Surgery helps reduce weight from 118 kg to 62.8 kg

Weight control is one of the important topics for modern people. In addition to proper diet, regular exercise and appropriate use of medicine, obese suffers may consider weight loss surgeries for faster effects. The first successful case in NCKU Hospital reduced her weight from 118 kg to 62.8 kg one year after the surgery. Ms. Wang explained the amazing result in a press conference held at National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Taiwan, on March 24th.

Now 27-year-old, Ms. Wang has tried various weight loss methods which resulted in short-term effects. The repetitive weight change almost made her give up until the establishment of Weight Loss Team in NCKU Hospital one year ago. Her physician suggested weight loss surgery and transferred her to the weight loss surgery clinic. After careful evaluation and detailed discussion, the team performed gastric bypass surgery on January 14th, 2009. At that time Ms. Wang weighted 115.8 kg. Under the attentive care of NCKU Hospital Weight Loss Team, her weight successfully dropped to 62.8 kg one year later, without suffering from malnutrition or postoperative complication.

Ms. Wang expressed, "Because I had big appetite and little exercise, I was overweighed. The gastric bypass surgery required approximately six-month recovery period. The process was difficult because my stomach capacity had only 30cc left I was only allowed soft foods and I had to avoid high-fat, crude fiber foods. About half a year later, I resumed a normal diet."

NCKU Hospital Dr. Kuo-Ting Li pointed out, "Gastric bypass surgery is not only beneficial to weight loss; it is also helpful to improve diseases caused by obesity. However, even though the effect of weight loss surgery is fast and apparent, one must lose his or her bad diet and living habits because they may lower the effects of the surgery and lead to malnutrition and postoperative complications. For patients who accept weight loss surgeries, it is important to keep close contact and good relationship with the medical team, follow the directions of the nutritionists and cultivate healthy eating habits to achieve better surgical results and avoid potential postoperative complications."

NCKU Hospital Department of Family Medicine has been providing attentive and careful weight loss treatment to the patients. High level of cooperation will lead to higher successful rate in weight loss. Weight loss is a long and difficult road. When their weight drops to a certain degree and stops, some pathological obese patients may quit and they often need surgeries to continue the effects. Those who need surgical assistance usually transfer to other hospitals for surgeries, but the postoperative tracking and medical care often trouble them.

Dr. Chih-Hsing Wu of Department of Family Medicine said, "Some patients neglect medical treatment due to inconvenient time and traffic, leading to an increased rate of postoperative complications. Thus NCKU Hospital Family Medicine, Surgery, Metabolism, Psychiatric and Nutrition divisions organized an integrated multidisciplinary weight loss and medical care team. The Division of Gastroenterology has joined the team this year. In addition to take care of the weight loss patients in NCKU Hospital, we also provide service to patients from other hospitals who are having difficulties with traffic, hoping all patients will receive the best care and treatment."