Conway surgeon discusses benefits, risks of teen surgery to treat obesity
First published on WPDE.com by Connor Ingalls February 28, 2023, 3:11 PM EST
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — Dr. Zaher Nuwayhid from Conway Medical Center has spent decades performing weight loss surgeries.
He’s seen the toll obesity takes on many.
“Obesity is a chronic disease,” Dr. Nuwayhid said. “It definitely will create a lot of issues with children, mainly sleep apnea, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and depression of course.”
Which is why he supports the controversial recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics, encouraging children as young as 13 to use surgery as a means to battle obesity.
“If you weigh the benefits versus the risks…definitely the benefits outweigh the risks with the surgery,” he said.
Dr. Nuwayhid said children should fight obesity as early as possible, using any means necessary, so they don’t end up with life-long medical issues.
“If you tackle it early and the child will get the surgery and lose the weight…you will avoid them getting a lot of medical problems like as we mentioned before,” he said.
With modern technology, he said the procedures are also safer than ever before.
“Now it is done with small incisions,” Dr. Nuwayhid said. “We do most of our surgeries robotically. So people go home sometimes same day, sometimes next day, and the recovery is very quick, and the results are amazing.”
Still, he warns even if a family elects to go through with a surgery, the battle isn’t over there.
“Surgery is only the beginning,” Dr. Nuwayhid said. “They need to get into a healthy lifestyle, exercising, eating healthy, and of course medication could help in the future if need be.”
Achieve your Weight Loss Goals
Eating nutritious meals is only one aspect of living healthier and maintaining your weight. If you live in Myrtle Beach or Florence and are struggling with shedding pounds and navigating health issues associated with obesity, then CMC Weight Loss may be the ticket to helping you achieve your goals.
CMC’s Surgical Weight Loss Program offers two surgical procedures including Gastric Bypass and Sleeve Gastrectomy and offers robotic surgery as a surgical option. We also offer non-invasive medical weight loss measures, informational seminars, support groups, nutritional counseling, and exercise options including our Walking Club and free bariatric exercise program to help our patients throughout their weight-loss journey.
