an individual to lose weight at a much faster pace.

The benefits associated with gastric band and gastric bypass surgery is to lose weight, correction of diabetes, as well as correction of sleep apnoea. A lot of people who have undergone these procedures have noted a marvelous improvement in their health status.

If we compare gastric bypass with gastric band surgery, we will see that the gastric bypass is a more invasive procedure and is irreversible. Gastric band surgery is not that invasive , but does pose risk that are not life threatening.

It is highly advisable that before you opt for any such procedure, you should do a complete homework in terms of understanding the pros and cons of these procedures and whether this is something that you really want. It would be a good approach to consult your family doctor and ask for his advice on this matter.

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What can Gastric Bands Do?

January 18, 2010 by

A Laparoscopic adjustable gastric band, also commonly referred to as a lap band, is a type of inflatable silicone item that is usually placed around the top most portion of the stomach in some kind of laparoscopic surgery. It is usually implemented in an attempt to treat obesity of any kind. Gastric bands are considered by some to be an extreme form of weight loss surgery, but, in some cases, the options for weight loss are relatively limited. However, gastric bands are not used for just anyone because there are a certain number of risks that accompany this obesity surgery.

Gastric bands are only used to treat those patients with a body mass index, or BMI, or 40 or higher. Though, patients with a Body Mass Index of as low as 35 may also undergo the surgery in the case which that particular patient has some other condition which can prevent weight loss to some degree (these include diabetes, apnea, hypertension, GERD, or metabolic syndrome).

The use of gastric bands also comes with a certain amount of risk, including gastritis, which can cause diffuse discomfort or other pain. If this becomes severe, it can also result in a painful ulcer formation which can heavily complicate the digestive process. Some other conditions that may result in the use of gastric bands include Erosion which may be the result of the band slowly migrating through the wall of the stomach to where it is on the inside of the stomach. Though this usually occurs silently, it can display many painful symptoms while it occurs, which can prompt immediate medical attention.

If the gastric band causes bleeding, it may require immediate, severe surgery to correct before internal bleeding occurs. Though these risks are evident, they may be worth it to get the potential weight loss that will occur as a result of the use of a gastric band.

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Filed Under: Weight Loss, Weight Loss Surgery