article - surgery shouldn't have a stigma

I found this segment in a WLS article I was reading and thought it was worth sharing....

Surgery shouldn’t have a stigma

According to the CDC, about 1 percent to 2 percent of morbidly obese people die each year. 

McMahon said he wishes that weight loss surgery didn’t carry a stigma of shame for a procedure with such a high success rate.

“You wouldn’t begrudge someone their decision to have cancer surgery," he said. 

The surgery, he added, significantly reduces a patient’s chances of getting cancer due to their obesity, prolonging their lives by at least seven years.

Post-surgery, clinic workers help a patient set up an exercise routine and lay out proper diet and portion control.

McMahon said he hopes more patients consider weight loss surgery.

“Considering numbers of morbidly obese have reached epidemic proportions, only about 250,000 people have weight loss surgery every year," he said. “The amount of lives we can save through weight loss surgery is tremendous."

Thanks for sharing.     Would you please post the citation?  I'd enjoy reading the entire article - for I couldn't agree with him more.  I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I needed to!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

http://www.issaquahpress.com/2009/03/16/swedish-offers-weigh t-loss-surgery-program/

Here ya go =)

Thanks for sending me a copy of the article.  The vertical sleeve is a realatively new procedure in my area.  A number of the folks who come to my support group have had the sleeve and are very happy with it.  So far, we do not have long-term statistics on how it ranks with by pass and lap band patients keeping their weight off at the end of 5 years, but their rate of loss after surgery appears to be very comparable.