There are many weight loss medical treatments you can choose. One most popular choice is gastric bypass surgery. what’s it? How is it done? What are the risks? And how can it help you lose your weight? Our series on diet reviews takes a brief look at gastric bypass surgery.
In simple term, gastric bypass surgery is one of the bariatric surgeries. It, as other bariatric surgeries, limits the amount of food you can eat and digest by changing the anatomy of your digestive system.
Gastric bypass surgery is popular in the United States. Surgeons and patients love it because it is safer and has fewer complications. As long as you sustain a healthy lifestyle after having this surgery, you can lose your weight constantly in a long time period.
There are several ways to do a gastric bypass surgery. The most often chosen is Roux-en-Y (RNY).
In RNY gastric bypass the surgeon basically creates a small pouch at the top end of your stomach, and then adds a bypass around the segment of your stomach and small intestine. Your stomach is stapled, sealing the small pouch on the top from the rest of your stomach. It is only about the size of a walnut and can hold an ounce of food. Then, the small intestine is cut and sewn directly onto the pouch.
This new connection alters the food direction. Food enters the second section of your small intestine, limiting your body to absorb calories. Though the lower part of your stomach never gets the food, it stays healthy and continues to secrete digestive juices to mix with the food in your small intestine.
There may also be common symptoms due to your body reaction to rapid weight loss, such as body aches, exhaustion, dry skin, hair thinning, hair loss and mood changes. These symptoms may occur for three months after surgery.
The Advantages of Gastric Bypass Surgery
Gastric bypass surgery is favored because:
• It helps you lose weight fast. If you are very overweight and can’t lose pounds with a healthy diet and exercise alone, this may be an option.
• It treats other medical problems such as diabetes, heart disease or sleep apnea.
• It is a clinically proven to be safe, and many surgeons have done it for years.
The Risks Of Gastric Bypass Surgery
However, there are some risks that you should be aware of before deciding to undergo the gastric bypass surgery:
• Pouch stretching
• Your stomach may get bigger; it may be caused by the pouch stretching back to its normal size (before surgery).
• Band erosion
• The band closing off part of the stomach may disintegrate.
• Breakdown of staple lines
• The band and staples may fall apart, causing a reversed procedure.
• Stomach leakage
• Should the stomach leakage occurs, its content may be flowing into the abdomen. It is hazardous because the acid can eat away other organs.
• Nutritional deficiencies
In all, gastric bypass surgery isnt perfect, and should only be explored as a last ditch option for weight loss. It isnt a miracle cure for people who want to instantly lose weight, it should be an option for the morbidly obese who’s health is at risk.
