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We’ve said it before: If you’re reading this blog, you’re doing the right thing. No one should take surgery lightly. The best course of action is to learn all you can about your options, and then make an informed decision.

In this series of blogs, you’ll find lots of personal stories from our patients who are happy to share their experiences about life after weight-loss surgery. They will tell you the surgery requires major life changes, but they will also tell you the changes were worth it.

Often times, the easiest course of action is to do nothing. In our minds, doing nothing does not seem risky. But when it comes to obesity, the risks are many.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers a service called Medline Plus, which provides a wealth of up-to-date health information. In just the last three months, the following articles have been published on Medline Plus about the health risks of obesity:

1. Obesity Might Hinder Treatment of Some Breast Cancers (07/16/2012, HealthDay)
2. Heavy People More Likely to Have Colon Polyps (07/12/2012, Reuters Health)
3. Extra Weight Comes with More Knee Pain, Stiffness (06/28/2012, Reuters Health)
4. Obesity, Depression Blamed for Daytime Sleepiness ‘Epidemic’ (06/13/2012, HealthDay)
5. Bigger Waist Tied to Increased Risk of Diabetes (06/05/2012, HealthDay)
6. Seniors with Asthma Do Worse if Obese (06/05/2012, HealthDay)
7. Obesity May Raise Odds for Painful Leg Condition (05/30/2012, HealthDay)
8. As Obesity Rates Rise, Cases of Kidney Stones Double (05/25/2012, HealthDay)
9. Severely Obese Have More Complications with Spinal Surgery (05/24/2012, HealthDay)
10. Obese More Likely to Be Diagnosed with Advanced Thyroid Cancer (05/21/2012, HealthDay)
11. Being Obese May Make Job Search Tougher (05/17/2012, HealthDay)
12. Pot Belly Boosts Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death (05/10/2012, HealthDay)
13. Rising Obesity Rates Might Mean More Rheumatoid Arthritis (05/04/2012, HealthDay)

The long-term health risks of obesity are well-documented. Last month, James McIntosh, an economics professor at Concordia University in Montreal, released a study that showed obese individuals visit their doctor more frequently than regular smokers who are at a healthy weight.

His comment: “The fact that obesity is more serious than smoking helps people understand the gravity of the problem because they already have some kind of intuitive understanding of how bad smoking is.”

Weight-loss surgery is a course of action to consider when diets and exercise programs have failed to produce results. Is it the right thing for you?

We invite you to make an appointment to see one of our surgeons by calling our office at (516) 616-5500 or, if you prefer, click on “Live Chat” in the upper left corner of your screen to have a conversation now.

Best wishes to you. We’re here to help.

Tags: action, course, health, healthday, Obesity, risks, surgery

This entry was posted on Friday, August 3rd, 2012 at 5:34 pm and is filed under Obesity, Weight Loss. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.