Significance of Gastric Surgery

What gastric bypass surgery primarily does is to change the way your stomach and your small intestines handle the food that you eat. The process cause for you not to experience the usual hunger that you feel.

Weight Loss Surgery: An Effective Alternative in Reducing Your Weight

Weight loss surgery or bariatric surgery can be the last resort for people who are having difficulty losing weight with exercise, medicine, and diet. This medical procedure has become the leading treatment for obesity in the United States. When this surgery is effectively combined with faithful adherence to healthy diet and exercise, the individual can maintain a healthful weight that has lots of benefits.

Undergoing this procedure can cost you thousands of dollars so you should better start saving if you wish to lose weight through surgery. Basically, the cost of undergoing the surgery can range from $15,000-$40,000. However, you can save much if you have a health insurance to present to your surgeon. The amount that you will pay will be for your physician, the procedure itself, and other laboratory studies that you will undergo before your surgery. Laboratory studies may include blood tests and X-rays. You will also have to pay for the anesthesia, nursing care, and medications.

There are several types of bariatric surgery and they are as follows:

Restrictive Weight Loss Surgery

This procedure involves banding the stomach to avoid greater than recommended amount of food to be consumed by a bariatric patient. This will make you feel full with far less food. Weight loss occurs when you feel full more quickly so your daily total calorie intake is decreased. Surgeries under this category include Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, Adjustable Gastric Banding, and Vertical Banded Gastroplasty.

Malabsorptive Weight Loss Surgeries

This is also called gastric bypass surgery or metabolic surgery. This procedure involves bypassing the small intestine to limit the body from absorbing nutrients. This involves Biliopancreatic Diversion Weight Loss Surgery.

Mixed Weight Loss Surgeries

These procedures combine both restrictive and malabsorptive procedures to make you feel full quickly and that your body will have a reduced number of calories to be absorbed. These procedures include Roux-en-Y Surgery and Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch.

Weight loss surgery is a helpful procedure for those people who are having hard time losing weight on alternative methods. Though this procedure can be costly for some it may also serve great benefits to health that your body needs. When you are to undergo such kind of procedure assess yourself for your readiness both physically and emotionally. This may give a great sense of achievement on your health especially if you will be able to maintain your weight after the procedure. Christian Birkedal, a renowned physician in the field of weight loss can offer great options to reduce your weight healthily. Alternatives include taking medications and undergoing procedures.

The Importance of Exercise to Bariatric Patients

Gastric bypass in Leesburg, Florida is one of the most common types of bariatric surgery. More and more people are relying on the procedure to be healthier and fitter. If you think that you have gone too fat or worse, you are already considered as obese, it must be the best time for you to do something about your case. You can have the gastric bypass procedure for the treatment of your specific case. But there are a lot of factors that you need to bear in mind. And for sure, before you will undergo the procedure, your bariatric surgeon in Ocala, Fl will discuss important things to you and some of these factors have something to do with being able to maintain a good kind of exercise. 

After undergoing bariatric surgery, it is very important that you will be able to maintain a good kind of exercise. Exercise is very important for patients that have gone through bariatric surgery for it will be a great help in the process of losing weight and achieving the optimum health benefits. Aside from all these, exercise can also improve the ability to do regular activities and can enhance your blood circulation too. It is also an excellent way of decreasing your chances of suffering bone loss. 

Before starting an exercise routine after the surgery, you have to discuss the specific activity that you have in mind with your doctor. You need to get his approval to make sure that nothing shall go wrong after the surgery. Mild exercises are ideal days after the weight loss surgery. You can have stretching exercises to prevent muscles and joint problems. After a month, you can already do weight training, swimming or bicycling. It is just very important that you are following a good kind of exercise to enjoy the long lasting benefits of the procedure.

 Of course, you have to make sure that you are already physically ready before undergoing the procedure. You need to plan your daily and weekly schedule. You need to choose the activity that you enjoy most and then keep your focus on those. You also need to find an activity that you really love so you can enjoy your journey more. You can even ask your closest friends and family members to do these activities with you. A little motivation will certainly go a long way. 

How Does Gastric Bypass Surgery Work?

