How to Know the Types of Gastric Bypass Surgery

People who have never undergone weight loss surgery may not know that there are three different approaches from which to choose. Each method attacks obesity in a slightly different way. All three of these procedures can be accomplished in two ways. You and your doctor will discuss all three types in detail. You should make your decision about which type of gastric surgery may be right for you only after extensive research and counseling. Read on to learn how to know more about the types of gastric bypass surgery.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Doctor

1. Acquaint yourself with the most widely used forms of weight loss surgery: restrictive, malabsorptive and a combination of the two.

2. Recognize that the term gastric bypass actually refers to the procedure which combines restrictive and malabsorptive techniques.

3. Understand how restrictive surgery works. The varieties of this method restrict the amount of food that is taken in. Some restrictive procedures keep food in the stomach longer.

4. Learn about lap-band surgery, the most common restrictive operation. In this method a band is placed around the top of the stomach to create a small stomach pouch. The pouch holds about 90 percent less food than an stomach without the lap-band.

5. Realize that the second most common type of restrictive surgery is the vertical band. The results of vertical banding are very similar to lap-banding, only the technique is different.

6. Find out how malabsorptive gastric surgery is done and what it accomplishes. This form of surgery goes around varying portions of the intestines. Bypassing the intestines means fewer nutrients are pulled from the food into the patient's body.

7. Discover that in a gastric bypass operation, a small pouch is made to decrease the amount of food a patient eats. A piece of the small intestine will then be used to direct the food around most of the large intestine.

8. Know that the combination surgery called Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the most commonly performed operation designed to reduce obesity. Roux-en-Y operations are generally the most successful of the surgical weight loss solutions.

9. Consider mini gastric bypass (MGB) surgery. MGB is less invasive than Roux-en-Y surgery and requires a shorter hospital stay. The recovery period for MGB may also be shorter. It is also less expensive.

10. Distinguish between open and laparoscopic techniques for gastric surgery. Open surgery takes place through one large incision. Laparoscopic surgery takes place through several small incisions. Tubes and cameras aid the surgeon during laparoscopic procedures.

11. Discuss with your surgeon whether you should consider the open or the laparoscopic types of techniques. All of the procedures mentioned here can be done by either method depending largely upon the patient's weight.

Tips & Warnings

• Malnutrition is a risk no matter what type of gastric surgery you choose. The body is getting less food and that food is being shunted around large parts of the intestines which absorb the nutrients from food.
• When considering gastric surgery, consider whether you are willing to make the lifelong dietary changes that will be required to live with your decision.

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[axk243]

on 8/13/2009 Has anyone here had the Mini Gastric Bypass (MGB)? If so, where did you have it done and what was your experience like?

[Rockney]

on 3/3/2009 Great advice!