Gastric Bypass Surgery
Oklahoma
The Laparoscopic Roux en Y Gastric Bypass surgery is considered to be the “Gold Standard” weight loss operation around the world. While it is no longer the most common weight loss operation, it has been utilized for over 40 years. It remains the “Gold Standard” due to the large amount of data available.
Learn about Mike’s incredible story about how Gastric Bypass Surgery transformed his life.
What is Bypass Surgery?
The restriction of food intake as the result of a gastric bypass is accomplished by dividing the stomach into two parts. One part is very small (the new pouch), and the other part, while much larger, is never exposed to food again. The new stomach, or pouch, holds very small amounts of food.
Once the bypass is surgically complete, the process of digesting food is slightly changed. When a patient swallows food, it passes through the esophagus and the new stomach pouch into a segment of the small intestine called the “Roux limb”.
The changed anatomy of the stomach and intestines can be seen in the following video, including the new stomach pouch and the Roux limb. Once the surgeon completes the bypass and before the surgery is finished, we perform a blue dye pressure test to ensure no leakage from the newly joined sections of the digestive system occurs.
Individuals who should consider the Roux en Y Bypass procedure include the following:
- Those who are concerned about a foreign object inside the abdomen (band).
- Those who have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, sleep apnea, hypertension, or other obesity related co-morbidities.
- Those who have stronger cravings toward high sugar containing foods.
For more information on how to begin your transformation call us at 405-359-2475 or attend a free online bariatric surgery seminar.
Gastric Bypass Pre-Op Information
It has been proven that bariatric surgery including gastric bypass is the most effective way for the obese and morbidly obese to lose weight and keep it off. Unfortunately, not everyone is a viable candidate for the procedure. That’s why every potential patient will meet with our staff to make sure gastric bypass is the right solution.
Before any weight loss surgery, the surgeons at WeightWise meet with clients to discuss health history, current health issues, and potential issues with the surgery. The reason for this is two-fold: we want to make sure you understand everything that is involved with this life-changing procedure.
Secondly, our surgeons need to know as much about your current lifestyle and your willingness to stick with the program. Having a gastric bypass is more than just a short term hospital stay. It’s the first step on a life-long trip to healthy living that includes a proper diet and exercise.
Patients will also meet with a dietician and an exercise physiologist before the procedure to outline a pre-op diet and physical activity program. In the weeks, days, and even hours before the surgery, you will want to start preparing for your new life.
This includes talking about your current eating habits and what to expect after the surgery. Our dietitians will explain how past habits contributed to your potentially life-threatening weight gain and what a healthy diet looks like. Portion size, nutritional value, and other aspects of a good food plan.
You’ll also meet with one of our personal trainers to talk about your current physical activity and outline a plan to get you up and moving. If you currently suffer from hip, back, or knee pain due to your weight, the exercise physiologist take that into consideration and designs a plan specifically for you.
The key here is to not worry about running a marathon six months after surgery. As they say, you need to walk before you can run. We want to make sure you understand how to safely exercise to improve your cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, and strength. This will begin before the surgery and continue for the weeks, months, and years after the surgery.
Latest Research on Gastric Bypass Surgery
According to a study published in October of 2018, adults with severe obesity lost the most weight and kept it off via gastric bypass surgery as compared to both the gastric sleeve and banding procedures. The study was the largest long-term look at bariatric surgery to date, working with 41,000 patients.
The study looked at the results of the three surgeries at 1-, 3-, and 5-year intervals. Gastric Bypass patients lost 31 percent of their weight after one year and kept 26 percent of their loss after five years. The sleeve patients stood at 25% and 19% while banding lagged behind at 14% and 12%.
Because of the large sample size, researchers were able to look at different subsects of the population, including gender, age, and race. While certain sects didn’t fare as well as others, the differences were minor over the study. Complications were few, although the sleeve had the fewest occurrences (2.6%). The banding came in at 2.9% and gastric bypass had 5%.
Diabetes Cure Rates with Gastric Bypass
Diabetes is a very well-known and common disease that impacts millions of people. A high percentage of people living with type 2 diabetes are obese due to an unhealthy lifestyle, including a poor diet and little to no exercise. However, the gastric bypass procedure has been shown to decrease diabetes in many patients, including remission.
A recent study looked at 20,000 patients and determined that 84% of people that went through gastric bypass saw a reversal of their type 2 diabetes. They generally saw quick improvement with blood sugar levels and could reduce or end their intake of diabetic medication before they started losing weight.
Bypass Surgery Post-Op
The surgery itself is commonly performed with low complication rates. In fact, if the surgery takes place in the morning, you should be up and walking that evening. We do recommend an overnight stay as a precaution, but you will be able to return to day-to-day activities almost immediately.
Going to the grocery store, taking the kids to the park, or just walking around the neighborhood. Because many of our procedures are performed with laparoscopically (a series of small incisions), recovery times are much quicker. So there’s no excuse not to get out there and begin enjoying life again!
Following the plan outlined by our exercise physiologist, you’ll find your fitness levels improving and you will be able to return to work almost immediately. However, if your job involves physical exertion, you will want to ease back in. Talk to your manager before the surgery to work out a way to slowly transition back into your regular duties.
While returning to your life will be relatively easy, there is one big change coming: your food intake. For the first two weeks, you will be restricted to an all-liquid diet and vitamin and mineral supplements. It’s important to sip the liquid instead of gulping.
Your stomach won’t be able to handle as much intake now, so small amounts of liquid are safer. If you drink water to fast, you could put undue stress on the newly created smaller stomach, which could result in pain, injury, and even damage to the surgery.
After two weeks, you will be able to move on to soft proteins, but it is still important to stay hydrated. And while the small amounts of food may be a struggle at first, your body will begin to adjust. Because of hormonal changes taking place, your body will feel full faster and will start expecting less food.
After a month, you’ll begin to start bringing in different kinds of food. Following the nutrition plan outlined by your dietician, you’ll begin your forever diet. And while you won’t be able to eat all of the foods you once did – part of the reason you came to us in the first place – there are still plenty of delicious options.