More and more people are becoming aware of gastric bypass surgical operation, as a method of dealing with problematic obesity levels. As a result, there's more information available about the subject and there are more stories publicly available about people who have undergone the procedure, for various reasons. It's important to always keep in mind that gastric bypass surgery is a major surgical operation. You will need to discuss it thoroughly with your doctor before you even begin to seriously consider whether to undergo the procedure.

Again, the surgery involved here is rather serious. It will involve making physical changes to your stomach as well as your small intestine. Consider what will happen to your stomach. During the operation, the surgeon will take your existing stomach and split it into two parts. Staples will be used in order to perform this change. Once the surgeon is through, your stomach will end up with an upper area and a lower area. The upper area will be smaller compared to the one below it. This upper area is where the food that you eat will end up. By doing this, the surgeon has drastically reduced the amount of food volume that your stomach can physically handle.

That's not the end of it though. The second part of the operation is where the bypass part comes in. The surgeon will take your small intestine and detach it from where it usually connects to your stomach. She will instead create an opening in the new upper area of your stomach and connect the small intestine there. This results in a drastic change to the way your digestion system works. Now, food will enter the upper part of your stomach and from there will proceed directly into your small intestine. The lower section of your stomach becomes effectively bypassed.

One way all this surgery is done is for the doctor to make a large incision in your belly. This allows her access to all the needed areas of your stomach, intestine and the surrounding area. However, the large cut and the accompanying strain on your internal organs will tend to result in a longer period of recovery. Another way for the surgery to take place is through the use of specially designed tools, equipment and a camera which is introduced into your body using a number of smaller slices to your belly. This laparoscopic surgery will tend to reduce the recovery time, and you will have to deal with smaller incisions and scars.

What is Cholecystectomy and Who Needs It?

How have you been feeling lately? Have you been experiencing pain that starts in the center of your upper tummy or the epigastric area that spreads to the right upper back of your shoulder blade area? Do you have trouble moving around and the pain does not go away no matter what position you take or do? Does you condition prevent you from taking normal or deep breaths. Did the pain start with the duration of 15 minutes then to 24 hours? Doe the pain keep you up at night or enough to wake you up from deep sleep? Does the pain occur after meals? Do you experience frequent vomiting? Do you have nausea, loss of appetite, fever, dark urine, yellowing of the skin, light-colored stools and chills? Better get yourself to the emergency room, these pains will not go away until the proper treatment/ procedure is done. This is a very painful condition that one should not tolerate nor dismiss as normal. These are the symptoms of gall stones in the gall bladder.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a procedure endorsed by the National Institutes of Health for the past 2 decades, as an effective and safe surgical treatment for the removal of the gallbladder or gallbladder surgery. The review endorsed the numerous benefits of laparoscopic cholecystectomy and its effectiveness compared to open cholecystectomy. This type of surgery is done requiring small incisions in the abdomen that allows the insertion of operating ports, small cylinder tubes about 5 to 10 mm in diameter, through which surgical instruments with a video camera are placed into the abdominal cavity. The camera transmission is seen via video on a screen where the doctors monitor the course of their surgery. 

The camera shows the surgical field and sends magnified image from inside the body to a video monitor feed. This gives the surgeon a close-up view of the tissues and organs. The National Institute of Health panel noted that this type of procedure, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, should be performed by certified surgeons, experienced in this form of surgery only on patients with confirmed gallstones. This form of laparoscopic surgery has now replaced traditional open cholecystectomy as the first-choice of treatment because open surgery leaves the patient prone to infections.

Why is gallbladder removal necessary? In America alone, half a million have their gallbladder removed every year. Cholecystectomy is defined as the surgical removal of the gallbladder. It is treatment commonly done on patients with gallbladder conditions or manifesting symptoms of gall stones. Mostly considered an out-patient surgery, meaning patients can be discharged the same day as the surgery or the following day. This type of surgery is done requiring small incisions in the abdomen that allows the insertion of operating ports, small cylinder tubes about 5 to 10 mm in diameter, through which surgical instruments with a video camera are placed into the abdominal cavity. The camera transmission is seen via video on a screen where the doctors monitor the course of their surgery. 

