Archives: January 2023
Why I Never Wanted to Have Bariatric Surgery
My story is one of senselessness, stubbornness, weakness, and despair – you get the point. It’s a classic story of someone seemingly on top that drops to the bottom and then quite a bit further below that. And I did it to myself – a classic self-sabotage. Is this a common thread in those needing a life-altering change like bariatric surgery? Maybe.
What you need to know for me to tell THIS story is that I suffered a personal trauma and, as a result, experienced an excruciating emotional collapse.
My life came to a complete halt. I didn’t care about anything. It was a struggle to get out of bed day after day. I stopped taking care of my body. I stopped going to the gym, and on top of that, I began to eat. I ate because it gave me a brief bit of pleasure. And that’s one of the problems with emotional eating – the pleasure derived from eating unhealthy junk lasts for moments. My weight ballooned, putting on almost 300 additional pounds. And that led me to where I am today. Or I should say where I was about four months ago.
Choosing Between Robotic & Laparoscopic Surgery
A question we are often asked revolves around whether traditional laparoscopic surgery or robotic surgery is a better option. Some of the bariatric surgeons in our practice prefer the robotic approach while others stick to conventional laparoscopy. Let’s discuss why, and if, it makes any difference in the success and outcome of your procedure.
First, before we get any deeper, it is essential to understand the progression of surgical technology from the “old days” of open surgery. Before the early 1990s, the patient only had one option. A long, single incision allowed the surgeon to access the abdominal cavity using traditional surgical instruments and direct visualization. However, in the early nineties, we made a massive technological leap that dramatically changed the face of surgery and reduced surgical risk. Two pioneers of laparoscopic surgery were here at SAMPA – Drs. Lamar Snow and Steve Weinstein, both of whom have since retired. Doctors Hannon and Lane were also part of this significant transition that soon had ninety-plus percent of all our operations performed laparoscopically. The critical change revolved around a tiny camera known as the laparoscope.