Gastric Bypass Information
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Gastric Bypass Surgery
Gastric bypass surgery is not for everyone.
If you are considering this procedure for your weight
problem, you should do very careful research before committing to it.
Most reputable doctors will ask you to live on a lowered
calorie diet for at least six months before the surgery, and your insurance
company may require extensive nutritional and psychological counseling.
Your surgeon will also discuss any possible medical or
emotional issues that may get in the way of complete recovery. This
surgery is known to have a fairly high rate or complications, and some
of them are life threatening. Find out everything you can about this
procedure before you decide.
The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery:
The Roux-en-Y procedure is the most common form of bariatric
surgery, and it is often the only form of the procedure that is covered
by insurance. The surgery helps you lose weight because the new small
stomach pouch created in the surgery will hold less food, so you eat
less at each meal.
You will also notice that your body can not easily tolerate
foods that you previously ate, such as foods high in sugars and fats.
Since these are the foods that help many of us gain our excess pounds,
you'll naturally lose weight when you find these foods physically uncomfortable
to eat. This is called "the dumping syndrome," and can be
quite painful if these foods are eaten.
You will have a smaller stomach pouch, and part of your
digestive system will be bypassed after the gastric bypass procedure,,
which reduces the amount of calories your body can absorb. This also
affects the absorbtion of other nutrients, so you will be encouraged
to continue with nutritional counseling.
The reduced stomach pouch size, change in eating habits,
and reduced absorption allow people to successfully lose weight and
keep it off long-term.
Choosing a surgical center with a high success rate and
plenty of experience is important. For this reason, most insurance companies
will only cover this weight loss surgery if it is performed at one of
the clinics designated as a "Center of Excellence." You can
find one of these clinics at: http://www.surgicalreview.org/
LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Banding System
The LAP-BAND® system is less expensive than the Roux-en-Y
described above, and the recovery times are lower. The procedure is
also less invasive and has fewer reported complications.
The official name of the procedure is "laparoscopic
adjustable gastric banding procedure" but it is often called the
LAP-BAND® system after the inflatable silicon band that divides
the stomach. The adjustable band creates a very small stomach pouch
at the top of the stomach, with an adjustable opening to the rest of
the stomach below. The diameter of the band is usually about two inches,
but the surgeon can adjust its diameter by pumping saline into it from
a reservoir implanted under the patient’s skin.
The LAP-BAND® system does not reroute the upper intestine,
so it does not interfere with the digestive process. Weight loss occurs
solely because the size of the stomach is restricted. Patients do not
experience the "dumping syndrome" that is common for Roux-en-Y
patients.
Although weight loss is slower with the gastric banding
procedure, after 3 to 5 years, both gastric banding and gastric bypass
patients show comparable weight loss, according to recent studies. The
slower initial weight loss may be the reason why many U.S. surgeons
prefer to offer the Roux-en-Y operation for their obese patients. Surgeons
in Europe and Australia appear to show a preference for the less invasive
gastric bandingsurgery, because it is usually safer.
The gastric banding procedure is less invasive than gastric
bypass, and there are fewer reported complications and deaths from this
type of surgery. However, complications do occasionally occur, and a
second operation is sometimes needed. A recent study that looked at
the records of 300 gastric banding patients found a 5% complication
rate, while other studies have found the rate of complications to be
higher. Some patients will need a second operation due to band slippage
or because the stomach pouch becomes dilated.
As with all patients who undergo rapid weight loss, gall
stones are common, and long-term nutritional and behavioral counseling
is needed for the best outcomes.
More Gastric Bypass Surgery Articles:
Note: The information given here should
not be taken as medical advice. Be sure to talk to your doctor
about any concerns you may have about gastric bypass surgery.
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