The camera shows the surgical field and sends magnified image from inside the body to a video monitor feed. This gives the surgeon a close-up view of the tissues and organs. It is one of the most common operations performed in surgery today. Cholecystectomy can be performed through a single incision through the navel using the spider vein surgical system to remove the gall bladder. This is a recommended method compared to the traditional method for it leaves only a small almost invincible scar. The gall bladder is a pear-shaped pouch found in the upper right part of your abdomen. It stores the bile, which is a digestive fluid produced by the liver, that aide the digestive system in breaking down fatty food. Gall stones are formed in the gall bladder when these substances are of balance. The sad thing is, in many cases gall stone problem may remain undetected, gall stones cause no symptoms until it is too late. Get checked by a doctor today.

What Happens After Having a Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy?

Does immediate relief from pain come after the removal of a person’s gall bladder? The answer is yes. The pain is caused by the gall stones found in the ill gall bladder organ.

Cholecystectomy is defined as the surgery in which the gallbladder is removed.It is treatment commonly done on patients with gallbladder conditions or manifesting symptoms of gall stones. Symptoms include extreme pain in the upper belly or the epigastric area that spreads to the right upper back of your shoulder blade area nausea, loss of appetite, fever, and dark-colored urine, yellowing of the skin, light-colored stool, chills and fever. Mostly considered an out-patient surgery, meaning patients can be discharged the same day as the surgery or the following day. It is one of the most common operations performed in surgery today. In the illustration above, you will see the following body parts:

1. Liver

2. Gallbladder 

3. Bile duct

4. Bile duct enters duodenum

5. Stomach

Cholecystectomy can be performed through a single incision or what people call now as “key-hole” surgery. This barely leaves a scar after the procedure. The great news is, the pain is gone plus it does not take long to recover from laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This is mostly considered an out-patient surgery, wherein the patient can leave the hospital on the same day or the following day.

According to medical practitioners, both laparoscopic and open cholecystectomies are generally safe procedures with a low risk of complications. The most common complication is infection at the incision site in some cases. So do you really need a gall bladder? The organ is said to be useful but not essential. A person can live normally after the gall bladder removal operation. Now what happens after?

After the removal of the gallbladder, a pathological examination should immediately be performed on the organ to confirm diagnoses and check for cancer. A follow-up procedure should be done if cancer is confirmed, to remove parts of the liver and lymph nodes as required. There is however what they call “post cholecystectomy syndrome” or PCS, this minority of the patient population statistically from 5% to 40% develop symptoms like persistent pain and gastrointestinal distress in the upper right abdomen.

Minor symptoms after surgery are gas problems and a bit of soreness. Some people though who have had their gall bladder removed experience diarrhea or bloating. You will need to consult your doctor regularly if these symptoms persist. Also it is important to note that a special kind of diet will need to be enforced. Mostly people are back to work in two week time with medical wounds perfectly healed, leaving an almost invincible scar. A survey done on laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients mentioned the enormous relief they felt after the surgery and extreme recommendation to everyone who has been diagnosed with gall stones in their system. They noted how their lives are so much better after the procedure. See your doctor today.

Bariatric Surgery is the Weight Loss Solution

Is your weight a problem? Have you exhausted yourself trying all the kids of diet, buying all those expensive fitness machines, going through extensive gym training for long periods, only to double your weight after a month or so? Have you experienced extreme weight issues since your teenage years and the situation is still recurring even after decades of determination to lose weight. Do not lose hope for there are procedures available to treat obesity. Do some research and consult a doctor to know which one is best suited for you.

Bariatric surgery is a procedure recommended to be performed on people who are obese. Extreme obesity is a serious health problem which cannot be resolved through exercise and diet. Types of weight loss surgery vary and often have a lot of risks and complications attributed to it like hernia, infections and blood clots. Losing weight is achieved by removing a portion of the stomach, biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch or sleeve gastrectomy, or by reducing the size of the stomach with an implanted medical device, also called gastric banding. Another procedure done to induce weight loss is the resecting and re-routing of the small intestine to a small stomach pouch or gastric bypass surgery. Having performed this type of surgery helped a lot of people get the weight they dreamed of. On the other hand, it is important to do your own research, find a specialized weight loss clinic near your house and get in touch with an experienced medical surgeon if this procedure is for you.

