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Mixed experiences, challenges common 6 years after gastric bypass surgery
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Patients who undergo laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery report negative effects in the years after the procedure, including personality changes, social challenges, physical limitations and a constant focus on food, according to research in Bariatric Surgical Practice and Patient Care.
In a mixed-methods study of Danish adults who had gastric bypass surgery, participants reported greater self-esteem and significant weight loss 6 years after the procedure, but also admitted to struggling with their new image, reported bodily pain and fatigue and, in some cases, resorted to substance abuse, according to researchers.
Jytte Heidman, MSN, and Mette Grønkjaer, PhD, of the clinical nursing research unit and the clinic for internal medicine at Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark, analyzed data from a quantitative study with 71 participants who had bariatric surgery from 2006 to 2007. Participants answered questions in 2013 from the SF-36, a commonly used questionnaire measuring quality of life in bariatric surgery patients. Questions assessed physical functioning, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role-emotional and mental health, as well as demographic conditions. Researchers used a scoring algorithm to transform the sum of the SF-36 items’ score within each domain to a scale ranging from 0 (poor health) to 100 (good health).
Researchers also analyzed data from a second qualitative study conducted in March 2013 that included 12 participants who completed the first questionnaire. The participants were divided into two focus groups of six participants each (4 women in each group) and completed more in-depth, in-person interviews regarding their experiences 6 years after gastric bypass surgery.
Participants reported an overall decrease in their health-related quality of life, with negative changes in physical functioning, bodily pain, general health, vitality and mental health when compared with the general Danish population.
“The possibility of living a more physically active life was considered important for participants’ [quality of life],” the researchers wrote. “At the same time, participants reported massive fatigue as a complication 6 years after [gastric bypass], which posed limitations to their physical abilities.”
Participants also reported greater self-confidence and self-esteem while still struggling with their new image and the social challenges of trying to fit in after previously feeling unaccepted, according to researchers. Participants also reported unsightly skin folds as a result of weight loss, which limited them both physically and emotionally.
“Although weight loss had influenced their [quality of life] positively, participants still experienced that it was difficult to relate to and accept their body 6 years after [gastric bypass],” the researchers wrote.
Many participants also reported surprise that a focus on food had remained after surgery, according to researchers.
Clinicians should promote realistic expectations of the operation and subsequent quality of life to their patients, the researchers wrote, and said further study and a rehabilitation program may be helpful.
“Additional research should focus on the content of such a rehabilitation program and what is needed to support long-term changes to eating behavior,” the researchers wrote. – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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