Center for Bariatric Surgery

Improve Quality of Life

For you the decision to undergo surgical intervention for weight loss may be to improve quality of life.  According to the Centers for Disease Control, quality of life is the “overall state of physical and mental health.”  Individuals suffering from obesity often report that their quality of life is negatively impacted by the excess weight.  This includes limited mobility, impaired social activities, depression, anxiety, sleep and increased financial pressure for physicians visits, medication copayments and days off of work.    

Research on Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding has demonstrated the following improvements in health and quality of life within a few short years of surgery

 

"Surgical treatment, such as laparoscopic gastric banding, is increasingly recognized as the most effective means of achieving weight loss and improving blood sugar control in morbidly obese patients with Type 2 diabetes… These results provide evidence one year after gastric banding that psychological health improves in parallel with physiological health. " - Andrew Johnson, MD, of Southmead Hospital in Bristol, U.K., Researcher

According to Tina Musselman, Bariatric Program Coordinator, “Helping individuals improve quality of life is why I love my job.  I will never forget the time I had a patient share that for the first time in 10 years she was able to get on the floor and play trucks with her grandchildren.  It almost brought me to tears.  That is what life is all about, being able to engage in activities that have meaning and color life moments. It is so exciting to learn about improvements in health, decreases in medication,  ease of completing tasks and adventures in travel as a result of weight loss. It is why I do what I do and what keeps me working hard for all of our patients.” 

Why I had surgery:

For me, the answer to that is simple. I wanted to have a better quality life for myself and my family. I had lived a full and active life for first the 30 years of my life. After putting on an extra 150lbs in my 30s, things that I enjoyed doing became impossible. Living became tiring. I could nut run and play ball with my son like I wanted to. My weight gain affected my health, self-confidence, and relationships with those around me

– Ron T.