Cure Bulimia with Gastric Bypass?
Question : Cure Bulimia with Gastric Bypass?
Seeing as Bulimia Nervosa is nearly identical to Compulsive Over-Eating/Binge Eating disorder (minus the purging) which is treated by Gastric Bypass surgery… Why wouldn’t they consider this for Bulimic patients? If you stop the binge eating, you stop the purging. I know it sounds far-fetched, but Bulimia has equal if not worse effects on health than that of a morbidly obese person.
Michelle I’m so sorry to hear that, and I wish you both the best of luck.
bulimia cure
Best answer:
Answer by emilyrose
A gastric bypass for a bulimic patient seems like a bad idea for a couple of reasons. First off, the bulimic patient has a psycological disorder that causes them to overeat, so there’s a good chance they would burst the staples (which can be quite dangerous as it can cause the contents of the stomach to spill into the abdominal cavity). Secondly, bulimics are typically trying to lose weight when they do not need to, so a drastic weight-loss procedure seems counter-indicated. Thirdly, the procedure will cause the patient to lose a considerable amount of weight, which is great if they are obese, but not if they are not.
Because bulimia is a psycological rather than a physiological disorder, it is best treated with agressive psycotherapy, rather than surgery.
With a gastric bypass the stomach becomes roughly the size of an egg. If you fill your stomach or eat the wrong foods you throw it back up, especially in the beginning. It is a drastic weight loss procedure. Bulimics are either trying to lose weight or stop from gaining. This type of surgery would sound perfect to a bulimic. Think about it. Smaller stomach so I can’t eat as much, it takes less food to be full up, then I can puke without trying and lose tons of weight….exactly what someone with bulimia doesn’t need.
If the person who uses gastric bypass for treatment of compulsive over eating doesn’t seak psychological treatment the problem will just come back. They will lose a lot of weight for months, but if thier lifestyle doesn’t change they will gain the weight back. The stomach can stretch back to the same size it was before. They can even gain back more weight than they started with. Bypass is not a “cure” it is a push in the right direction.
Michelle: I also wish you both the best of luck. My mother is in the process of getting a bypass. Do you have local support groups? United we stand, divided we fall. Never underestimate the support of others. Hang in there.