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Gastric Bypass Surgery - What You Need To Know
Gastric bypass surgery is
considered a convenient and effective long-term weight loss solution for
people diagnosed as morbidly obese, but because gastric bypass surgery
is an elective procedure, it is imperative that you weigh both the risks
and the benefits before signing on for this life-changing procedure.
This article will explain gastric bypass surgery step-by-step to help
you understand exactly what is involved and make an informed decision.
Whether you have the open
procedure, where they make a long incision through the outer wall of the
abdomen, or the laparoscopic procedure, where they make several small
incisions for the instruments and special cameras used by the surgeon to
see what he is doing, the steps are still the same.
First the surgeon
will use a surgical stapler or hand stitches to divide
the upper stomach into two parts, one large and one small. The small
pouch is about the size of a golf ball and can hold approximately 20 cc
of food (although it will later stretch some).
This new pouch will still continue to produce the stomach acid
needed to soften and break down your food; however, the small size
dramatically limits the amount of food you can consume after weight loss
surgery.
In addition, creating a small pouch minimizes the risk of
developing an ulcer from too much acid entering the small intestine.
(The surgeon could just remove the lower part of the stomach during
gastric bypass surgery, but
they don't, for a very good reason.
It still can produce the acid needed
to digest food, so the operation can be revised, if necessary.)
Next, the surgeon will divide the small intestine so it can be directly
connected to the new stomach pouch. This part of the small intestine is
called the "Roux Limb" after the Swiss surgeon who invented the
technique.
This piece of the small intestine is connected to the new
stomach pouch either using a surgical stapler or by hand stitching. Even
if the surgeon uses a stapler, he will reinforce the staples at
strategic points with hand-sewn stitches.
After gastric bypass surgery, the food you eat will travel down the
oesophagus into the new stomach pouch, where it will briefly begin to
digest.
Then, it quickly travels down the new connection to the small
intestine, where it will be joined by other digestive juices from the
lower stomach, liver and pancreas to complete the digestion process as
they travel together down the length of the small intestine.
In rare cases, the surgeon will insert a tube between the upper stomach
and the intestine to allow stomach juices to flow into the small
intestine.
This is only done if the surgeon believes there is a high
probability of a specific complication that prevents the digestive juices
from draining properly.
In most cases, this tube is removed a few weeks
after surgery.
Patients generally will stay in the hospital anywhere from two to six
days and will have to eat a pureed diet for many weeks.
Most patients
begin losing excess weight immediately and will lose anywhere from 60%
to 80% of their excess weight within a two year period.
Most will keep
at least half of their excess weight off permanently.
Some of the benefits of this type of surgery are that other illnesses
cause by excessive weight--such as sleep apnea, weight related heart
problems, diabetes, and lower back and knee problems--will greatly
improve and may completely disappear.
As with any surgery, there are
risks, some of which can be fatal. Before considering any type of
elective surgery, consult with your doctor and explore all of the
available treatments.
Author: Craig Thompsom
About the author:
Craig Thompson, better known as "Big T," a former sumo wrestler who used
to tip the scales at 400 pounds.
He has since reinvented himself as a singer and bandleader,and also as one of the earliest to have
Gastric Bypass Surgery in 1997.
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