Despite risks, gastric-bypass surgeries soar

Herald, FL

Monica Ramos lost about 200 pounds the hard way.

In 2004, a doctor stapled her stomach and rerouted her intestines.

A year later, Ramos collapsed in her home and was rushed to the hospital, where she needed another operation to stop internal bleeding.

Her weight-loss surgery represents the gamble that legions of morbidly obese Americans are taking every year. For many, it is worth the risk.

When Ramos had her initial operation, she was on 17 medications for diabetes and other ailments. Today, she needs no prescriptions. Her diabetes is gone; she feels great.

But the soft-spoken nursing student warns that surgery is not a cure for obesity.

"This is a lifelong commitment, and there are going to be days when you're sorry you've made this commitment," said Ramos, 26, who runs a support group in Orlando for weight-loss-surgery patients.

If current trends continue, she will be busy.

Weight-loss surgery -- commonly referred to as bariatric surgery -- has exploded in the United States from an estimated 16,200 procedures in 1992 to about 205,000 in 2007. More >>

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