The ABC of Gastric Bypass Surgery

The ‘Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass’ is now a very common solution for weight loss problems, which is actually meant to create a smaller stomach. In gastric bypass procedure, a Y-shaped section of the small intestine will be connected to a pouch, which allows the food to bypass a large portion of the intestine and thereby eliminate food absorption. The patients undergone this procedure may feel fuller soon and can only eat less amount of food.

Gastric bypass surgery

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the most common bypass surgery performed for weight reduction in US. For this, the surgeon creates a small pouch on the top of the stomach using stapling technique. Once the pouch is formed, it will be connected directly to the middle of the small intestine (jejunum). With this, the food bypasses the lower part of the stomach (duodenum) and the absorption will be limited.

At olden times, this procedure was an open surgery, in which the surgeons used to make a large incision on the stomach wall to access the abdominal activity, which was the major complication in the procedure. However, now gastric bypass procedure is done laparoscopically, which is much easier and comfortable to perform. Now, in Roux-en-Y bypass, the procedure is done through five small incisions made on the outer stomach and with the help of ultra-small instruments and camera assistance.

Benefits and risks of gastric bypass

The major benefits of gastric bypass procedure are;

• Extremely obese people may lose between 60 to 80% of excess weight in two year time period after the surgery.
• Most of the patients can manage to keep off at least 50% of excess weight permanently.
• The procedure will also help alleviate the obesity-related comorbidity also as high blood pressure, diabetes etc.
• As it is a less invasive procedure now, it is comparatively safer for all ages of people.

Risks of gastric bypass include;

• There is four to six days’ hospitalization needed.
• It will take three to four weeks to return to normal life activities.
• The recovery period many be longer based on the type of work you do.

• The other rare side effects include peritonitis, infection, leakage, blood clot, nausea, weakness, diarrhea etc.

Recovery process

Proper recovery care is important for gastric bypass patients. Those who have undergone the procedure may feel uncomfortable, tired, and hungry for the first few weeks after the procedure. However, it is important to stick to the instructions and start your new lighter life. Here are some of the best recovery tips to keep in mind.

• Walk well

Follow the instruction of your surgeon in terms of walking. Usually, people are advised to walk as much as possible after the procedure. Working out and sweating are good things for recovery as well as your ultimate goal of effective weight loss. Ideally, gastric bypass patients can start walking after one week of the procedure.

• Strictly follow the post-op diet plan

Many people read through the post-op diet instruction sheet and simply ignore it. You may be finding it horrible, but cheating your diet is not an option if your goal is real weight loss over time.

You can also try to enroll yourself into any of the support groups or become a part of the online communities discussing gastric bypass to receive tips and support regarding fast postoperative recovery and weight loss results.