A2getfit

POSE A NEW SURGERY FOR WEIGHT LOSS!

As most of you know I am in the midst of reorganizing my business from top to bottom and from bottom to top.  I went to the library yesterday to concentrate on soaking up as must information as possible from the many new manuals that are now in my life.  But of course when I sat down the May issue of Glamour magazine was on the table right in front of me! Could I resist?  You know the answer!  The article titled, The Shocking New Surgery to Lose Just 25 Pounds grabbed my attention. We have all heard of gastric bypass and lap-band surgeries for weight loss of 100 pounds or more but a surgery for those wanting or needing to lose less than a 100 pounds. The POSE (Primary Obesity Surgery, Endolumenal) procedure, according to their website, is aimed at those individuals looking to lose between 20 and 70 pounds. The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana is one of only a select few sites in the United States to make this procedure available.

 The Glamour article features a patient from Louisiana who dropped from 160 pounds to 128 pounds (32 pounds) in about 6 months time. The surgery known as POSE is performed under general anesthesia and takes about an hour; the surgeon puts a scope down the throat into the stomach and basically folds the stomach lining over anchoring it in place with sutures. By decreasing the patient's stomach size, the patient should get fuller faster which in turn decreases the patient's hunger. Because this procedure uses an endoscope, you do not see any visible incisions which according to the POSE website, "should lessen complications, shorten the patient's recovery time, lessen hunger and bring long-lasting weight loss results."

The advantage of this procedure rather than the more well known is that the patient does not have to radically alter their way of eating. They are able to eat the same foods they did prior to this procedure just less of them. However, because this procedure has only been performed on 90 patients, according to the Glamour article, the long-term effects remain to be seen.

You may be asking what the cost of this procedure is.  According to the Glamour article the surgery is about $11,600. As to whether or not this new procedure is covered under insurance, according to the POSE website this "procedure is currently pending financial approval of insurance providers."

After reading this article, (yes it was a distraction I went to the library to avoid) I have some concerns.  I think this is a bit extreme to lose this amount of weight. This procedure has only been performed since 2009 and on fewer than 100 patients; do the doctors really know what the long-term results or affects will be? 

I think we all know our weight gain or loss is the result of many complex issues-- eating too much, not enough movement in our lives, eating to control life when stress threatens to overwhelm us. I do not see a difference between this surgery and the others when the patients are sent home without the knowledge or skills to control life’s issues.   Exercise and learning to manage stress have to be addressed and this isn't done with just a surgical procedure. I did not really find any information on nutrition except that patients just need to eat smaller portions of the food that they already eat.  So I would think just as with the other surgeries you would be able to stretch out the stomach and easily regain the weight! 

 

I think $11,600 (not including the travel expense of getting to New Orleans) is a very costly way to lose a small amount of weight.  I say hire a good Personal Trainer, get some good nutrition advice and throw in some good old fashion sweat.  You know what results you will get!

Commit to get fit,

Debra