Surgery Benefits
Weight loss surgery (bariatric surgery) can bring many health benefits. Being extremely overweight as a teenager or young adult can cause many serious health problems. It also increases the chance you will remain extremely overweight as an adult and at increased risk of even more serious health problems. Bariatric surgery in teenagers can help prevent or even reverse the damage these diseases can have on your body. Surgery can lead to improvement of a wide range of conditions including:
- High blood pressure
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Type 2 diabetes
- Respiratory problems
- Gastroesophageal reflux (heartburn)
- High cholesterol
- Liver disease
- Irregular menstrual periods
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome
Bariatric surgery can also lead to improvements in other aspects of your health and well-being. Other benefits may include:
- Weight loss. One of the most obvious, but important, benefits of bariatric surgery is weight loss. Often those who undergo surgery have had difficulty achieving and maintaining weight loss in the past. Bariatric surgery combined with changes to nutrition and exercise can lead to weight loss that you can maintain.
- Decreased need for medicines. As weight-related conditions improve, most patients are able to reduce or even stop needing medicine associated with their health conditions.
- Improved self-esteem. Bariatric surgery patients often feel better about themselves after surgery.
- Increased energy. After surgery you will often find yourself being able to do activities with much more ease than you could before.
- Improved quality of life. Weight loss surgery can lead to the improvement of many aspects of your life including social, emotional and physical health.
See the Everyday Difference
Many of the changes made possible by bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery) can't be measured in numbers. Here are some of the real-life differences that weight loss surgery can make in your life. After surgery you can:
- Stop sitting on the sidelines. It will be easier to participate in sports than before surgery.
- Be comfortable in public seats. Seating at movie theaters and on airplanes will no longer be a source of frustration.
- Ditch the special table. You will be able to sit at a regular desk in class instead of a table in the back.
- Take awesome senior photos. Your confidence and health will be reflected in the photos you take for graduation announcements.
- Spend less time tracking medicines. Many health conditions improve with weight loss, freeing you sometimes from taking daily or several medicines.
- Be more outgoing. You’ll be able to participate in more activities and may feel happier about how you look and feel after surgery. This can give you confidence to participate in things you used to dread — like school dances or after-school clubs.
- Get better grades. It’s important to be able to focus on learning when in class. When you’re confident and feel good about yourself, it usually makes it easier to concentrate on learning without thinking about other concerns.
- Look forward to summer. You may no longer dread going to the beach, or worry about getting hot and sweaty doing simple things.
- Shop for clothes at more stores. You will be able to buy clothes at the same places that your friends and classmates shop.