|
 |
|
|
|
What is Gastric Bypass Surgery and Who is Eligible?
Gastric bypass surgery is a procedure in which the stomach is made smaller and the food consumed bypasses a portion of the small intestine.
This procedure permits a person to gain a sense of fullness while eating much more quickly than before the surgery.
Additionally, the food bypasses part of the intestine preventing some of the calories from being absorbed. This powerful combination promotes easy weight loss. |
|
Warning! Gastric Bypass Surgery Is Considered Major Surgery!
It should be noted that gastric bypass surgery is major surgery and is usually only recommended for people who have been unable to lose weight through traditional diet and exercise programs. Because this surgery requires a general anesthetic, a surgeon will only perform this procedure on a person who is otherwise healthy.
The risks of the surgery include reaction to the anesthetic, scarring, and infection. Another risk is called “dumping syndrome” which is when food passes too quickly through the remaining digestive system resulting in diarrhea, nausea, and light headedness soon after eating.
The most common surgical procedure used for a gastric bypass is called the Roux-en-Y. During digestion, food normally passes through the stomach and enters the small intestine. Here, most of the calories and nutritional elements of the food is absorbed. Then the food passes into the large intestine, the colon, and any remaining waste is excreted from the body.
The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure makes the stomach smaller by creating a pouch at the top of the stomach using staples, or other means. The smaller stomach is directly connected to the middle part of the small intestine at the jejunum, bypassing a large portion of the stomach and the upper portion of the small intestine, the duodenum.
When this surgery was first performed, a large incision was required leaving a large scar and the possibility of surgical adhesions. In recent years, the laparoscopic bypass has gained popularity because only a small incision is required and the recovery time is greatly reduced.
After gastric bypass surgery, a patient is usually required to stay in the hospital four to six days, with a traditional bypass, and two or three days with a laparoscopic bypass. In the case of a laparoscopic procedure, the patient can usually return to their normal activities within three to six weeks after the surgery.
Generally this surgery is available only to those who have a body mass index of 40 or higher making them morbidly obese, or those who have a life-threatening or severely debilitating condition related to their excessively large body weight. It is normally recommended only for people who have been morbidly obese for five years or longer and have repeatedly tried traditional weight loss methods wholeheartedly. It is not recommended for patients with a history of alcohol abuse, untreated depressions, some other major psychiatric disorders, or for people less than 18 years of age or older than 65 years of age.
In cases where morbid obesity is causing a person a life-threatening medical problem, it is possible that insurance may pay for the medical cost of this type of surgery. If no insurance is involved, the cost of the surgery can run in excess of $15,000 depending on the hospital stay period and other associated costs.
After the surgical procedure, patients will be placed on a specific gastric bypass diet, which first includes only small amounts of liquids to get their new digestive system ready for foods. It takes 6 months to a year of a strict gastric bypass diet before those who have had the surgery can begin eating a more regular regime of food, although it will be greatly diminished from previous intake of food.
|
|
