Bariatric surgery can help diabetics, Sudbury nurse says

Morning North11:17Obesity - the stigma of bariatric surgery

We hear from the coordinator of Sudbury's bariatric program. She says one of the barriers to the surgery is stigma. Bonnie MacKinnon speaks from experience, she's had the surgery. She dispels the myth of the bariatric quick-fix and shares her story.

The co-ordinator of Sudbury's bariatric centre says gastric bypass surgery can do more than improve an individual's health it can save the health care system big bucks.

Bonnie MacKinnon said obesity often comes with a host of associated health issues, including Type 2 diabetes. Research strongly suggests that gastric bypass surgery cuts incidents of diabetes, she added.

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About 84 per cent go into remission with diabetes [its] not so much a surgery to help people get thinner and healthier, but it's a surgery to help fight some of those co-morbid disorders that are very expensive [to] the health-care system.

According to a study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, obesity and related disorders cost Canadians up to $7 billion a year.

Last year,Sudbury'sbariatriccentre sent 300 people forbariatricsurgery in Toronto. MacKinnonnoted that, with more funding, more people could be approved for the procedure.

There always is a need for an expansion where we can offer more service, she said.

The people want to have the surgery and, once they have the surgery, they want to have a lot of contact with the centre.

Thebariatriccentre offerspre-and-postoperative support forbariatricpatients, howeverSudburydoes not have abariatricsurgeon.MacKinnonsaid patients still go to Toronto for the procedure.

Thebariatricassessment and treatment centre has seen 60 to 80 new referrals a month of people from around the northeast who are eligible forbariatricsurgery.

And the centre has grown to 17 staff members,MacKinnonsaid.

Just this month, Thunder Bay's health centre announced the addition of twobariatricsurgeon to its staff.

A recent study from Memorial University in St. John's predicted that about 21 per cent of Canadian adults will be obese by 2019.