A man gained 10 kg after gastric banding surgery without returning for a checkup

Severely obese people usually need to undergo weight loss surgery to achieve the effect of losing weight. However, a 37-year-old man weighing 120 kg gained 10 kg instead of losing weight after undergoing gastric band surgery 7 years ago because he did not return for regular checkups to adjust the tightness of the gastric band and reduce the space in his stomach, and his diet was not controlled as usual.

Dr. Li Weijie said that no matter which type of weight loss surgery is chosen, patients need to track their results regularly, control their diet, and exercise more so that the results will be lasting.

Li Weijie, president of the Taiwan Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and vice president of Min Sheng General Hospital, said that an analysis of 4,000 bariatric surgeries performed by Min Sheng Hospital from 1998 to 2012 found that patients were most satisfied with gastric bypass surgery, followed by gastric reduction surgery, and the lowest was gastric banding. He said that in fact, the safety and effectiveness of the three are very good, among which gastric banding surgery is the safest. However, patients undergoing this surgery must have good self-control, pay special attention to controlling their diet, exercising more, and fully cooperate with the doctor after the operation, so that the effect will be good.

As for gastric bypass surgery, which has the highest satisfaction rate, it also has the best surgical effect. Gastric bypass surgery is particularly suitable for diabetic patients, but you should be careful about nutritional issues after the operation. Statistics show that one-fifth of patients who undergo gastric bypass surgery experience anemia symptoms before the operation, but this rate may increase to one-third after the operation due to malnutrition. Severe cases may even require iron supplements to avoid fainting.

Among the three common surgeries, gastrectomy, which ranks second in terms of effectiveness and satisfaction, may become the mainstream weight loss surgery in the future. Dr. Li Weijie said that a 21-year-old man, who originally weighed 200 kilograms, lost 50 kilograms in three months after undergoing gastrectomy. This is because the surgery inhibits the secretion of ghrelin by the stomach, reduces hunger, produces anorexia symptoms, and loses the desire to eat. There is no need to worry about diet becoming the cause of obesity again, so more and more people are undergoing this surgery.

However, Dr. Li Weijie also reminded that patients are likely to gain weight again two years after any surgery. If they want to maintain the same or better weight loss effect, they should still control their diet and exercise more.