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Medical
Journal Book Review
by
Arif Ahmad,
M.D. |
Weight Loss Surgery, Finding
the Thin Person Hiding Inside You.
Barbara Thompson, Word Association, 2001.
This timely text fills a
much-felt need for a complete guide to obesity surgery for
patients by a patient. This
book commences with a description of the important steps in the
decision-making by the author, as a patient, to pursue surgical
means for weight control, followed by a summary of the criteria
used by surgeons to decide if a patient qualifies for bariatric
surgery and some of the co-morbidities associated with obesity.
This is followed by a brief overview of bariatric
operations and some of the thinking processes used in selecting
the type of operation. A description of how to locate a surgeon and details of
insurance coverage are included.
Psychological and emotional
issues and interactions with the family are dealt with in a manner
possible only by one who has actually undergone the surgery.
The preoperative work-up and the actual experiences during
the hospital admission are described in patients’ terms, and
patients will find the descriptions easy to relate to.
Possible complications and the experiences after the
operation are described in accurate and succinct but
patient-understandable terms.
The final chapter, by the
patient’s husband, lends an important perspective to the effect
of the changed body habitus and its psychological implications for
family members or significant others.
Useful appendices include a list of suggested readings,
relevant Web sites, and a list of bariatric surgeons in the
different states.
The medical information is
accurate and up to date, having been reviewed and edited
by Ms. Klemm, R.N. and Mr. Gourash, PAC, both individuals
closely associated with the bariatric program at the University of
Pittsburgh. I
consider the information in this book to be an essential
complement to a consultation with a bariatric surgeon and would
enthusiastically recommend this book to all patients considering
bariatric surgery.
Arif Ahmad, M.D.
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA
Journal of Laparoscopic and
Advanced Surgical Techniques, Vol. 11 (5), October 2001
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