Is Lap Band Surgery Good For Severe Asthmatics?

The rapid increase in obesity across the country has resulted in a number of serious health problems. Many of these health problems can deteriorate a person’s quality of life and even shorten a person’s life. One such health condition that is made worse when obese is asthma. Studies are now showing that there is a link between asthma and morbid obesity. For people who are suffering from severe obesity, lap band surgery has been shown to be an effective method of weight loss that reduces instances of severe asthma attacks.

Obesity has been proven to be a risk factor for such diseases as heart disease, some types of cancer, and diabetes. Now, research studies are revealing that obesity is a risk factor for asthma. For instance, studies now show the risk for developing asthma increases when there is a large increase in weight. When a person is seriously overweight, their breathing becomes shallow because their lungs do not expand as much as it would if one were a normal healthy weight. As well, in obese individuals, there is a chronic inflammation of the lungs which reduces the airway passage. The inflammation takes place in the fatty tissue. A narrower airway passage also means the airways will remain blocked when breathing normally which reduces oxygen exchange. The airways will contract more causing more asthma symptoms. Narrow airways in obese asthmatics are more likely to stay closed during normal breathing which results in reduced oxygen exchange which puts one in a higher risk category for pulmonary hypertension. As well, obese people are more prone to sleep apnea and gastroesophageal reflux disease which can make asthma worse.

When a person suffers from obesity, they tend to have more severe asthma problems than those who are not obese. With a weight loss surgery such as lap band surgery, there can be considerable improvement for people suffering from asthma. With the loss of the excess fat, lung function will improve, inflammation will subside, the air passages will open up, and people will breathe better. As well, they will need less medication and there will be fewer trips to the hospital due to a severe asthma attack.

Lap band surgery has become a popular weight loss procedure to treat obesity because it is minimally invasive with few side effects. As well as having proven positive health results, the procedure normally takes less than an hour and the patient recovery time is short with most patients going home just a few hours after the procedure. It is also the only reversible option and post operative lap band adjustments are made without additional surgery.

During home recovery, the patient will have simple diet to follow as they learn how to eat healthy and the correct amounts of food. Lap band surgery is a great option for those suffering from obesity and serious health problems such as asthma. When considering any type of surgery, it is important to consult with a physician to learn about the benefits and risks involved with the procedure.

The CIBO clinic’s adjustable gastric band offers the safest, sustainable results in weight loss by reducing the amount of food your stomach can hold. Despite the lab band cost, there are many advantages. You can lose weight without hunger and feel full longer with support before and after your laparoscopic surgery. Read more about the experience in Lapband blog.

Private Gastric Surgery in the UK

If you looking at having Gastric lap band surgery in the UK and you have the ability to fund the surgery yourself, you may want to contact a surgeon to arrange to have it done privately. The cost for having a private gastric band surgery in the UK will generally ranges from 4,000 - 8,000.

For a more complex surgery your surgeon may request you to be a private patient in the NHS hospital rather than in the local private hospital, due to the proximity to specialist care and services should you need them.

Here’s a few question you will need to ask to check whether the private surgery will cover:

Do the fees include pre-operational items such as blood tests, physician and dietician fees?

Are all hospital costs and operation costs included? Fees for surgeon and anaesthetist? What happens if there’s complications and you need to stay in hospital or need more specialised care?

Do the fees cover after care treatment? How many fills are included? Does it include blood tests for RNY/BPD/DS patients? What if you need additional care?

Never be afraid to ask questions regarding private surgery for gastric banding as your surgeon will be happy to explain more. Note most gastric band surgery will only include two band fills which is probably not enough.

As many patients require several more adjustments over the next two years after the surgery to reach their weight loss goals. If possible get a package with slightly more of surgeon appointments and dieticians follow-up after surgery than to be faced with the dilemma of not doing as well as you had hoped and having to find the money for additional appointments.

Generally insurance companies in the UK will not payout for any form of gastric surgery even though it’s considered a chronic illness. If insurance companies allow people to claim they will avoid any future claims for other related illnesses.

Now patients are looking abroad for their treatment and typically countries like France and Belgium as received medical tourists as the cot of surgery is much cheaper in them countries. Local surgery will give you the benefit of follow up care, where as some local surgeons refuse to treat you if you had operation abroad.

What ever you decide on your surgery, whether it’s local or overseas operation after care is key factor. So it’s recommended that you look at specialist obesity surgery. As they will have a great team of doctors to do the operation and follow up care? Quality of your operation is important so study carefully.