Natalie Holzer/Health Reporter
Indianapolis, Oct. 26 - "I'm excited, but nervous." Thirty-four-year-old Shannon Rigney is at a place in life an increasing number of Americans are, the Danville mother of two is seeking a surgeon's touch with help losing weight.
"I'm just ready to make a whole new start, looking better, feeling better."
She's scheduled for gastric bypass surgery in mid-November, a major stomach reduction with its share of risks, including death.
But, a new procedure offers a safer alternative.
"It's similar to a heart pacemaker," says Bariatric Surgeon Dr. Jack Ditslear.
A doctor places the pacemaker under the ribcage and attaches tiny wires that deliver tiny electric pulses to the stomach muscle. Researchers say, in theory, it's supposed to give patients a sense of fullness.
The surgery has no serious risks. It takes only an hour and patients go home the same day.
But Dr. Ditslear says he'll stick to offering gastric bypass surgery as a primary choice until there's more research.
Only a few hundred people are taking part in a U.S. study to see how well the pacemaker works.
Rigney says the new technology sounds interesting, but she doesn't know enough to change her mind. For now she'll go under the knife with Dr. Ditslear and hopefully start a new life.
