About Weight Loss Surgery

Health Risks

Obesity affects more than a quarter of the American population and the numbers keep rising. It has become a problem that people need to get educated about because obese-related health conditions take the lives of more than 300,000 American’s each year.

While there are many health risks that affect obese people the following diseases are more dangerous than others.

Type 2 Diabetes
Coronary Heart Disease
High Blood Pressure
Osteoarthritis

Type 2 Diabetes
This has become a health condition associated with obesity. The numbers don’t lie! As much as 90% of all those 16,000,000 people who suffer from type 2 diabetes are severely overweight or obese.

Symptoms

Frequent urination
Excessive thirst and hunger
Dramatic weight loss
Irritability
Weakness and fatigue
Nausea and vomiting
Recurring or hard-to-heal skin
Gum or bladder infections
Blurred vision or blindness
Tingling or numbness in hands or feet
Itchy skin

Sometimes symptoms can be so mild that they go unnoticed for years before becoming life-threatening. The great news is that healthy eating and exercise can lower glucose levels and significantly reduce the risk of diabetes.

Coronary Heart Disease
Obesity is a direct factor in heart disease. Excess weight causes the heart to work harder than it should which can lead to serious health problems. Since the symptoms of heart disease can be mild and go unnoticed, a heart attack can strike with little warning.

Angina is one of the most common symptoms of coronary artery disease. It is characterized by numbness, pressure or severe pain in the following areas:

Chest
Arms
Jaw
Throat
Upper back

Lowering Your Risk
The risk for developing heart disease is reduced as body weight drops. Ten to twenty pounds can even begin to make a difference.

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) occurs when blood vessels become narrow or constricted, forcing the heart to work harder to push blood through the body. Damage to the heart, brain and kidney’s can result in heart attacks, stroke, heart failure, kidney failure and eyesight problems. Most people with hypertension don’t even know it is a problem because of the lack of forewarning symptoms.

Occasional Symptoms

Headaches
Nose bleeds
Shortness of breath

Osteoarthritis
This degenerative joint disease is a very common form of arthritis that is characterized as the breakdown of the joint's cartilage. Cartilage provides cushioning between bones. When cartilage is gone bones begin to rub together causing pain and loss of movement in the hands, knees, hips, feet and back.

Early Symptoms

Stiffness upon awakening
Swollen joints
Joint pain
Popping or grinding sounds in a joint
Warm sensation in a joint

Depression
If poor self-image can lead to depression when you are twenty pounds overweight, imagine what it does for those who suffer from obesity. It can get very dreary when you feel that there is no hope for losing the weight you have put on.

Most obese people isolate themselves because they do not feel as though they fit in with the rest of society. Unfortunately the more they isolate themselves the more they eat and the more weight they gain.

It’s never too late! Many others have done it and have reduced their health risks for obese related diseases in the process.

The first step is understanding the issues surrounding your weight issues. Once you have made the connection, then the next step is to realize that you are worth the effort that it will take to lose the weight.

You then have to decide upon a weight loss method that will work best for you. If health problems have placed you in immediate risk, then drastic measures may be necessary.

Weight Loss Surgery
There are weight loss surgeries available for those who are severely overweight or obese that have successfully helped people live longer lives than they would have if they had not taken measures to lose the weight.

Surgery can give you a new lease on life but it is up to you to keep working on the issues around your lack of self control with food! Eating healthier, exercising and dealing with your emotional issues is necessary to overcome the disease.