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