The Patient's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery: Everything You Need To Know About Gastric Bypass and Bariatric Surgery

by April Hochstrasser

Is weight loss surgery right for you? After frustrating and failed attempts with traditional dieting methods, more and more people are turning to weight loss surgery. More than 100,000 people undergo weight loss surgery each year and that number is growing rapidly.

The Patient’s Guide to Weight Loss Surgery is an indispensable guide for surgery candidates and their families. It explains in easy-to-understand language everything you need to know about this increasingly popular surgical procedure.

It is the most current and reliable source of information for anyone who wants to make an informed decision about gastric bypass and bariatric surgery.

The Patient’s Guide to Weight Loss Surgery provides valuable information
·The different kinds of weight loss surgery
·The risks and rewards of each procedure
·How to choose the right procedure and surgeon
·Ways to cope with the emotional changes that accompany a dramatic change in body size
·Compelling stories of patients who have had the surgery
·The financial and insurance considerations of weight loss surgery

200 pages, Paperback

First published April 22, 2004

Reviews

[April Hochstrasser · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book out there for people who are researching weight loss surgery options. There are two types of weight loss surgery, restriction and bypass. Most people see an add on TV and go to the sponsored seminar and have a surgery, never having fully researched which type of surgery might be right for them. This book starts right out with a quiz that lets you know if you are a candidate for surgery.

It then goes into each surgery, the strenghts and drawbacks to each one. It even suggests personality traits that will do better with one type of surgery over another. For example, a person with control issues and dislike of authority figures will not do as well with the gastric band procedure. They would be better off with one of the bypass surgeries.The book has objective long-term studies that are 10-15 years in length that tell about the final outcomes.

The personal stories at the end are heart-rending at times as the actual effects of the surgeries are told in people's own words. This book dispells the myth that "You're fat, have the surgery and you're thin." I would recommend it as a required first step before submitting to any type of bariatric surgery.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my health class we did talk about some weight loss items. We really didn't talk about any surgeries cause my teacher doesn't like those. He thinks that every1 should just do exercise for the people 2 loose weight. Exercise may work for some people but not everyone.

Two of the surgeries mentioned in this book were when they put a band around ur stomach and when they stapled ur stomach. The other surgeries I haven't heard of @ all. Especially the one where they put a balloon in ur stomach. I would b afraid that the balloon would pop.

I read Sarah's story and it's great that she was able to loose the weight that was needed and then to keep it off. I still feel sooooo srry for her not being able to able a ton of foods and then having to throw up if anything get's blocked. Plus all those vicitims that she has to take every single day some five times a day along with the protein shakes that she has to drink five times a day. Finally, going to the gym six times a week has to be tiring.

There's no ways I'll ever be able to handle something like this ever.

[Mikaela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read through this book in its draft phase and found it so insightful. There are so many facts about weight loss surgery that surprised me. Many people think it is the miracle solution. For a very few it is, for a lot of people, it is not. This book is a must read for anyone contemplating weight loss surgery. It is informative with not only the facts and studies, but also the personal experiences of people who have had successful surgeries and those for whom surgery was not the answer.

[Brent Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book starts out with information rather than stories, so it begins a little dry. But overall it's a helpful introduction to the subject. I'm interested because of a life-long struggle with weight; still haven't decided to set up an appointment.

[Surreysmum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book helpful and clearly written.