Gastric Bypass
Second test. Gastric bypass and other weight-loss surgeries make changes to your digestive system to help you lose weight by limiting how much you can eat or by reducing the absorption of nutrients, or both. Gastric bypass and other weight-loss surgeries are done when diet and exercise haven\'t worked or when you have serious health problems because of your weight. There are many types of weight-loss surgery, known collectively as bariatric surgery. Gastric bypass is one of the most common types of bariatric surgery in the United States. Many surgeons prefer gastric bypass surgery because it generally has fewer complications than do other weight-loss surgeries. Gastric bypass surgery makes the stomach smaller and causes food to bypass part of the small intestine. You will feel full more quickly than when your stomach was its original size. This reduces the amount of food you can eat at one time. Bypassing part of the intestine reduces how much food and nutrients are absorbed. This leads to weight loss.
Who Are the Best Candidates For a Gastric Bypass?
In general, gastric bypass and other weight-loss surgeries could be an option for you if:
- Your body mass index (BMI) is 40 or higher (extreme obesity).
- Your BMI is 35 to 39.9 (obesity), and you have a serious weight-related health problem, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or severe sleep apnea. In some cases, you may qualify for certain types of weight-loss surgery if your BMI is 30 to 34 and you have serious weight-related health problems.
Who Should Not Consider Gastric Bypass?
Contraindications to bariatric surgery include illnesses that greatly reduce life expectancy and are unlikely to be improved with weight reduction, including advanced cancer and end-stage renal, hepatic, and cardiopulmonary disease.
Patients who are unable to understand the nature of bariatric surgery or the behavioral changes required afterward, including untreated schizophrenia, active substance abuse, and noncompliance with previous medical care, are also considered contraindications to bariatric surgery.
How a Gastric Bypass is Done
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There are two steps during gastric bypass surgery:
- The first step makes your stomach smaller. Your surgeon will use staples to divide your stomach into a small upper section and a larger bottom section. The top section of your stomach (called the pouch) is where the food you eat will go. The pouch is about the size of a walnut. It holds only about 1 ounce of food.
- The second step is the bypass. Your surgeon will connect a small part of your small intestine (the jejunum) to a small hole in your pouch. The food you eat will now travel from the pouch into this new opening into your small intestine. Because of this, your body will absorb fewer calories.
How to Prepare For a Gastric Bypass
If you are a smoker, you should stop smoking several weeks before surgery and not start smoking again after surgery. Smoking slows recovery and increases the risks of problems. Stop taking aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), vitamin E, warfarin (Coumadin), and any other drugs that make it hard for your blood to clot.
What Are the Complications and Side Effects of a Gastric Bypass?
Risks common to all surgeries for weight loss include an infection in the incision, a leak from the stomach into the abdominal cavity or where the intestine is connected (resulting in an infection called peritonitis), and a blood clot in the legs (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT) or lung (pulmonary embolism). Some people develop gallstones or a nutritional deficiency condition such as anemia or osteoporosis.
Other risks from gastric bypass include:
- Stomach pouch problems. You may need a repeat surgery to repair the stomach and/or the opening between the stomach and the intestine.
- Vomiting. If you eat more than your stomach can hold, you may vomit.
- Hernia. These can be related to the incisions that the surgeon makes or caused by the intestines twisting around itself.
- Kidney stones. Drinking enough water can help.
- Gallstones. Sometimes the gallbladder is removed as part of the surgery. But if your gallbladder is not removed, then you may need to take medicine to prevent gallstones.
Taking Care of Yourself After a Gastric Bypass
- After seven days of pureed food, you may start to add soft foods.
- Make sure you eat foods high in protein.
- Eat slowly.
- Take small bites and chew your food 20 to 30 times
- Eat at the dining room or kitchen table.
- Do not drink liquids with your meals or in 30 minutes after eating.
- Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner each day at the same times.
- Stay away from high-calorie beverages and foods
- Avoid alcohol.
Weighing less should also make it much easier for you to move around and do your everyday activities. Bypass surgery alone is not a solution for weight loss. It can train you to eat less, but you still have to do much of the work. To lose weight and avoid complications from the procedure, you will need to follow the exercise and eating guidelines that your doctor and dietitian have given you.
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