Overview
What is Gastric Bypass Surgery?
Gastric bypass surgery is a weight-loss and health-improvement technique fAor people who are obese. It reduces stomach size and alters how the stomach and small intestine absorb food, making weight loss easier. Gastric bypass surgery is only suggested after you've tried to lose weight via bettering your diet and exercise routines.
Gastric bypass surgery is used to help you lose weight and minimize your chance of developing potentially fatal weight-related health conditions. Thus, gastric bypass surgery helps treat multiple conditions, such as:
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
- Coronary artery disease
- Blood pressure
- Osteoarthritis
- Cholesterol levels
- Morbid obesity
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- Stroke
- Cancer
- Infertility
Alternate Name
- Roux-en-Y gastric bypass
- Bariatric surgery
Body Location
- Stomach
- Small intestine
How is Gastric Bypass Surgery Performed?
Gastric bypass surgery reduces the size of your stomach, limiting the amount of food you may consume. A portion of your digestive tract will also be rerouted or bypassed so that you absorb fewer foods. Gastric bypass surgery is done under general anaesthesia and requires a three-to six-day hospital stay.
Preparation
- Obesity surgery requires a tremendous amount of planning to have a satisfactory outcome. Psychiatrists/psychologists, dietitians, general practitioners, and social workers are among the competent medical experts who contribute to patient optimization.
- If you are considering surgery, you will most likely need to undergo a series of tests to ensure that a gastric bypass is the best option.
- In the weeks or days leading up to surgery, your doctor will advise you on any medication or dietary changes you should make.
- You may be asked to begin a physical exercise program and stop smoking in the weeks leading up to your operation.
- You may be restricted in what you may eat and drink before your surgery and which drugs you can take.
- It's a good idea to start thinking about your post-surgery recuperation now. If you anticipate you'll need assistance at home, make arrangements for it.
Procedure Type
There are different types of gastric bypass surgery carried out based on invasive, and non-invasive surgical treatments.
- Roux-en-Y Gastric bypass: This is the most general gastric bypass surgery. It works by limiting the quantity of food you can consume in one sitting and restricting nutritional absorption.
- Sleeve Gastrectomy: About 60% of the stomach is removed during a sleeve gastrectomy, leaving a long, tube-like pouch. This smaller stomach can't store as much food as a larger stomach. It also generates less ghrelin, an appetite-controlling hormone, which may reduce your urge to eat.
Follow-up Care
There are certain follow-up routines to maintain proper health after gastric bypass surgery.
- You may have liquids but no solid meals for the first several days following gastric bypass surgery as your stomach and intestines recover.
- After that, you'll follow a customized diet plan that gradually transitions you from liquids to meals.
- Many restrictions or limitations may apply to the quantity and food you should consume. After surgery, your doctor may advise you to take vitamin and mineral supplements, such as a multivitamin containing iron, calcium, and vitamin B-12.
- During the first few months following weight-loss surgery, you'll also have regular medical exams to monitor your health.
Risk Factors Associated with Gastric Bypass Surgery
Gastric bypass and other weight-loss operations can have short-term health consequences, which include the following.
- Hypoglycemia
- Ulcers
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Blood clots
- Pouch stretching
- Breathing problems
- Bleeding
The following are some long-term complications and problems associated with gastric bypass surgery:
- Anastomotic leakage
- Hernias
- Malnutrition
- Anastomotic stricture
- Anastomotic ulcer
- Dumping syndrome
- Nutritional deficiencies
Recovery From Gastric Bypass Surgery
It takes three to six weeks to recover from gastric bypass surgery. However, your complete healing will endure a lifetime. To maintain your weight loss, you must adopt a proper diet and exercise habits after surgery. You will most likely need to take 2 to 4 weeks off work, and it depends on the sort of work you perform and how you are feeling at the time. Within 3 to 5 weeks, you should be able to resume routine activities.
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