The Patient's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery, Revised Edition: Everything You Need to Know About Gastric Bypass and Bariatric Surgery [Paperback]

April Hochstrasser (Author), S. Ross Fox M.D. (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 8, 2009

Newly revised and updated with the most current and authoritative information.

Is weight loss surgery right for you?

After frustrating and failed attempts with traditional dieting methods, more and more people are turning to weight loss surgery. Over 100,000 people undergo weight loss surgery each year and that number is growing rapidly. The Patient's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery is essential for the patient considering this option.

Now revised and updated, The Patient's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery is the most current and reliable source of information for anyone who wants to make an informed decision about gastric bypass and bariatric surgery.

The Patient's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery provides valuable information on:
* The different kinds of weight loss surgery
* The risks and rewards of each procedure
* How to choose the right procedure and surgeon
* Ways to cope with the emotional changes that accompany a dramatic change in body size
* Compelling stories of patients who have had the surgery
* The financial and insurance considerations of weight loss surgery

An indispensable guide for surgery candidates and their families, The Patient's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery explains everything you need to know about this increasingly popular surgical procedure.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

April Hochstrasser, Ph.D., underwent bariatric surgery in 1999. Today she lives in University Heights, Washington, where she lectures about the procedure.

S. Ross Fox, MD is the former President of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Hatherleigh Press; 1 Revised edition (December 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578263158
• ISBN-13: 978-1578263158
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #517,885 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not for dummies, March 18, 2010

By 

Gary Wayne "GarBear" (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Patient's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery, Revised Edition: Everything You Need to Know About Gastric Bypass and Bariatric Surgery (Paperback)

If I wanted a dummy book I would have bought one. This book is for intelligent people who would like more than the Kindergarten overview of weight loss surgery. The helpful quiz at the front of the book set the tone for the rest of the book. I found the first part of the book, the details about the different kinds of surgeries, to be of practical use. When looking on the Internet, I did find the mini-bypass advertised as a low-cost choice. This book gave me the facts I needed to know about the mini. I would NEVER subject myself to the mini, no matter how good the doctor made it sound.

The middle of the book, about different options, diet pills, OTC drugs and hunger levels in different people was eye-opening. This book didn't condemn weight loss surgery for those that need it for health reasons, but it did give reasons why it might not work for some people. Some of the surgeries change people's basic hunger signals and other surgeries just leave you hungry, but with a very small stomach. Over-eating then becomes almost inevitable because nothing's changed as far as what your body thinks it requires. The consequences of over-eating if you have a stomach the size of a walnut are bizarre. But if your surgery changes your basic hunger needs, as it does with the bypass, the BPD and the Sleeve, you have a much higher chance of success. This book emphasized the miraculous disappearance of Type II Diabetes within the first 24 hours of the surgery and gave reasons why this occurs in 90% of patients.

The personal stories at the end were short, concise and to the point. I found this book to give two sides to the weight loss surgery question. Most people were pleased with the outcome of their surgeries, even if they didn't lose as much weight as the doctor promised. But a few felt they were lied to and unsupported in the end when it didn't work. This book gave me a lot to think about.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book for smarties, not dummies, March 12, 2010

By 

Richard Kay "Dr. Kay" (Boise, Idaho US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Patient's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery, Revised Edition: Everything You Need to Know About Gastric Bypass and Bariatric Surgery (Paperback)

The part of the book that really got to me was the part about how society is prejudiced against fat people, and this prejudice is socially sanctioned. "Even people who are fat have a problem with people who are fatter than they are." I really liked the research that went into the Metropolitan Insurance height-weight tables, it turns out they are not actuarialy correct at all, and yet that is what doctors use to tell you you're too fat. Careful instruction about BMI, and how to really tell if you need surgery.

The quiz was fantastic. The most compelling part of the book was about new genetic research into hunger levels and obesity. How our hunger levels are controlled by certain hormones produced in the body and not under our conscious control. That's why diets often fail (97% of the time) because our bodies internal mechanisms are working against us.

I thought I knew everything about dieting and it turns out I barely know anything, and researchers are just finding out what really leads to obesity. Well-researched, up-to-date and not written down to the "dummy" level.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone considering weigh loss surgery!, February 12, 2010

By 

Mikaela Griggs (Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Patient's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery, Revised Edition: Everything You Need to Know About Gastric Bypass and Bariatric Surgery (Paperback)

I really appreciated this book! This book dispelled many myths that are out there about weight loss surgery, especially the myth that it is the miracle to end obesity. I appreciated the straight forward facts. The positive and negative personal experiences of those who underwent surgery were quite insightful. I would recommend this as a must read for anyone considering weight loss surgery.