Renee Keys, At Least One Year Later: Post-Surgery Experience of Bariatric Patients

The number of individuals having bariatric surgery is increasing. The purpose of this study was to investigate the post-surgery experience of bariatric patients at least one year after surgery. The study found while risks exist, benefits outweigh the risks and participants believe the change in lifestyle and increase in self-perception outweigh the risk. The study adds to theory and practice by providing potential bariatric candidates with necessary knowledge to make an informed decision on bariatric surgery.

[vicsib]

Great study and research, Renee. It would be great to see this research being continued at a larger scale. I would like to know more about the perspectives of male patients, as many do undergo bariatric procedures. I would also be interested in learning about the history of weight gain for patients (childhood obesity, weight gain into adulthood, stress related weight gain), and maybe seeing how these histories correlate with some of your findings.

[lukkynupe]

Very thorough and concise presentation Ma'am. Did any of the participants have any subsequent surgical procedures due to complications with the primary surgery and or furthering of the weight loss journey?

[tiffinbristow]

I enjoyed watching your presentation Renee.  Great job.  I would be interested in learning which bariatric procedure your participants had done.  Did the specific procedure have any impact on the end results?

[melissagarza]

Great presentation! You're absolutely right, organizations need to educate and provide programs promoting and benefiting employee well being. It's important to also emphasize your slides on self-perception. Many of these women didn't value what they saw in the mirror until after their surgeries. With that being said, not only is it important to provide employees with opportunities of growth in one's physical health, but we need to practice mental hygiene as well. One's psychological well being tends to affect the eating habits of patients. Therefore, mental health needs to be promoted just as much. Again, great presentation! Really enjoyed it!

[noeltrejo]

Very well done, the research is interesting relevant and thourough. I appreciate your hard work. With the high cost of healthcare particularly for women. Surgery, follow up and maintenence could possibly be less costly than having medical issues that arrise from obesity addressed. It can also increase productivity in the workplace as the self image, esteem and compliments from co workers promotes the confidence to raise the bar. Thank you

[ericanschutz]

Good presentation Renee. You  make some very
good points with the purpose and her guided study questions witch

make it easy to understand the topic of bariatric surgery.  Renee‘s section of major finding and 

implications shows the patient self- perception, diet and
confidence self-image Question what is the healthcare cost for this surgery? Question why is employments status a factory for this research paper?  Question why did you just have a female research  
instead of male and female research on this topic?

[leighburnell]

Hi Renee! Great presentation and thorough research. As someone who has struggled with weight my whole life and seem to finally have a hold on it through diet and exercise, it is interesting to learn more about this piece of a weight loss journey. A relative of mine had bariatric surgery several years back, and while she has had success with losing and keeping off a majority of the weight, she has not adhered to the diet advice as you mention in your report. Through your findings it appears the surgery is a piece of the weight loss journey for some, but is still not a complete cure all, as some seem to think. I would be very interested in how your findings would differ, if at all, when completing the study with an all male participant group. Great job!!

[ronchamilton]

This was a very insightful presentation. It was clearly presented and concise. Since the time after surgery varied greatly across participants, how did you get comfortable with the benefits at year 1 for everyone?

[danield.]

Great presentation and study Renee. It would be interesting to see a comparison between the female experience versus the male experience and how surgery has improved their opportunities of either finding a better job, or getting promotions based on increased self-esteem.

[melissamccollum]

Renee, great presentation. I don't understand your reference and link to work place "wellness"? Do you think that work place wellness efforts can lesson the need for bariatric surgery? or that wellness efforts will highlight the important facts you found? Very interesting presentation.

[tamaraturner]

Renee, in your research, did you find what motivated employers to provide wellness programs? You mention rising healthcare cost but I was curious if you uncovered other motivators. I am also curious if you asked any of your participants what kind of healthcare savings they realized since the surgery. Were they taking medications that were no longer needed or became eligible for healthcare benefits not available previously?

[robbrowning]

Renee, this presentation was done very well.  I'm happy to see someone take this topic on, as obesity is a growing concern in our society in all areas, even the military.  Being a paramedic of 29 years, I've seen more obese patients over time since I started.  Interesting points I noticed were the variations of age of the patients and length of time since the surgery.  I also agree on the timeframe references and getting a perspective on the male experience, as it would help with more funding for the surgery, and bring more to having the surgery.  Of course, I'm of the school of though that we should teach better eating habits from a younger age, as well as more exercise.  Even with that, there is going to be obesity, and this shows to be a good treatment for that in the right cases.  Thank you for the presentation, and good luck with your future endeavors.

[dr.cherrstrom]

Interesting study!  Tell us more about how you recruited participants using social media.  Pros?  Cons?

[ericgarcia]

Very interesting presentation for me personally. I was in discussion with this exact study with my mother three years ago. She was very much researching her risks and eventually decided that the benefits of the surgery out weighed the risks associated with the surgery. It was a very nervous time for our family as any surgery is. I think this study you conducted would help future patients to make a more educated choice on the surgery based off results from previous patients one year post surgery. The surgery changed my moms life and helped boost her in to a healthier lifestyle. Great study and research!

[shawnleebryan]

Very interesting study, Renee. Have any participants found extraordinary changes to their career paths? Any promotions or lucrative job offers post-surgery due to their increased productivity in the workforce?

[matthewworthington]

I enjoyed this presentation and find it very interesting. I would love
to see the results of people once you get further down the line, 5 years and
on. Also looking at the differences between women/men and then different ethnicities
as well. Did you ever think about looking at the differences between people who
lost weight through bariatric surgery compared with those that lost it by
diet/exercise alone? I wonder if the mental aspect of making the change
yourself over having a surgery affects their work productivity and overall feeling
of self-worth.

[jacobrichter]

Hi Renee, does Bariatric surgery cover all types of surgical weight loss? Does it mean gastric bypass, lap band, etc, or is it one in particular? Did anyone in your research regain weight after initially losing? What is the percentage of serious medical complication happening for the individual? So for all the questions, it is a very interesting topic.

[ezequielhurbines]

Great research study, Renee!  I found your study interesting.  I don't know if you were able to find this out, but through your research, were you able to find what was the mot common reason among your participants, of why they got bariatric surgery?  I know there was three common reasons, but what was the major reason, overall?  Best, Zeke!

[dextersmith]

Renee, I enjoyed reading your manuscript.  However, your video presentation help me understand how quality of life after such a surgery is so important for self-esteem.  Have you found anyone regretting their decision to have bariatric surgery?

[loudevirgilio]

Excellent "Need for Study".  I felt curious about the work from the get go.

8 participants is very limited.  You could be looking at a 12.5 percent skew of results from a single outlier. 

Your major findings had a nice breakdown into three areas of results and they feel well balanced to my mind. 

To satisfy my curiosity,   I would like to see a pie chart of how the women felt about the surgery. Worth it? Would recommend it?  Life changer?  Wish they explored other options?

Also I'd like to see some trend line on weight gain after surgery for each plotted.  Is there regression to the norm.  Maybe there is weight gain but it is at the same rate as society in general.