Shrinking America: One Surgery at a Time

Kellie received bariatric surgery a year and a half ago, at age 26, and lost over half her weight--160 pounds (St. Vincent 1). Over one million morbidly obese people in the United States have already received gastric bypass surgery. Since obesity has reached such epidemic proportions, everyone in America is looking for a cure. Gastric bypass surgery has rapidly become a solution for severely obese persons. Being obese causes emotional and physical distress and suffering, which increases a person's desire to become thin. Several thousands of people are taking control of their lives and health by having bariatric surgery. Gastric bypass surgery has been performed with minor variations since 1968 (How it Works 3). The procedure has grown rapidly over the past few years and numerous hospitals have added the surgery. Success rate/recovery, society's influence, and health factors all play a significant role as causes for a person to decide if this life-altering, sometimes dangerous, surgery is right for them.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the most popular of three surgeries for the morbidly obese. In this procedure, surgical staples are used to create a small pouch in the stomach connected to the bowel by a piece of the small intestine, bypassing the majority of the

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stomach. This form of surgery accounts for almost 90% of the procedures performed in the United States (USA Today 2). Generally gastric bypass remains strictly for patients who are morbidly obese by 100 pounds or more over his or her healthy weight. When people have this surgery, they will not only lose a significant amount of weight, but also see obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and sleep apnea greatly diminish or even vanish (Hochstrasser 98). Most patients will lose 50-70% of their excess body weight; some patients will lose even more (Hochstrasser 53). The operation limits the amount of food a person takes in, decreases the amount of calories consumed, and makes it so eating less will still be satisfying. By exercising and eating healthy foods, the weight-loss can be considerably enhanced. Though the surgery rarely gets people to their ideal body weight, most patients get within 30-40 pounds (Woodward 67). Weight loss begins immediately after the operation. The majority of people will continue to lose weight for approximately twelve months. The amount of weight a patient will lose every month will fluctuate depending upon the height and weight prior to surgery (Woodward 57). In general, the weight loss is complete within twelve months. The vast majority of patients are admitted the morning of surgery and will be released three days after the day of their surgery. Recovery time is generally 4 to 6 weeks. After being dismissed from the hospital the patient can generally expect to have a follow up visit in approximately 10 days (McGowan 47).

The widespread acceptance of this procedure has increased because of the promotion and actions of celebrities. Doctor Karl Byrne attributes the recent influence of mass media attention and interest in the procedure to celebrities undergoing the surgery

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(USA Today 3). "It was a pretty big deal when (singer) Carnie Wilson had her surgery broadcast live over the Internet," he said. Several hundreds of people tuned in on the internet to watch her surgery. She decided she wanted to let the world experience the change with her. As stated by Dr. Jenn Bermann, a psychotherapist who treats gastric bypass patients, "The celebrity factor plays a role in overweight patients considering the surgery. They see Carnie Wilson, they see Al Roker, and they say, 'Oh, look how great they look. They're not going to have any problems, I'm not going to have any problems.'" The number of celebrities getting the surgery has drastically increased public awareness and has clearly raised the demand. The health community has embraced the surgery and equally important is the fact: the public has begun to realize the risks associated with obesity. After