When to Seek Urgent Care
Seek urgent medical care for severe or persistent abdominal pain, repeated vomiting or inability to drink, chest pain, breathlessness, confusion or sudden deterioration. These symptoms need prompt assessment, particularly after starting a weight-loss medicine or following bariatric surgery.
Understanding the Condition
Obesity is a chronic, relapsing health condition influenced by genetics, hormones, metabolism, sleep, medicines, environment and life circumstances. Its importance lies in how excess body fat affects health, rather than appearance alone.
It can contribute to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnoea, fatty liver disease, reflux, joint problems, infertility and cardiovascular disease. Metabolic surgery changes stomach capacity and gut signals involved in hunger, fullness and blood-glucose control.
How It Is Assessed
A comprehensive surgical assessment reviews weight history, eating pattern, previous treatment, waist circumference and obesity-related disease. It also considers nutritional status, mental health, current medicines, previous abdominal surgery, anaesthetic risk and readiness for lifelong follow-up.
Structured nutrition, activity support and prescription medicines may be used before surgery, after surgery or when an operation is unsuitable. These treatments require medical screening and monitoring; weight-loss medicines are not used during pregnancy.
Asian-Indian BMI Screening Calculator
Adult BMI screeningEnter your height and weight for a preliminary BMI screening result. A clinician will interpret it alongside waist circumference, health conditions and previous treatment.
This result does not diagnose obesity or select a treatment. A clinical assessment is needed to review metabolic health and whether nutritional support, prescription medicines or surgery could help.
When Is Surgery Considered?
Metabolic or bariatric surgery may be considered when obesity is affecting health and the likely benefit is greater than the operative risk. It can support substantial, durable weight loss and improve conditions such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnoea, high blood pressure and fatty liver disease.
Body mass index is a screening measure, not the only criterion. People of Asian origin can develop metabolic complications at a lower BMI, so eligibility is decided through individual assessment rather than weight alone.
Surgery and Important Risks
Dr Prasad Bhukebag has clinical fellowship training in bariatric surgery in Belgium and Taiwan. The operation is selected after reviewing eating pattern, reflux, diabetes, nutritional status, previous surgery and the ability to continue long-term follow-up.
Sleeve Gastrectomy
Most of the stomach is removed, leaving a narrow sleeve. Existing reflux and the possibility of new or worse reflux need careful discussion.
Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass
A small stomach pouch is joined to the small bowel. Nutritional deficiency and internal hernia are among its specific long-term risks.
Important risks include bleeding, infection, blood clots, leak, narrowing, ulcer, reflux or dumping symptoms, gallstones, nutritional deficiency, weight regain and the need for another procedure. Your personal risk depends on the operation and your health.
Recovery and Lifelong Follow-up
Walking, breathing exercises and careful hydration begin soon after surgery. Hospital stay, return to work and lifting restrictions depend on the operation and individual recovery. Food progresses through planned stages under guidance from the bariatric team.
Lifelong vitamin and mineral supplements, scheduled blood tests and nutritional review are essential. Weight, metabolic health and any late symptoms are reviewed over time. Pregnancy is usually delayed until weight and nutrition have stabilised, following advice from the bariatric and obstetric teams.
Your Three-Phase Care Journey
- Planning: health review, blood tests, nutritional assessment and procedure selection.
- Treatment: operation, pain control, early mobilisation, hydration and a staged diet.
- Lifelong follow-up: weight, nutrition, vitamin levels, metabolic health and late symptoms are monitored.