TEN obese patients in the Lothians have become the first to undergo radical weight loss surgery on the NHS, with the number of operations set to double over the next year.
People are only chosen for the gastric band procedure if their weight problem is so serious it is causing serious health difficulties and they have tried a range of ways to shed the pounds.
One of the first people to undergo the operation today to
ld how it had changed his life.
The procedure involves fitting a band around the upper part of the stomach, making the patient feel full, and less likely to want to eat to excess. After the first ten operations were carried out successfully, a further 20 will take place over the next 12 months at a cost of £150,000.
Scotland has one of the world's worst obesity problems, with one-in-four adults classed as obese. In the Lothians it has been linked to rising levels of diabetes and it can also cause heart disease and serious damage to other major organs.
Andrew Jackson, associate director of strategic planning and modernisation at NHS Lothian, said: "The gastric band surgery will not be offered as an easy solution to weight loss and will only be provided as a last resort to people who have exhausted all other options."
He said NHS Lothian was developing a "healthy weight strategy" to tackle obesity through other means – starting with weight management advice about exercise and healthy eating, rather than surgery.
In the operation the band is placed above the stomach and traps food temporarily on the way down. This tricks the body into thinking it is full sooner, making the person eat less.
Father-of-three Alan Watson, 50, was one of the first to be selected for the operation. When he had the surgery in November he weighed 30 stone.
Mr Watson, from Cameron Toll, who works as a college officer at the Royal College of Surgeons, now weighs 23 stone and hopes to get down to 15 stone. He said: "It's changed my life dramatically, I actually want to come to work in the morning, and when I do I'm not just hiding behind a desk."
FAT CHILDREN GET MORE HELP TO SLIM DOWNOBESE youngsters are to be given help in losing weight under a £270,000 cash boost from the Scottish Government.
NHS Lothian is to receive part of a £6 million fund aimed at providing fitness and health programmes for Scottish children.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon announced the funding today at an international summit on health inequalities being hosted in Edinburgh.
At least 20,000 overweight and obese Scottish children will benefit from the funding.
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www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.ukThe full article contains 467 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
