Dr. Sasse has been writing articles for Sixty and Me regarding the efficacy of sacral neuromodulation for incontinence. But in his last post for the website, he introduced something new – metabolic surgery. Is metabolic surgery safe for seniors? The answer might surprise you.
From the Article
“The answer might surprise you, but the resounding response from wide-ranging studies is yes. In fact, the surgery in its modern form today is considered by medical societies around the globe to provide a large risk reduction for seniors.
It lowers risks of blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke, and death by a substantial amount. But how exactly does surgery reduce one’s risk?
The main reason is that modern metabolic surgery is quite successful at changing the internal metabolism, hormones, and the body’s biochemistry, which leads to significant loss of weight and reversal of type two diabetes.
Each of these results means a lot less strain on the heart, kidneys, and other organs of the body, resulting in fewer heart attacks and lower risks across the board. The other development in recent decades is the improved safety and simplicity of the metabolic surgical procedure.”
Dr. Sasse shares specifics about laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, the most widely-performed procedure. He also discusses the guidelines now recommending metabolic surgery, which come from over 53 leading endocrinology societies around the world, and notes that seniors are increasingly being advised to consider this procedure by their primary care doctors.
In the comment section, one woman shared her personal experience. She had the procedure Dr. Sasse described. At the time, she was dealing with a number of health conditions, including stage 4 liver disease, the beginning of liver cirrhosis, was overweight, had type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
After the procedure, “I was able to immediately stop the diabetes meds, my high blook pressure meds, the med I took for my liver disease, and my statin (for the high cholestrol),” she wrote. “My liver completely healed, I lost all the excess weight, and I couldn’t possibly be happier with the results. The recovery, everything, couldn’t have been easier or smoother. I am in awe of the number of health conditions this simple surgery (which is never without risk, but it is so small with this type) addressed and reversed or cured. Truly amazing and I would recommend it to anyone who is struggling with any of the health issues this surgery affects.”
Read the article in full at Sixty and Me, and learn more about metabolic surgery today. Age doesn’t have to be a reason to avoid a procedure like metabolic surgery. If you have questions, our team is here to help. Contact us today.
