By Brian Anderson


Bariatric surgery is an operation that is used to facilitate weight loss. This may be achieved through one of several ways: reduced food intake due to reduced stomach capacity, reduced absorption of nutrients or both mechanisms. An example of bariatric surgery is gastric bypass surgery. There are a number of important things that New York residents should know about this procedure if you have plans of having it.

Generally, weight loss surgeries are done as a last resort procedure for persons that are trying to lose weight but have not responded to lifestyle changes. It is recommended if one is at a high risk of suffering from weight related complications such as type 2 diabetes, gastro-esophageal reflux disease, hypertension, heart disease and stroke among others. The candidate should have a body mass index, BMI, of 40. A lower BMI of 35 is acceptable if they already have complications.

As soon as you have been booked for the operation, you will be instructed on what you need to do as part of the preparation. You may be subjected to some tests to establish if you can withstand the operation. You may be asked to withhold on some drugs or foods to reduce the risk of complications. If you smoke, you should stop at least two weeks in advance.

There are different types of gastric bypass that can be performed. The most common is the Roux-en-Y. This type is very popular since it can be performed through by minimal access hence there are less complications and the recovery time is markedly reduced. It involves two steps. The first is the conversion of the stomach into a small pouch through stapling or vertical banding. The capacity of the stomach is reduced and so is the food intake.

The next step is to attach a Y-shaped section created from the small intestine onto the pouch. This is what is referred to as the bypass (food skips part of the digestive tract). Subsequently, one can only absorb a limited amount of nutrients. There are very few calories that are left as excess to be converted into fat deposits. Over time, weight gain is tamed.

Extensive gastric bypass (also referred to as biliopancreatic diversion) is more radical. While it may be an option for weight loss, its main indication is biliary obstruction due to liver disease. The operation itself involves the removal of the lower stomach and the joining of the upper stomach portion to the last portion of the intestines. The other two portions are skipped. Due to severe nutrient deficiency, the procedure is not done routinely.

There are a number of risks that are associated with these operations. One of them is the fact that the pouch may stretch causing the size stomach to increase in size. In some cases, it has even regained its original size. The band may get eroded and disintegrate with time. There have been incidences where leakage of stomach acids have caused damaged to other organs.

Dumping syndrome is a condition that results from the rapid movement of food through the stomach. Whenever this happens, affected persons may experience a number of symptoms that include weakness, nausea, fainting, sweating and diarrhea. The symptoms are most likely to occur when one eats sugary foods (usually after 10 and 30 minutes after eating). Some people have also have late symptoms that occur about three hours after eating.




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