Gastric Bypass Surgery - Just The Facts

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Author: Reggie Dunn

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Gastric Bypass surgery is becoming increasingly more popular for the morbid obese. In order to qualify for the surgery, you must have a body mass index of more than 40, which usually translates to being 100 or more pounds overweight.

Gastric Bypass surgery is a procedure in which the surgeon will create a pouch out of your stomach, divide the stomach and then connect the pouch directly to the intestine, basically "bypassing" the lower stomach. The whole idea is to limit the amount food that the patient can consume and to shorten up the digestive track so that fewer calories can be absorbed by the patients body. Since the person cannot consume as much food, they are not going to consume as many calories and thus force the body to use stored fat.

As with any surgery, there are certain risks associated with the gastric bypass procedure and they include the following: bleeding, infections, further surgeries to correct complications, gallstones from such a drastic weight loss in a short amount of time, gastritis, vomiting (from eating more than the stomach pouch can hold), iron or vitamin B12 deficiencies, and calcium deficiency.

A common side effect that you will often hear about with gastric bypass surgery is something known as "dumping syndrome". The symptoms for dumping syndrome include nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, bloated feeling, dizziness and sweating, but these symptoms can be reduced considerably by strictly following your dietitian's guidelines.

As far as what to expect after surgery, the weight loss results are usually good. Patients generally lose an average of 10 pounds per month and have their weight level off around 18 and 24 months after the surgery. Typically, the greatest weight change occurs at the beginning, because the patient is restricted to a liquid diet for awhile.

The patient will find themselves following up with their doctor as well as a dietitian many times during the first year so that he or she can keep a close eye on your physical and mential health status.

Keep in mind that gastric bypass surgery is not a miracle cure for weight loss. Although it helps to train you to eat less and get the feeling of being full faster, the patient still has plenty of work of their own to do. It is an absolute must to exercise and eat properly to fully benefit from the procedure.