Explaining Bariatric Surgery: A Surgeon’s Reflection and Recommended Reads

A Personal Inquiry into Bariatric Surgery

Last Sunday my son who is trying to lose weight asked me about bariatric surgery, what it is about .I tried and explained to him, how best I could. But I realized he could not make much out of it .We surgeons often explain things in medical jargons. We take it for granted that our patients have completely understood us. Many of our patients who come back for follow-up ask us what procedure they really received.

Shocking Revelations from Our Patient Survey

We did a small survey on our patients and had shocking revelations. One out of ten didn’t even know the exact name or details of the operation they had received. They thought all bariatric operations are the same.

Shocking!!

Gina Kolata’s Insightful Articles on Bariatric Surgery

My son is net savvy, as youngsters are. He found two good articles on bariatric surgery by Gina Kolata in New York Timesand mailed them for me to read. I found they are very interesting clear and informative. She has explained what bariatric surgery is in lucid details for a lay person. In other article Gina has followed the journey of two very different persons who had received bariatric surgery.

Key Takeaway from Kolata’s Articles

Quoting the opening lines:

“It was Oct. 11, 2015, and a middle-aged man and a young woman, both severely obese, were struggling with the same lump-in-the-throat feeling. The next day they were going to have an irreversible operation. Were they on the threshold of a new beginning or a terrible mistake?”

Recommended Reading: Bariatric Surgery Reads

For a comprehensive understanding of bariatric surgery, I highly recommend reading the full articles by Gina Kolata. You can find them at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/27/health/bariatric-surgery.html

Embracing Introspection: The Lost Art of Self-Reflection as the New Year Begins

As we come to the end of yet another year and look forward to the New Year, today I would like to share something that I have learned in recent years. Now I feel and understand what elders used to mean by “getting mature with time”.

When you start reflecting on how your year went you start thinking that have you achieved enough, have you given your 100% to what you wanted to do, or have you been able to satisfy your desire or hunger for all the things that are your priority, family, friends, relationships, work, passion, travel, etc.? I think that is the time when you start feeling that, you have matured enough.

New Year is not just about celebrating the eve or partying around; it’s about introspection. We can say that, today we will talk about “The lost art of introspection.”

Introspection is the examination or observation of one’s own mental and emotional processes, as per Wikipedia. In simple words, it means to pause and reflect on everything that has been done or you plan to do in all aspects of your life. It may be a recent business you have started or a new job you are about to join, it can even be a long-standing relationship that you would like to think about.

Making new goals and analyzing the past ones is important. Each New Year brings a new positivity and a new beginning for you. It helps you grow, not just add more candles to your cake, but also more wisdom to your thoughts and actions. Helps you become a better human being, which should be the ultimate goal for all of us.

Simple Steps for Effective Self-Reflection: A Guide for the New Year

Few simple steps on how to Self-reflect, it is not rocket science…just some time to yourself!!!

• Know your subject or topic: you should know what you want to think about, it could be your recent business model or change in your place. Being aware of what needs some amount of introspection and thought, makes your work easy.
• Find a quiet and comfortable place: Everyone has that “me” area. It can be a corner of your house or a bench in the nearby park or maybe just your car.
• Make a note: it’s advised to just jot down all your thoughts on a piece of paper. Don’t worry about your handwriting, just keep going.
• Count your blessings: In the end when you have written all your problems, all your thoughts are on the paper, then don’t forget to write all the positives happening in your life related to the issue don’t deviate. This will help you weigh both sides and help you analyze the situation better.
• Practice what you reflected: make sure you include all the thoughts and actions planned in your daily life, as once thoughts become reality, then is the time you would realize the magic they are doing for you.
• Repeat: Repeat the entire cycle as and when you need to.

With these few tips, I wish all my dear ones a very Happy New Year. May this year bring out the best in you and help you achieve all your goals and fulfill all your dreams.

Good Luck!!

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”
– Aristotle