According to the International Federation for Surgery of Obesity & Metabolic Disorder, around 14,000 people undergo weight loss surgery in India every year.
At 93 kilos, an Indonesian citizen decided to opt bariatric surgery at JJ hospital to control her high blood sugar levels and hypertension. While Vaishali Rastogi was discharged on Thursday after she lost two kilos, the 40-year-old was happy that her insulin intake has been reduced drastically. Doctors say she is the fourth person to undergo bariatric surgery in the past two weeks at the hospital to control diabetes and related complications.
“Bariatric surgery is increasingly becoming popular, with patients opting for the procedure not just for weight loss. Rastogi is one of them. When she approached us last month, she was on three oral medications and insulin for diabetes and still she had uncontrolled blood sugar levels. She had other medical complications like hypertension and varicose veins. She also had a brain stroke and was under medication for venous thrombosis. We were aghast seeing the number of medicines she had,” said Dr Ajay Bhandarwar, professor of surgery, JJ hospital.
He added that Rastogi underwent laprascopic mini bypass surgery where around 200 cm of her small intestine was bypassed so that food does not get quickly absorbed in the system. “Often labeled as a bariatric procedure, which is done to lose weight, metabolic surgery is in fact a far broader concept that aims to reset organ systems within the body. Small intestine has as many as 10-15 hormones that plays vital role within abdomen to bring about diabetic control,” said Dr Bhandarwar.
According to the International Federation for Surgery of Obesity & Metabolic Disorder, around 14,000 people undergo weight loss surgery in India every year. Obesity-related conditions, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers, are some of the leading causes of preventable death.
“Another patient, Makrand Nirmal, a 31 year old male healthcare employee hailing from Jalna had been suffering from Diabetes Mellitus since 13 years, underwent bariatric surgery. His blood sugars were out of control despite regular insulin injection & numerous opinions from different practitioners. He also had chronic kidney failure because of uncontrolled diabetes. After the surgery, we were surprised that his kidney condition improved also,” said Dr Amol Wagh, assistant professor, surgery department.
The hospital is one of the only public hospital which is fast gaining popularity among middle and upper middle class families wanting to undergo bariatric surgery. Also doctors say they are now getting patients who want to go under the knife not to lose weight but get a control on lifestyle related diseases like diabetes.
“Obesity can invite as many as 53 diseases. In last 6 months, at our hospital, we had 36 bariatric surgeries out of which 30 had come to control their blood sugar levels instead of worrying about their weight. Rastogi and Makrand are classic example of how metabolic surgery has muti fold benefits,” said Dr Chintan Patel.
No risk cover
With bariatric surgery not covered under medical insurance, JJ hospital is becoming a popular choice for middle class and upper middle class families for the surgery. “In JJ hospital, the surgery cost us around Rs 3 lakh whic is 1/3rd of the cost quoted at private hospitals. We are happy that we decided to opt for JJ hospital over other available options,” said Rastogi.
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 "Rastogi")
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