After a gastric bypass your stomach will physically be able to hold less food not to mention the sensitivity changes that your body will go through so to say that your diet will change is an understatement.
It’s very important that you get vitamins and minerals in your diet after a gastric bypass as you will be prone to vitamin deficiencies due to the surgery. In fact, it is recommended by most doctors (please check with yours before taking anything) that you take a multivitamin and possibly an extra vitamin B12, iron, and calcium supplement due the lack thereof in the diet that you will be forced to be on after the gastric bypass.
The actual gastric bypass procedure will bring about a significant weight loss but the diet will maintain that weight loss so it’s very important to follow it and take it seriously to maintain your weight loss over time. The gastric bypass diet includes foods that are rich in protein and low in sugar, calories, fiber and fat.
It will take you awhile to get used to the new changes in the size of your stomach and during this transition period you might experience some complications that have been described as nausea, vomiting, dumping, uncomfortable fullness, dehydration and even ulcers.
The dehydration is something to be careful of and drinking plenty of fluids especially water is recommended throughout the day.
Later I’ll post some specifics on exactly what the gastric bypass diet consists of.
That’s it for now…
Gastric bypass procedures are considered pretty safe overall but there is always the risks of complications from having the procedure done. I ll review some of the complications here but please consult with your doctor for specific risk assessment.
First and foremost… death. There is always a possibility of death with any major surgery and it is a very real possibility with a gastric bypass as well. It is not a common occurrence by any stretch of the imagination but you need to know that it is possible. The rest of the gastric bypass complications we’ll break into 2 different categories for discussion, short term complications and long term complications.
Gastric bypass short term complications:
1. Excess bleeding.
2. Infection, abscess, and leakage.
3. Severe nausea and vomiting.
4. Pulmonary embolus.
5. Gallstones.
6. Diarrhea.
7. Arthritis.
Gastric bypass long term complications:
1. Vitamin deficiencies.
2. Nerve pain throughout the body commonly called peripheral neuropathy.
3. GI bleeding.
But for the most part most patients return to a normal status with no major lingering conditions. Consult your doctor for your specific risks and possible complications.
If you have already had gastric bypass surgery or you’re considering it its important to join in a healthy discussion about your feelings and emotions so you can deal with them or make a wise decision about whether or not to go through through with the gastric bypass.
The goal of gastric bypass surgery support groups is to give each individual the chance to learn, teach and provide support for one another from people in your similar situation. The surgery takes care of the physical aspect of your weight loss but it doesn’t resolve emotional issues that existed before the surgery.
These gastric bypass support groups offer an emotional outlet to communicate and express your feelings.
Ask your doctor for a list of local recommended support groups that you can join.
Gastric bypass surgery is a procedure that is reserved for obese patients that is aimed to significantly reduce weight when all other supervised weight loss attempts have failed. The surgery effectively reduces the body’s natural intake of calories by physically reducing the amount of space available to store food therefore reducing caloric intake.
This happens in a couple of ways, as mentioned your stomach is actually smaller along with a satiated effect that is felt by the patient due to achieving fullness before they are used to feeling full after normal feeling. This is a psychological effect as well as a physical one.
As discussed the surgery is only right for a select few who pass the evaluation process that every gastric bypass patient is required to go through. After successfully completing the evaluation the next step is the actual surgical procedure that makes the stomach smaller. The gastric bypass surgeon makes the stomach smaller by dividing the upper section and the bottom section using staples. The top section is the only section that will be used to hold food.
After the division of the stomach the gastric bypass surgeon connects the small intestine to the upper portion of the stomach to allow proper travel. The food now travels from this top “pouch” through the new connection bypassing the lower part of the stomach and on to the rest of the small intestine.
This is the basis for a gastric bypass operation.
Well in most cases if you qualify your insurance company will pay for the gastric bypass operation due to health reasons, but there are some instances where they don’t cover the cost and in that case you would be responsible for full payment.
