Your doctor has recommended that you undergo gastric bypass surgery.
But what exactly does that mean?
Gastric Bypass is a surgical procedure used to help a patient lose weight.
It is usually recommended to help those who are morbidly obese - meaning that their weight
problem has become a serious health risk.
Most severely overweight patients overeat.
Food enters the body through the mouth, travels down the esophagus where it collects in the
stomach.
From there, digested food passes into the small intestine.
Nutrients taken from the food pass from the small intestine into the bloodstream.
Waste travels to the colon and leaves the body through the anus.
The amount of food that a person eats is partly controlled by appetite.The stomach plays an
important role in controlling appetite.
When the stomach is empty, a person feels the urge to eat.
When the stomach is full, that urge goes away.
Gastric bypass dramatically reduces the size of the stomach.
With a smaller stomach, the patient is physically unable to eat large amounts of food.
Gastric Bypass also shortens the small intestine so that the body absorbs less of the food
eaten.
With less food entering the body, fat stores begin to be used.
The patient loses weight.
So make sure that you ask your doctor to carefully explain the reasons behind this recommendation.
Your Procedure:
On the day of your operation, you will be asked to put on a surgical gown.
You may receive a sedative by mouth and an intravenous line may be put in.
You will then be transferred to the operating table.
The anesthesiologist will begin to administer anesthesia - probably general anesthesia by
injection and inhalation mask.
The surgeon will then apply antiseptic solution to the skin and place a sterile drape around
the operative site.
After you are asleep, the surgical team will make a vertical incision down the middle of
your abdomen.
They will gently pull back the skin to expose the connective tissue beneath.
Your doctor will then divide this tissue, and the underlying muscle tissue to expose
the abdominal cavity.
Your doctor will gently lift the liver up and to the side to reveal the stomach.
Your doctor will then cut the upper portion of the stomach from the rest of the organ.
This upper portion forms a small pouch, which is sealed with a stapling tool.
The opening in the larger portion of the stomach is closed with staples.
The next step is to divide the small intestine.
The main part of the intestine is pulled upward, behind the colon and positioned near the small
upper stomach pouch.
The other free end of the intestine is surgically stitched to the side of an intestinal loop.
The other end is now attached to the small stomach pouch.
A new route for food passing from the esophagus into the intestines has now been created.
Finally, your doctor will check to make sure that all the new connections are secure and
that there are no leaks.
The liver and other organs are placed in their proper positions.
A drain is put in place to remove any excess fluids ... Then the team closes the surgical
field by joining the muscles with sutures.
Then the connective tissues are closed.
The skin is sutured together and the incision is closed.
Finally, a sterile dressing is applied.