New Weight-Loss Surgery Gains Ground

For those who struggle obesity, the "FOBI bag" sounds like the biggest thing since sliced ​​bread (low). Comedienne Roseanne Jura for him. Questing minds want to know ... What is this?

The technique, developed by California Surgeon Mathias A.L. Fobi, MD, is a modification of a procedure that has existed for decades: stomach deviation surgery. The basic premise is that your stomach gets smaller, you eat less, and you lose weight. Fobi says that his version of the procedure keeps patients from recovering weight, a complaint that many had about traditional surgery. Some who have had this surgery earn up to 25% of their weight back.

critics say they are not sure that the FOBI technique is better than the traditional type of stomach deviation. But do not say that to Georgia Sarantapoulos, one of the FOBI assistants. She had surgery in 1992 when she weighed 315 pounds.

"I was 22 years old. I had been obese all my life, but between 19 and 22, just crawled into me," she tells WebMD. "I went from size 18 to 26. Doing simple things, tying shoes, making the bed, I had to stop and breathe," she remembers. "My little sister loved to go to the mall, she always wanted to go, but always embarrassed me to see my image. ... There are all these mirrors. ... It was very, very depressing for me."

She tried diets like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers as well as diet shots and water pills, even hypnotherapy: "I would lose maybe five or 10 pounds, there's no big deal." When she heard about Fobi's surgery on TV, Georgia was sure it was her response. "I wanted the procedure, I wanted to take care of the problem," she says emphatically. "But my parents said, 'Oh, no, it's very drastic.' The family doctor was totally against it. I said, 'I do not care.'

In fact, any type of stomach deviation surgery has risks, and remains a controversial method of weight loss. But the Fobi procedure worked for Georgia. She lost more than 150 pounds, and today she is still in her new weight of 165 pounds - give or take 10 pounds, depending on whether she is exercising or not.

Weight Loss Surgery Types - New Weight-Loss Surgery Gains Ground

says Fobi: "It's the best operation of obesity that exists, and I'm not blowing my trumpet. I've been doing obesity surgery since 1977. The Bypass procedure [stomach] is a very good procedure. But there are some deficiencies. With the FOBI bag, I corrected these shortcomings. "

Here are the details:

• In a traditional stomach deviation procedure, surgeons create a smaller stomach, stapling a large section. The new stomach is called "stomach bag" because of its tiny size (about a tablespoon of bread), explains Fobi. When the food is food, which does not fit the bag ignores the upper part of the intestines and therefore can not be absorbed by the body. The excess food goes straight through the gastrointestinal system and is eliminated.
• A problem with the traditional procedure is that the staples can break, making the stomach recover its original shape - and patients begin to gain weight again. In addition, the opening of the stomach leads to the intestines, which in the surgery is lower to allow less food to pass, often extend while the years pass.
• With its technique, Fobi eliminated the staples; It cuts the stomach into two parts, then sew them to keep the separation. It also adds a synthetic track around the opening of the stomach, to keep it stretching.

Hypothetically speaking of traditional surgery, Fobi says, "Mary Jones, who can eat only a hamburger room after surgery, can eat a whole burger two years later. She is back to gain weight. With the FOBI procedure], two years later, Miss Jones can only eat as much as she soon after her surgery. "

and the results? Fobi traced the progress of his patients. In a study published of 516 patients, all, except that one had an average loss of 75% of its excess weight. Four years later, they showed "no tendency to recover weight." Six-seven follow-up results show similar results, he says. This report is scheduled to be published soon, says Fobi.

with traditional bypass surgery, the success rate - defined as a loss of 50% of the patient's excess weight - is 85% after two years.

Roseanne, who had Fobi surgery two years ago and lost 78 pounds, praised the procedure in his lecture program. Her daughter had the operation of the Fobi Stocks for two years, and Fobi tells the webmd that she is doing very well. Even Roseanne's nanny, which had surgery in 1992, maintained his weight loss, says Fobi. "That changed your lives," he says.

some more details about the FOBI procedure:

• Total cost varies from $ 15,000 to $ 40,000 (including hospitalization), depending on the country area.
• Recovery includes a four-day hospital, plus three to six weeks at home.
• Fobi trained about 50 $ 50 doctors to do the procedure, and their names are available through the American society. "Ask for surgeon listings by performing the" gastric deviation with the band, "he advises. He has not yet received authorization to officially use his name in association with the procedure.
As with other bypass surgeries, complications may include vomiting, nausea, vitamins deficiencies, protein deficiencies and rapid weight loss, which can cause dizziness. While patients are advised on vitamins and other supplements, they will need to take, "rarely is any necessary treatment," says Fobi. "Most patients learn to overcome these side effects if no other cause is found." Support groups are available.
• Ideal candidates are people who have at least 75 pounds above their ideal weight. "When we started in 1977 [with traditional bypass surgery], we said that patients had to be 200% over the ideal weight," says Fobi. "But as we perceive more and more how safe, we can say that the best patients should weigh at least 75 pounds above ideal weight. You think they are those who have a hard weight to lose weight and keep it off. "
• Of course, this is considered an elective procedure, so insurance will not cover it, says Fobi. "Most patients are paying their pocket, they have a medical reason, but insurance did not accept this as a reason. Say" I'm depressed and I can not get a promotion because of my size, "nobody wants to buy it, but these are the real facts. "

"Now I am operating in professional people, lawyers, reporters, police officers who can not work in their jobs because of their weight," says Fobi. "I just made a lawyer two weeks ago, who said when she goes to court, everyone is busy looking at her at 210 pounds instead of listening to her brain. She tried all diets. She lost 60 pounds in Fen - Phen Before being withdrawn from the market, then won everything back. She demonstrated that she tried to lose weight, but she can not. What do you want to do? "

Fobi has its detractors, and he knows it. Colleagues say he is a respected surgeon dedicated to helping his patients, but they question his technique is really an improvement in the traditional procedure. They also say that through the US there are about 15 different variations in the basic stomach deviation surgery.

"People say that the two procedures are the same, but my weight maintenance figures speak for themselves," Fobi tells WebMD.

c. Daniel Smith, MD, tells WebMD that, on the basis of good scientific data, national health institutes determined in 1992 that the traditional stomach deviation surgery was the best operation in terms of weight loss results. This is around the time that Fobi began to do his procedure.

"I do not want to throw a shadow in the fobi procedure, but in justice to our patients, we need to know what has been proven and what not," he says. Smith, head of general and gastrointestinal surgery at the Medical School of Emory University in Atlanta, says he is not aware of any research showing that the FOBI method is better.

a more important development is laparoscopic stomach bypass surgery, Phil Schauer, MD, bariatric surgery director at the Medical Center of Pittsburgh University, WebMD Account.

"is a minimally invasive surgery performed with a very small incision. We have done the laparoscopic procedure for about five years," he says. "The results have been very dramatic. Instead of a week of hospitalization, it's only two days. Instead of two or three months off, they are out of work two to three weeks. Wound healing is minimal."

What is Stanford's word? "I make 99% of my laparoscopically surgeries," Mark Vierra, MD, assistant professor of gastrointestinal surgery at Stanford Medicine School, WebMD Account. "I think it's going to be a much more common procedure than Dr. Fobi's scholarship."

For more WebMD information, consult our diseases and conditions of conditions in weight control.

Morbidly Obese Man Tries Weight Loss Surgery - Here's What Happened - Weight Loss Surgery Types

tags: list of high fibre foods for weight loss, rowing for fat loss, weight lifting fat loss workout, hair loss with weight loss, healthy weight loss diets plans