Considering a tummy tuck after gastric bypass ? There are a few things you need to be aware of. First it is strongly recommended that you wait at least 12-24 months after gastric bypass surgery before you get a tummy tuck. The tummy tuck is almost never done at the same time as the gastric bypass.
There are a few reasons why the tummy tuck is most often never done at the same time as the gastric bypass;
1. After gastric bypass you will continue to experience weight loss and then a year or two later you would need to have the excess skin removed again.
2. The wound is less likely to experience infection if it is performed when the patient has already healed from the gastric bypass procedure.
Along with a host of other reasons but primarily you want to reduce infection and ensure that you don’t have to repeat the procedure.
But most everyone that undergoes gastric bypass should consider a tummy tuck for hygenic, aesthetic, and other health reasons. The excess skin could get in the way of performing normal exercise and also be a mental focal point that could keep the patient from “feeling good” about their bodies.
When considering a tummy tuck after gastric bypass it’s important to view before and after photos from the plastic surgeon who is going to perform the operation (sometimes it’s necessary to go to a different plastic surgeon than the one who performed the gastric bypass). Along with before and after photos you’ll want to view their credentials and maybe even speak to some past patients and see how satisfied they were with the level of care and service the doctor provided.
Overall, if you are considering a tummy tuck after gastric bypass you want to do your homework and make sure you have waited long enough, meaning you are completely healed from the gastric bypass and that you have lost the majority of the weight that you had planned on losing because you don’t want to have to have 2 tummy tucks.
Please feel free to explore the other gastric bypass tummy tuck information provided on this site.
Today, there are many different types of surgical procedures used for achieving weight loss. The most common ones are the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, or the gastric bypass that uses whats known as the Lap Band, which is an adjustable banding that is placed around the upper part of the stomach.
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, is a procedure used in surgical weight loss applications to help people with morbid obesity lose weight. The procedure involves stapling of the stomach to reduce the abdomen to a “pouch” of 30-60 mL (1–2 fl. oz.) in capacity, then connecting this pouch at a point halfway up along the small intestine. The bigger part of the stomach is left in the body and is then connected to the small intestine, to allow the entry of gastric juices required for digestion. The surgery can take up to 2 or 3 hours depending on the specific details or it can be as short as 1 hour. The roux en y gastric bypass can be performed through a six to eight inch vertical incision in the stomach or even through a number of tiny incisions. Normally, a patient will be hospitalized for about 2 days after surgery but sometimes this can be increased to a maximum of about 1 week for more complicated roux en y gastric bypass surgery’s.
Generally you will need a referral from a primary care physicican (PCP) to get a gastric bypass surgery done. The PCP will evaluate you and if they think you are a good candidate for the gastric bypass they will refer you for a consult with a gastric bypass surgeon who will get the ball rolling in further deciding on whether or not you are a good candidate, etc…
To make your PCP referral for gastric bypass surgery go smoother there are some things you can do to make help them determine whether or not to refer you. One thing is to make sure you have a good idea of your medical history and an overall history of your weight. Approximately how long you have been overweight, current health problems and what you have been doing to try lose weight.
Also, it would be a good idea to research gastric bypass and other types of weight loss surgery online to have a good idea of what the procedure entails so that the PCP knows that you do understand the risks involved with a gastric bypass.
Please feel free to post any other referral tips below.
Life after a gastric bypass is not all that easy as some might expect. Having the surgery alone does not take the weight off, the gastric bypass makes the stomach smaller so that less food will be consumed and that in turn makes the weight come off. So life after gastric bypass is going to be a lot different than it was before you had the surgery. There is a whole new set of rules that you will need to play by.
On a day to day basis you will have to of course be very mindful of what you eat. After a little while your appetite will come back to you. Granted it will not be like it was before but you will begin to get hungry again and you will want to consume like you used to because your mind is not changed, just your stomach… so you have to let your mind adjust to the smaller quantities of food that you consume now too. It will take a lot of self control.
Some of the things that you will be able to eat are chicken, soups, fish, soft foods like yogurt, and some vegetables and fruits. In addition you can also eat some sweets like ice cream, but you should not drink sweets like soda or anything else with a lot of sugar in it. Your doctor will give you a very strict menu of items that you can and cannot eat and it will need to be followed very closely.
In addition to your new eating habits after gastric bypass you will need to begin some sort of fitness training to enhance your cardiovascular profile and improve your bodies overall fitness and health.
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.
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.