Full payment can be anywhere from $20,000 to $35,000 including your hospital stay and associated fees. If your insurance company is going to pay for it they will most likely require some information from you and your doctor including:
Some explanations and documents to support the fact that you have tried various supervised weight loss programs.
Consultations with qualified gastric bypass surgeons who have qualified you as a potential candidate.
A psychological evaluation attesting to the fact that you are in a stable mental state.
A waiver of legal rights indicating you know the associated risks of this type of gastric bypass surgery.
If youre considering gastric bypass surgery heres a brief run down of what the evaluation process is like.
At first you will be interviewed via telephone and asked some basic information to determine whether or not you are a good fit for gastric bypass surgery. Some of the information collected is about your eating and substance abuse habits and some of it will pertain to your emotional and mental well being as well as your ability to handle the financial details of all the procedures.
After that you will be asked to come into the medical facility to meet with the doctors to discuss the potential benefits versus the side effects and potential complication risks and other outcomes. You will also most likely be referred to a diet and behavioral modification counselor before surgery to establish guidelines before surgery. You should try to lose weight before the surgery by performing physical activity but not going on any unrealistic ‘fad’ diet or binge eating because the “surgery will take it off.”
After all of this is complete you will be given a surgery date and scheduled with regular follow ups leading up to the surgery to ensure that all conditions remain the same and that you’re still a good fit for surgery.
Gastric Bypass patients that lose significant amounts of weight with their surgery will most likely need to have the excess skin removed some time after the gastric bypass. Normally the skin removal is done at least 1-2 years after the initial gastric bypass surgery.
A very common question that is commonly asked is, “is there any treatments or anything I can do after my gastric bypass to preserve the skin so that I don’t have to have it removed?” and the answer to that question is ‘not really’.
Most of the time when a gastric bypass is performed enough weight is removed that the skin is just unable to regain it’s natural fit to the body. So having the skin removed is a necessity and should also be factored in to your decision making process about having the actual gastric bypass done in the first place.
To be considered a candidate for gastric bypass surgery normally you are about 80-100 lbs. overweight and have tried to lose weight under a doctors supervision. You have complicating comorbities such as heart conditions like hypertension and some form of hyperglycemia or full on diabetes.
Normally candidates for gastric bypass surgery have a body mass index (BMI) of 35, 40 or higher and need to be able to make a committment to see a doctor for a prolonged period of time before during and after surgery. It is a serious decision and the candidate should be fully aware of all potential risks and side effects as well as be mentally competent to make decisions for themselves.
Persons under the age of 18 that want gastric bypass surgery obviously need parental permission and must undergo pre surgery counseling to determine their readiness level for a gastric bypass. Again, especially for under age persons… you will need to have some sort of documentation that you’ve tried to lose weight unsuccessfully under supervision before a gastric bypass can be considered.
Finally, to be a candidate you cannot have any drug or alcohol problems or psychiatric disorders that are uncontrolled. Uncontrolled means that they are not current problems and that they will not interfere with your gastric bypass recovery or complicate the actual surgery. The pre counseling sessions will determine if this is a problem or not.
Hopefully this helps give you a guide to whether or not you are a candidate for gastric bypass surgery.
Gastric Bypass surgery can absolutely help improve diabetes and hypertension! Being overweight or obese has natural comorbities or other ‘problems’ that go along with the weight, and high blood pressure and the risk of diabetes are 2 of the most common.
Having the gastric bypass (GBP) will reduce the level of obesity which will in turn positively affect the other problems or comorbities that go along with obesity. There have been numerous studies done to attest to this fact, some involving as many as 1,000 patients.
So a gastric bypass will help, but don’t think it is an easy operation to have. Actually it is a major surgery and something to fully think through. Not all obese persons are considered good candidates for a GBP. To be a good candidate you must:
-Have a stable personality (well as stable as can be…)
-No eating disorders (this will be up to your doctor to decide).
-Have no other complicating risk factors (please consult your doctor).
-Be able to follow a gastric bypass diet after surgery to reduce weight even further
In addition to those factors is also cost. These surgery’s are pretty expensive as well.
