Gastric ByPass Surgery

Can Gastric Bariatric Bypass Surgery Help You Lose Weight?

Are you overweight and you can’t lose the weight that you need to? Do you have health problems because you are overweight? {mosgoogle right}When you have tried regular exercise and diet but you still can’t lose the weight then you may have to have gastric bariatric bypass surgery . There are a lot of people who need this surgery so that they can lose the weight that is causing them to have the health problems. Bariatric bypass surgery is not for everyone. You will need to decide for yourself if this is something that you want to do.

The first thing you need to know is what gastric bypass surgery is and what it does to help you with weight loss. Bariatric surgery will change the anatomy of your digestive system so that the amount of food you eat and digest is limited. You will lose weight because the amount of food your stomach can hold has been restricted and this will reduce the amount of calories that are absorbed.

Next you need to know who this bypass surgery is for. Not everyone will want to have this surgery because it is a major procedure and there are significant risks and side effects, plus you will have to permanently change your lifestyle. You will be given a careful and extensive screening process to determine if you are a candidate for gastric bypass surgery .

The people who usually have this surgery are the ones that can’t maintain a healthy weight with diet and exercise, are severely overweight and because of the weight there are health problems. This surgery will be considered if:

• When your body mass index or BMI is 40 or higher which is extreme obesity then you will be considered.
• When your BMI is 35 to 39.9 (obesity) and you have a weight related health issue such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

Even when you have had gastric surgery, this doesn’t replace the need for a healthy diet and regular exercise. After bypass surgery you will have to make a commitment to follow guidelines for diet and exercise that are given to you. The success of the surgery will depend in part on your commitment.

Before you consider this surgery you will want to make your best effort to change your eating habits and adjust any other lifestyle factors that have caused you to be overweight.

When you choose to have bariatric bypass surgery there are benefits and risks that you need to know about before you decide. In the U.S., gastric bypass is the favored bariatric surgery. The surgeons prefer this surgery because there are fewer complications and it is safer than the other types of weight loss surgeries. With this surgery you will have long term, consistent loss of weight if you accompany the surgery with ongoing behavior changes.

Here are some of the benefits to gastric bariatric surgery.

• In the first two years of having the surgery, you can expect to lose 50 to 60 percent of your excess weight. When you follow the dietary and exercise recommendations you will have a very good chance of keeping the weight off long term.
• Besides helping with dramatic weight loss, this surgery may help to improve or take care of the following conditions that are known to be associated with obesity: Type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnea and gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD.

For type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol this surgery will significantly decrease the risk of cardiovascular events in people who have had bariatric surgery compared to the people who did not have the surgery. It has also been shown that this bypass surgery will reduce the risk of dying of diabetes, heart disease and cancer. It has also been shown that this surgery will improve mobility and the quality of life for the people who are overweight.

Here are the risks of gastric bypass:

• This surgery carries the risks of bleeding, infection and an adverse reaction to the anesthesia used during surgery.
• Death – This is always a risk when you have surgery. For gastric bariatric surgery it has been reported that there is one death per 200 to 300 surgeries. The risk of death will vary depending on your age, general health and any other medical conditions that you have. You need to talk to the doctor to find out how much of a risk this surgery poses to you.
• Blood clots in the legs – This is more likely to occur in people who are very overweight. This can be very dangerous. Walking and using leg wraps that apply intermittent pressure to the leg will help to reduce your risk of this happening to you. If you smoke then it is strongly recommended that you quit because smoking has been known to increase the risk of clotting.
• Leaking at one or more of the staple lines in your stomach – This problem is treated with antibiotics. Most of the time it will heal over time but there are cases that will be serious enough that it will require emergency surgery.
• Incision hernia – This means there is a weakness in the incision. This happens more often in people who have an open procedure and a large abdominal incision. It may require you to have surgical repair but this will depend on symptoms you are having and the extent of the hernia.
• Narrowing of the opening between the stomach and small intestine – This may require either corrective surgery or outpatient care where you will have a tube inserted in your mouth to widen or dilate the narrowed opening.
• Dumping syndrome – This is where the contents of the stomach move to quickly through the small intestine, causing you to experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness and sweating. This usually happens if you have eaten sweets or high fat foods.
• Some of the other potential complications to gastric bypass surgery are, vitamin and mineral deficiency (iron deficiency anemia, vitamin B-12 deficiency and vitamin D deficiency), dehydration, gallstones, bleeding stomach ulcer, no tolerance to certain foods, kidney stones and low blood sugar or hypoglycemia that is related to the excessive insulin production.

You are the only one that can decide, with your doctor’s help, if this bariatric surgery is right for you. Do some research and talk to your doctor about the risks involved in this surgery and how it can help you with losing weight. You want to make sure that this is the right thing for you to do. It is important that you learn as much as you can about it before you decide. That way you will be able to make the best decision for you and your weight loss goals.

No one needs to suffer with weight problems or health related issues due to weight if there is another option for you. There are many people that have successfully had a gastric bariatric bypass that are now leading healthier lives and are able to keep the weight off. You can to but you need to make your decision carefully and make sure you are making the right one. This surgery can’t be undone so you need to be sure from the start that this is the right way for you to go to achieve the weight loss that you want or need.