Four months after the operation, he lost 50 kilograms in weight. The bariatric surgery made him a completely different person

Recently, Dr. Cui Lei, a chief physician in the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery at Jiangsu University Affiliated Hospital (Jiangbin Hospital of Zhenjiang City), received several photos sent by a patient named He Tao (a pseudonym) who had undergone surgery here before. In the photos, He Tao was dressed in a suit, with confidence evident in his expression.

Cui Lei said, "More than half a year ago, He Tao weighed 280 pounds. He looks like a completely different person now. I still have dozens of severely obese patients like He Tao in my WeChat contacts. They are all very satisfied after undergoing weight loss surgery."

This is the greatest wish of 32-year-old He Tao. Due to severe obesity, He Tao not only has to endure others' strange looks but also suffers repeated setbacks in work and life. He said, "Around the age of 20, I felt like a balloon getting fatter and fatter. At my peak, I weighed 150 kilograms. I also tried various weight loss methods, but none of them had a significant effect. My weight has always been around 140 kilograms."

It is known that He Tao was once a forklift driver, but the cramped cabin of the forklift made it impossible for him to move freely after he gained weight. Eventually, he lost this job. Due to severe obesity, he couldn't even sleep flat on his back, and his movements became increasingly difficult. His physical condition deteriorated day by day.

More than half a year ago, He Tao happened to see a popular science video about bariatric surgery by Cui Lei on the Internet. Determined to lose weight, he immediately came to the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University. After examination, He Tao was found to have multiple diseases such as severe fatty liver, diabetes, hypertension, hypothyroidism and hypercortisolism.

"The patient's body mass index (BMI) has reached 42, while the normal range is 18 to 24," said Cui Lei. "Obesity is not just about appearance; it is closely related to human health. Severe obesity can affect all organs and systems in the body. Many patients cannot sleep in a supine position because they feel short of breath as soon as they lie flat. This is mainly due to excessive fat accumulation, which causes narrowing of the airways. If obesity is left untreated, it may seriously threaten the patient's life."

After comprehensive assessment and analysis, the team led by Cui Lei formulated a metabolic weight loss surgery plan for Why Tao and successfully carried out a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy with enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS).

Cui Lei introduced that after this kind of surgery, the patient's stomach would become banana-shaped, so sleeve gastrectomy is also called "banana stomach" surgery. It would remove the bottom part of the patient's stomach, reducing the stomach's volume to about 20% of its original size, thereby decreasing the patient's food intake. The bottom part of the stomach secretes hunger hormones, and its removal would significantly reduce the feeling of hunger.

Four months after the operation, He Tao's weight dropped by a full 50 kilograms. With postoperative dietary and exercise management, his weight continued to decline steadily, and various physical indicators gradually returned to normal. He Tao, who successfully lost weight, soon found a new job and became much more confident.

For Lin Kai (a pseudonym), an obese patient, the biggest problem is sleep. "I would suddenly fall asleep while sitting and talking to people before. Once, I hit my head on the table and bled a lot," Lin Kai said. "But every night after lying down, I could only sleep for at most one hour before I couldn't breathe. In the end, I had to sit and wait for dawn. My mental state was very bad at that time."

After trying various weight loss methods without success, Lin Kai visited Cui Lei's weight loss clinic. The examination results showed that Lin Kai's BMI had reached 45, and he suffered from many diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, among which the most difficult to deal with was sleep apnea syndrome.

Cui Lei said, "Obesity is an important factor causing sleep apnea syndrome in patients. If sleep apnea syndrome is not treated for a long time, it will lead to an increased incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in patients, and in severe cases, sudden death may occur."

After a strict preoperative assessment, Cui Lei performed bariatric surgery on Lin Kai. One week after the operation, Lin Kai's weight had dropped by 5 kilograms.

Ten days after the operation, Lin Kai happily told Cui Lei that his weight was dropping every day and that he could now sleep for six to seven hours every night. Compared with before, his physical condition was like night and day.

Cui Lei reminds that bariatric surgery is not a one-time solution. After the operation, patients must also adjust their diet and lifestyle under the guidance of doctors. Some patients may also need drug intervention.

Surgery is not a shortcut for weight loss.

Cui Lei introduced that the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery of Jiangsu University Affiliated Hospital has been routinely performing laparoscopic metabolic and bariatric surgery since 2015. Currently, the department has enabled nearly a hundred severely obese patients to return to a normal life.

Qu Jianguo, the director of the department, introduced that laparoscopic metabolic bariatric surgery has the advantages of small trauma, quick recovery and good therapeutic effect. The postoperative weight loss effect and the treatment effect of metabolic problems of patients are both very significant. However, the goal of bariatric surgery is not merely weight loss; it is also an intervention for the physical and mental health of patients. Severely obese people generally have multiple diseases such as cardiovascular and endocrine diseases, and are also affected by negative emotions such as inferiority and anxiety, making it difficult for them to integrate into society. Bariatric surgery not only helps them lose weight, but also offers them a chance to turn their lives around.

It should be noted that people should not consider weight loss surgery as a "shortcut" to losing weight, and not all obese individuals are suitable for bariatric surgery, said Qu Jianguo. "There are strict surgical indications for weight loss surgery. Only those with a BMI over 32 and who have failed to lose weight through diet, exercise or medication, and who have passed strict preoperative evaluations, can be considered for surgical treatment."