Live Life Team
As mentioned briefly in the overview about bariatric/obesity surgery, gastric bypass is a malabsorbtive procedure where a smaller stomach is created and inserted into the body, and the intestine is divided. The division of intestine is connected to the smaller stomach, thus bypassing the other part of the intestinal tract. The plus side to this procedure is rapid weight loss, minimal outpatient follow-up, and a better effect on patients with diabetes. The down side to a gastric bypass procedure is a higher risk of clots, internal leakage where the intestine and stomach were joined, a long operation, lengthy recovery time (and consequently more time one must take off from work), a greater degree of pain than the gastric band, higher likelihood of stomach upset or vomiting, and a greater risk of death. One in 200 patients die from the gastric bypass surgery within the first 28 days of the procedure; so needless to say, it’s not something you want to commit to on a whim.
In order to qualify for gastric bypass surgery, the patient must meet certain prerequisites. For example, the patient has to have a body-mass index (BMI) over 40kg/m2, or a BMI over 35kg/m2 in addition to an obesity-related disease. The patient must also be over 18, unless specifically exempt by their physician and certain centres cap the age limit at 60 years of age. The patient must have tried other weight loss treatments (such as diet and exercise, etc.) with no lasting, successful results; the metabolism and psychological health of the patient is not considered a factor in their obesity, and the patient must have an understanding of the procedural risks and changes the operation will incur.
To reiterate, bariatric surgery should only be considered as a last-resort, if you have tried with no success to lose weight under conventional means, and if you are severely/morbidly obese, and need to lose the weight for health reasons. This isn’t for people who only want to lose 10-30 vanity pounds, and the procedures involved should not be considered lightly.
