
Diabetes Bariatric Surgery
Contents
1. Overview – Diabetes Bariatric Surgery
2. Diabetes Bariatric Surgery – Glossary Listings
2.1 Diabetes Gastric Bypass Surgery
2.2 Diabetes Laparoscopic Gastric Banding
Diabetes Bariatric Surgery
1. Overview – Diabetes Bariatric Surgery
Morbidly obese or bariatric patients often have type 2 diabetes as a result of their extreme weight. If they don’t have it, then they are at a very high risk for developing the disease that has many serious complications.
The link between type 2 diabetes and obesity is when the body weight is higher, the body either can’t make enough insulin or the insulin doesn’t work correctly in the body. For this reason, people who are obese are recommended to loose weight to a healthy weight before they develop diabetes.
Once a patient does develop type 2 diabetes it is typically controlled through a healthy diet, regular exercise, medication and insulin. There are also those in the medical community who believe bariatric surgery is a way to treat or in some cases even cure type 2 diabetes.
For many bariatric patients, weight loss is a huge challenge. They normally try a number of things under their doctor’s guidance such as exercise and a healthy diet without seeing the desired results. Weight loss medication is also sometimes tried. When nothing else works, bariatric surgery comes into play and can greatly lengthen an obese individual’s life expectancy.
There are two types of bariatric surgery for patients with or without diabetes. The most popular is called gastric bypass surgery and involves the stomach being shrunk and connected to a different part of the digestive tract bypassing other parts. This surgery is very invasive and comes with several risks, but patients who undergo this surgery see drastic results that they are typically able to maintain.
The second and newer type of bariatric surgery is called laparoscopic gastric banding or lap band surgery for short. It too involves the stomach being shrunk, but there is no bypassing of the digestive system for this procedure. This surgery is not quite as invasive and patients do still see drastic weight loss results.
In both surgeries, patients with type 2 diabetes benefit greatly from the drastic weight loss and some patients with diabetes have been completely cured of the disease. Others who did not have diabetes, but were at a huge risk for developing it lowered their chances of getting diabetes tremendously.
2. Diabetes Bariatric Surgery – Glossary Listings
2.1 Diabetes Gastric Bypass Surgery
Gastric bypass surgery is a surgical procedure in which the stomach is made smaller with staples or a band and is then connected to the middle of the small intestine. This means that any food consumed will bypass part of the stomach and small intestine. This surgery works in two ways to prompt weight loss. First after surgery patients will feel full faster due to a smaller stomach size and second, less calories will be absorbed from food because part of the small intestine has been bypassed.
Gastric bypass surgery has several associated risks including a leak in the stomach, blood clots, gallstones, nutritional deficiency, ulcers, a hernia, an enlarged stomach and loosened staples. Patients like gastric bypass surgery because they are able to loose weight quickly and keep it off.
2.2 Diabetes Laparoscopic Gastric Banding
Laparoscopic gastric banding, also known as the lap band, is a surgical procedure where a silicone band is placed around the upper part of the stomach using laparoscopic tools. This turns the stomach into a pouch that can hold only about an ounce of food. A plastic tube is attached to the band and placed just under the skin’s surface so that after surgery water can be injected or released from the tube to tighten or loosen the band. Weight loss is experienced by patients because the stomach holds drastically less food prompting them to eat less and loose weight rapidly. This procedure is popular because it is fairly safe compared to gastric bypass surgery, it can be reversed easily, it doesn’t interfere with food absorption and patients see drastic results. One thing to note is that after a while, the stomach can return to its original size.
References
http://www.bariatrics4diabetes.com/bariatrics4diabetes/pages.aspx?page=Impact
http://www.diabeteshealth.com/browse/fitness/bariatric-surgery/
http://www.yourbariatricsurgeryguide.com/diabetes/
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=23436
http://www.webmd.com/diet/weight-loss-surgery/gastric-banding-surgery-for-weight-loss
http://www.webmd.com/diet/weight-loss-surgery/gastric-bypass





