This type of bariatric procedure can produce life-altering results. About that the record is clear. But while this type of weight loss surgery can indeed lead to a better, longer, healthier life free of the threat of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, sleep disorders and more, it can also lead to significant complications, particularly if the patient is not able to muster the commitment necessary to the formulation of new dietary and lifestyle habits. Because of the potential downside, it’s crucial that doctors carefully screen prospective candidates in order to make sure the people chosen stand a reasonable chance of becoming gastric bypass success stories.

In the most general terms you may qualify for this type of gastric surgery if you:

• Possess a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or greater.

• Have tried repeatedly with little or no success to lose weight through traditional diet and exercise programs.

• You have a BMI of greater than 30 and you are experiencing serious health problems directly related to your weight. These may include sleep apnea, high blood pressure and diabetes.

• You have gone through puberty but are still a teenager, you have a BMI of 30 or more and you are experiencing serious health issues related to your weight such as type 2 diabetes.

If you meet the above guidelines and have decided to pursue gastric bypass surgery abroad, you will need to either call the clinic in question or complete an enquiry form on their website. A Patient Coordinator will then ring you up to discuss options. The Patient Coordinator in such cases is a vital link between the patient and the medical team both in the lead up to, and the aftermath of, surgery. Once the Patient Coordinator has finished the initial phone evaluation all necessary documents will be emailed to you along with a health questionnaire. It’s crucial that you fill out this questionnaire to the best of your ability. If you have any questions you should feel free to contact the Patient Coordinator who will be happy to assist you.

Once your health questionnaire has been completed and sent to the clinic it will be thoroughly reviewed by the medical team. The doctors will then determine your suitability for the gastric bypass procedure. Once the doctors have confirmed your suitability it will be time to proceed to the next phase of evaluation which will commence upon your arrival at the clinic.

Upon arrival you will have a private consultation with both the surgeon who will be performing the procedure as well as the anesthetist. A series of tests will be administered in order to ensure you are physically prepared to undergo gastric bypass. The preoperative test regimen is composed of the following:

In the extremely unlikely event a previously unknown health condition such as an ulcer is revealed by the preoperative tests the doctor may recommend postponing the procedure for a few weeks in order to cure the condition. The surgeon will then perform another gastroscopy or other appropriate procedure to verify the situation has been cleared up so that surgery can proceed.

While there is no specific age before or after which a person is forbidden to undergo the gastric bypass surgery procedure it’s only fairly recently that it has come to be considered safe for both seniors and teenagers. As such these individuals may need to endure closer scrutiny before the procedure is approved for them.

Gastric bypass cost may present significant financial hurdles a patient has difficulty clearing. It’s possible that your health insurance plan may cover some or even all of the cost of this type of weight loss surgery, but you will need to be sure you have pre-approval from the insurer prior to surgery. The same goes for any other type of medical assistance program. In order to receive pre-approval, members of the evaluation team will need to sign off on the notion that this procedure is not only justified but necessary from a medical standpoint.

At the same time, different insurers may impose different standards of proof before they’ll be willing to pre-approve the gastric bypass cost for UK residents. Some, in fact, simply won’t cover it at all. If that is the case with your insurance company, the sooner you find out the better so that you can make alternative arrangements. Those arrangements may include seeking assistance from relatives or paying for most or all of the procedure out of your own pocket. Again, the gastric bypass price can be substantial, so it’s crucial to have the financial aspect straightened out as early in the process.

While there is little doubt that gastric bypass surgery is more than worth the expense for most people who undergo it paying for the procedure can still represent a significant obstacle. As we’ve seen, different insurance companies may impose different burdens of proof regarding whether the surgery was necessary, with some simply refusing to even consider covering it. With the cost of a gastric bypass running some £11,000 in London these days how, then, is one supposed to pay for it if the insurance company won’t help? The answer is “By having the procedure in Riga”.

Take a look at the chart below. You can see that, compared the London, the cost of having your gastric bypass at Weight Loss Riga is more than £6,000 less on average. But before you start thinking the difference will be made up with what you spend on airfare and accommodations do a quick Internet search of airfares. You’ll find they can be had for less that £150 (as of this writing). And when it comes to accommodations the cost of your ultra-modern room in our clinic is included in the Weight Loss Riga price. So the notion that you’re going to pay the same either way is simply not true. Not even close. Now let’s take a closer look at that price comparison chart.

It’s important to keep a number of things in mind when it comes to this type of weight loss surgery. Perhaps primary among them is the fact that this is not a miracle cure that is going to solve all your problems and deliver you a worry free life. There is no guarantee that you’ll lose as much weight as you hope and, if you are not diligent in following the recommendations of your doctor, you will likely have trouble keeping the weight off in the long term. Failure to comply with postoperative lifestyle and dietary changes may also lead to very unpleasant or downright dangerous complications.

All that said, if you’ve jumped all the evaluation hurdles, made sure your financial ducks are in a row and undergone the procedure, it is now time to deal with the aftermath.

It’s important to keep a number of things in mind when it comes to this type of weight loss surgery. Perhaps primary among them is the fact that this is not a miracle cure that is going to solve all your problems and deliver you a worry free life. There is no guarantee that you’ll lose as much weight as you hope and, if you are not diligent in following the recommendations of your doctor, you will likely have trouble keeping the weight off in the long term. Failure to comply with postoperative lifestyle and dietary changes may also lead to very unpleasant or downright dangerous complications.

All that said, if you’ve jumped all the evaluation hurdles, made sure your financial ducks are in a row and now that you’ve undergone the procedure, it is now time to deal with the aftermath.

While we covered the potential risks above we need to take a closer look at some of the more dangerous potential health problems that can occur in the wake of gastric surgery. While these risks sometimes be avoided or prevented, we always allow our patients the benefits of knowing what risks are involved in any weight loss surgery.