Weight Loss Surgery in Vermont

A specter is haunting Vermont – the specter of obesity. Despite its hard-earned reputation as a healthy state, more than 57% of the population of Vermont is overweight or obese according to data compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. That’s right: over 280,000 of us adults in our beloved Green Mountain State are overweight or obese, and overweight among children in Vermont is increasing at an alarming rate as well.

And that’s dangerous. Obesity may lead to life-threatening illnesses called co-morbidities, such as diabetes, cancer, heart conditions, and hypertension. It also wrecks lives through shame, guilt, and other forms of psychological damage.

It’s costing our state big money, too. Health care costs attributable to obesity in Vermont come to over $141 million dollars each year.

Can we afford to ignore obesity any longer? The answer is no. We must fight obesity – to win.

An Illness

Obesity is the condition of exceeding one’s healthy weight – but carrying extra weight is not the whole problem. It is a medical condition that requires comprehensive medical care. While it’s true that a person will lose weight when he or she reduces their daily calorie intake below their body’s daily life-support needs, dealing with obesity as a disease is not as simple as dropping a few pounds. Only those willing to completely change their lifestyle and eating habits can hope to recover completely.

Treatments

Happily, effective treatments exist. A simple, structured program of medically-supervised diet, coupled with appropriate counseling and lifestyle changes, is an effective means of safely reducing weight for the majority of obese people.

Unfortunately, some patients are beyond even these measures. For them, weight loss surgery is the treatment of choice.

About Weight Loss Surgery

Weight loss surgery takes three main forms, each a laparoscopic procedure, and all performed with the patient under general anesthesia. The surgical task involves the alteration of the patient’s stomach and/or digestive tract in order to limit the amount of food the patient can physically consume. With the adoption of a comprehensive post-op care program by the patient, weight will then decrease, usually dramatically.

Most bariatric procedures are relatively uncomplicated and safe for the majority of patients; however, they do entail risk, including the risk of premature death. Failure to modify one’s diet and lifestyle post-operatively may cause a patient to gain back the weight he or she lost, or to experience other undesirable health effects.

Simply put, weight loss surgery is a tool, not a cure. It is a part of a lifelong medical treatment of obesity, and should not be considered lightly by potential patients. The risks and possible outcomes of these procedures can only be assessed in consultation with one’s physician.

A Healthier Vermont

We can build a healthier Vermont – but only if we work together. Sensible lifestyle changes, along with weight loss surgery when needed, are the tool we need for the job. Let’s do it!