Medical studies explain that bariatric surgery, not only reduces obesity, also it manipulates the metabolism of patients which causes a condition commonly known as “metabolic syndrome”. 

Undergoing weight loss surgery does not guarantee that a person will no longer gain weight. The surgery allows a person to lose weight due to the extreme alterations done to a person’s system. However, it is up to the person, who went through the surgery, to keep the weight off. It is important to keep a strict diet, undergo a fixed exercise regimen and maintain lifelong extensive medical follow-up if one wants to keep the benefits of bariatric surgery and avoid future complications.

Dr. Christian L. Birkedal MD, Board certified General Surgeon, at 42 years old is a distinguished medical presenter, speaker and writer of medical textbook chapters for Surgery. Dr. Birkedal is a Clinical Associate Professor and teaches at Daytona Beach Community College’s branch of the Florida State University School of Medicine.

Dr. Birkedal treats preform procures such as gastric sleeve, gastrectomy, bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery) and abdominal surgery among others. Dr. Christian L. Birkedal’s office is located at 305 Memorial Medical Parkway Suite 205, Daytona beach, Florida 32117. According to a recent survey, Dr. Birkedal’s clinic was given feedback with their experience and scored 4.2 out of 5 for likelihood of recommending to family and friends. Visit his clinic today to ask about the best weight loss surgery (bariatric surgery) for you.

Biography: Dr. Christian Birkedal, MD

Dr. Christian L. Birkedal MD, Board certified General Surgeon, at 42 years old is a Clinical Associate Professor and teaches at Daytona Beach Community College’s branch of the Florida State University School of Medicine. He studied medicine at the University Of Alabama School Of Medicine and received Health grades Honor Roll. He also took residency at the Baptist Health System who values continuous education hence, is also an undergraduate of the Florida State University.

A distinguished medical presenter and speaker, Dr. Birkedal is also a writer who has been published in textbook chapters of Emedicine Textbook of Surgery.

Doctor Birkedal’s career includes serving as the Medical Director of the Wound Treatment Center and the Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Capitol Regional Medical Center, there after becoming an established Medical Surgeon at the Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center. Dr. Christian L. Birkedal, MD is famous for weight loss surgery, otherwise known as bariatric surgery.

This is a type of procedure recommended to be performed on people who are obese. Weight loss is achieved by removing a portion of the stomach, biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch or sleeve gastrectomy, or by reducing the size of the stomach with an implanted medical device, also called gastric banding. Another procedure done to induce weight loss is the resecting and re-routing of the small intestine to a small stomach pouch or gastric bypass surgery.

Dr. Birkedal performs procedures such as Abscess Incision and Drainage, gallbladder surgery, abdominal surgery, gastric sleeve, adrenalectomy, adult breast cancer consultation, amputations, cholecystectomy, breast surgery, appendectomy, gastrectomy, foreign body removal, benign tumors, bowel resection, bowel surgery, breast biopsies, breast cancer, exploratory surgery, breast surgery, burn care, cancer, excisions of skin lesions, colon resection, colon cancer, breast lumpectomy, Crohn’s disease and axillary lymph node dissection, excisions of benign skin lesions, foreign body removal, ganglion of wrist and bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery) among others.

Dr. Birkedal Treats conditions such as spider veins and varicose veins. Both men and women can develop spider veins as age advances. Women though are more likely to develop spider veins rather than men. Exposure to sun and wind make men more prone to spider veins. Spider veins are identified as blue-purple colored veins that materialize under the skin but are noticeably seen from outside view on the face, legs and thighs. Mostly hereditary abnormalities in the veins, spider veins cause embarrassment due to its noticeable bruise like color. Varicose veins though are more painful compared to spider veins. Both are problems caused by blood circulation issues. Certain causes of spider veins are pregnancy, heredity, obesity, oral contraceptives, aging, hormonal issues, smoking, and occupation, sun and wind exposure and alcohol intake.
Dr. Christian L. Birkedal’soffice is located at 305 Memorial Medical Parkway Suite 205, Daytona Beach, Florida 32117. According to a recent survey, Dr. Birkedal’s clinic was given feedback with their experience and scored 4.2 out of 5 for likelihood of recommending to family and friends. Visit his clinic today.

