Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass
Also known as ‘Roux-en-Y gastric bypass’ (RGYB) is counted among the “gold standard” for weight-loss surgery by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the National Institutes of Health.
It works by limiting food intake and by reducing the absorption of food. Intake of food is restricted by a small pouch similar in size to the adjustable gastric band. Also, absorption of food in the digestive tract is decreased by excluding most of the belly, upper intestine and duodenum from contact with food by routing it directly from the pouch into the small intestine.
The surgery is done using the laparoscopic method. It involves making six to seven incisions in the stomach through which a small device is connected to a video camera and surgical instruments are inserted. The surgeon staples the top part of the abdomen so it can be separated from the bottom for creating a small belly pouch. This small pouch limits food intake. A portion of the small intestine known as the jejunum is attached to the small stomach pouch allowing food to bypass the duodenum, the lower stomach. This bypass helps in decreasing the amount of nutrients and calories the body absorbs, called malabsorption.
Benefits of Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass
When it comes to the benefits related to this procedure, they are many. If you follow the instructions given by the surgeon after the surgery, you can maintain the results as well.
- Almost a year after the procedure, weight loss nears about 77 percent of the body weight.
- In the year 2000, a study of 500 patients was conducted. It showed that nearly ninety-six percent of some health problems – like high blood pressure, depression, back pain, diabetes and sleep apnea – were resolved or improved.
- Studies and research conducted showed that after ten to fifteen years of the procedure, fifty to sixty percent of excess body weight loss is maintained by a few patients.
What you can expect?
Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass Surgery
It is done in the hospital. Make sure you choose an experienced surgeon so that you can get the best results. Depending on the recovery, your hospital stay might last for around three to six days.
Before the procedure
Before you go to the surgical facility, you will be admitted to the hospital a day before. The doctors would run complete tests and examinations to make sure that you are ready for the procedure. Also, he or she would brief you about the surgery – its benefits and risks, during the initial consultation. The procedure is performed under general anesthesia so that you are asleep during it.
During the surgery
You need to know that specifics of the gastric bypass usually depend on an individual patient and the surgeon’s practices. Previously surgery was performed making a large incision. However, these days it is done using the laparoscopic method that involves inserting surgical instruments through several tiny incisions in the belly.
Once incisions are made, the surgeon would across the top of your tummy, sealing it off from the rest of your abdomen. The final resulting pouch is similar to the size of the walnut. It can hold only an ounce of food. Usually, your abdomen can hold nearly 3 pints of food. Next, the surgeon cuts the small intestine and sews part of it directly onto the pouch. The food you eat directly goes into this small pouch of the tummy and directly into the small intestine sewn to it. Food bypasses most of your belly and the first section of the small intestine, and instead enters directly into the middle section of the small intestine. The entire duration of surgery lasts for four to five hours.
After the surgery
Right after the gastric bypass surgery, you would be advised to have a liquid diet however no solid food because your intestines and stomach start to heal. You have to adhere to a special diet chart and plan and change slowly from liquids to pureed food items followed by soft food and solid food as your body can tolerate them.
There are restrictions and limits on the quantity of what you can east. Besides, it is your surgeon who would suggest what to eat. You also have to take mineral and vitamin supplements post-surgery, including a multivitamin with calcium, vitamin B-12, and iron. Regular medical check-ups are also important to monitor your health in the first few weeks after the procedure. you would also need to undergo regular several exams, bloodwork and laboratory testing.
It is apparent for you to notice some changes as your body reacts to the weight loss in the first three to seven months after laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery. Some of the most common changes that you might experience include:
- Feeling Cold
- Body Aches
- Dry Skin
- Mood Changes
- Feeling tired and lethargic as if you have flu
- Hair loss and hair thinning
At Medtours4health, we strive to provide you the best medical support throughout your stay in India. We can help you get connected to some of the best bariatric surgeons in Delhi.