Weight Loss Surgery In India: Successful Journey From Fat To Fit

Weight loss surgery is inevitable for extremely obese people who fail to lose their weight with the help of conventional weight loss strategies such as diet control, exercising, naturopathy and medications.

Nowadays, bariatric surgery or obesity surgery has become a popular option for immediate and quick weight loss. This is extremely important in people who are at an increased risk of health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and stroke because of excessive weight.

India is one of the most popular and the best destination for weight loss surgery In the world. Each year, thousands of people from around the world visit top hospitals for bariatric surgery in India to lose excess weight from their bodies.

There are several reasons why people choose to undergo weight loss surgery in India. The most important reason is that the best hospitals for weight loss surgery in India are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities used to conduct all types of surgical procedures for weight loss.

Here are the common types of weight loss surgery performed at the top hospitals in India:

Gastric Bypass Surgery:
Also known as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), gastric bypass is a popular surgical method of leaving only a small portion of the stomach in the body known as “pouch.” The food that the patient eats after the surgery enters the pouch and skips the rest of the stomach to enter the small intestine directly.

This change made to the stomach limits the amount of food that the patient can hold. Because of the reduced space and capacity, the patient experiences an early feeling of fullness and thus, eats less. The food also “bypasses” the areas of the stomach and the intestine where it is broken down and digested.

Gastric bypass surgery can be performed using conventional open surgery technique or with the help of a specialized device called laparoscope. The use of laparoscope allows surgeons to look inside the stomach through several small incisions instead to a large, open cut. Thus, recovery is quick in case of laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery as compared to open weight loss surgery.

Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy:
In laparoscopic sleeve gastronomy, a large portion of the stomach (around 75 percent), except for the upper part, is removed with the help of a laparoscope. This minimal invasive surgery for weight loss, thus, leaves a “sleeve” in place.

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy results in weight loss by the following two ways:

• By limiting the amount of food: The reduced size of the stomach limits the amount of food that the person eats because of an early feeling of fullness. The food does not bypass any part of the stomach or intestine in this case of weight loss surgery, thus, all the nutrients get absorbed.
• By suppressing hunger: Sleeve gastrectomy also works by reducing the production of hunger hormone called “ghrelin.” This hormone is produced by the stomach when it is empty. Since a large portion of the stomach is removed, the production of this hormone falls.

The use of adjustable gastric balloon and lap band are two other popular weight loss surgery methods used nowadays at the some of the top hospitals in India.

Another major reason why medical tourists from around the world prefer India in order to undergo weight loss surgery is ‘affordability’. Opting for gastric bypass surgery or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy proves to be cost effective, as the cost of bariatric surgery in India is much less as compared to any other country offering the same quality of treatment and the use of technology.

This remains unchanged even when additional costs such as travelling, boarding, lodging and food expenses are taken into account. It is estimated that an average individual travelling from the US saves about 60 percent of his or her money if they decide to come to India for weight loss surgery.

Weight Loss Surgery In India: Success Stories

There are several success stories of people who have had undergone a bariatric surgery in India. Two such case studies are described below:

• Eman Ahmed from Egypt:

  

  Ahmed weighed more than 500 kgs when she landed at Mumbai airport from her hometown on Alexandria, Egypt. She underwent a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy at Saifee Hospital in Mumbai when all other weight loss methods failed and lost over 100 kgs since then.A majority of her wait loss has been because of elimination of extra body fluids with the help bed-side physiotherapy and medications. The doctors are now targeting to make her lose another 200 kgs in the months to come.

• Daulatram Jogawat from MP, India:
  
  Carrying around extra fat around your stomach and abdomen may bring in a lot of shaming and this was the story of a middle aged cop from MP, Jogawat. He also underwent a bariatric surgery at Saifee Hospital, Mumbai and is expected to lose around 80 kgs in the coming months.Dr. Muffazal Lakdawala, bariatric surgeon who conducted the procedure, is also targeting to treat his increased blood pressure, sleep apnea and uncontrolled diabetes through weight loss. Jogawat weighed around 177 kgs before the bariatric surgery.

There are thousands of other success stories of people who have undergone bariatric surgery at some of the best hospitals in India and have lost hundreds of kilograms of weight since then.

Undergoing weight loss surgery in India is, thus, one of the most reasonable decisions to take because of the affordable pricing, while ensuring the use of world-class facilities and great medical care. All these factors make India one of the best destinations for weight loss.

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