Reflecting a Different New You

“Don’t judge a book by its cover”; “First impression lasts”, both are well known sayings, but as you can see, it’s very contradicting. But how could anyone not judge according to ‘looks’ when the first impression would begin upon laying one’s eyes on a thing? Humans are by nature that way.  We usually judge people by the outside and not by the inside appearance. That’s the very reason why physical appearance is a matter of utmost importance for many.  Some become too much vain just to look their best.  Sad to say, that those people who were not gifted with physical beauty and those who were once attractive physically suffer from depression which often leads to eating disorder or binge-eating.  Result?  Obesity!

Before they notice, they have already acquired the illness.  In fact, studies show that last 2009, 23% of UK population are obese; while in USA, 34% has been recorded.  Even countries tagged as the “3rd World” have high possibilities to develop obesity.  Some obese persons have decided to lose weight to gain self confidence. But due to the illness itself, loosing weight has become a problem for them. According to some researches made to find cure for obesity, patients who were treated for Gastric Ulcer or Gastric Cancer had reduced weight drastically when they underwent surgery. They applied the same medical surgery to other obese patients for verification purposes and found good results too.  After years of practice and observation, they came up with a solution.  The top procedures that were performed as well as the percentage of weight loss are the following:

v  Gastric Bypass Surgery  --  72%

v  Gastric Sleeve Surgery   --  68%

v  Gastric Band Surgery     --   56%

These procedures are related to bariatric surgery.  A person eligible for this surgery should discuss the matter together with a bariatric surgeon.  A patient must be fully aware about the pros and cons of the various procedures before undergoing, during and after the surgery.  These procedures are not only an option to cure obesity, but it can also help resolve weight related problems such as:

v  Type II Diabetes

v  Hypertension

v  Asthma

v  Arthritis

v  Sleep Apnea

After considering all the important issues you have to know from your Doctor, you will definitely be sure of the decision you are about to make.  Reflect yourself as a different new ‘you’!  Regain the self confidence you have been dreaming of!  Make changes for the better and start a new, healthy and beautiful life!

Visualizing a New You!

How do you view yourself?  Some view themselves as how others view them.  Are you one of them?  I once became a victim of that mind set.  I had tried to become what they wanted to see in me.  But it never brought me true happiness!  Instead it brought me anxieties and deep emotional depression on keeping up with their expectations all the time. As time passed by, I learned that to be truly happy, it must start deep within ‘you’.  If you’re happy from inside, you can glow and shine!

But what if you’re still unhappy about yourself according to your perspective?  Then it is time to change.  Look at yourself in the mirror.  Be true to yourself and ask:

“Is this really what I wanted to be?”

“Is there something wrong with the way I look?”

“Have I done everything within my reach to improve myself?”

“If I change for the better, what would my motives be?”

If being overweight is your problem, try every option available.  Indulge yourself in traditional weight loss programs such as dieting and exercising.  Live an active and healthy lifestyle.  But if traditional methods fail after months of trying, maybe it’s time for you to consider the last option – surgery.  One of the most associated procedures to weight loss is bariatric surgery.  It limits the food and nutrition intake of the body.  Among these procedures, gastric bypass is most recommended by doctors.   Generally, it has fewer complications and risks than other weight-loss surgeries.   You may expect an average loss of 61% of excess weight.  After surgery, you will notice some improvements in your health. Also, other related illnesses due to obesity including diabetes, severe arthritis, obstructive sleep apnea and high blood pressure, will gradually be controlled until healed.  According to the researches made, obese people who undergo this weight loss surgery have improved the quality of their life and have lived much longer than equally obese people who did not undergo the surgery.

Good motivation is another factor to make this procedure successful. The best motivation should come from ‘yourself’. Choosing to undergo this kind of surgery requires a deep understanding and knowledge of the procedure.  Visualize a new ‘you’.  Accept the fact that you need to have a change.  Some centers are available which offer behavioral counseling before and after surgery to make the full transition possible: from the old and poor lifestyle into a new, active and healthy lifestyle - to make a new ‘you’!