Roux en y gastric bypass is a type of a gastric procedure performed by a surgeon by forming a pouch in the upper section of the stomach. A y section of the small intestine is attached to the pouch by passing the larger part of the stomach and the second segment of the small intestines. This means that the intake of food is regulated and little amounts of calories are absorbed. As a result, a patient feels full after taking just some little amounts of food. This type of bariatric surgery is recommended to people who are obese and have serious health conditions, such that other methods of weight loss such as fitness programs cannot be administered to them.
Eligible Candidates for Roux En Y Gastric Bypass
This type of bariatric bypass surgery is recommended to people who are obese and other weight loss methods have failed to provide meaningful results, or to people who are overweight and have serious health conditions such as high blood pressure. In such people, methods such as fitness and exercise programs cannot work.
Obesity is a serious problem in the United States. A recent research shows that about 1/3 of the American population is overweight. It further indicates that about 300,000 deaths every year are associated to obesity. For a person too obese, they are said to have a BMI of 35 or above. However, it is not anyone with this BMI that is eligible for roux en y gastric bypass surgery. The procedure is for those that have a BMI of 35 and above and have other serious health condition that makes other weight loss program impossible for them.
It is also important to note that people with health conditions such as diabetes cannot be eligible for this type of bariatric surgery. This is because such people have a compromised and weakened immune system and it will be hard for their wounds to heal. They may also develop other serious complications.
How Long Do Patients Stay in the Hospital?
Due to the complexity of this type of bariatric bypass surgical process, the patient is forced to stay in the hospital for a prolonged stay in the hospital. During this period, the patient is under close watch by the doctor to monitor their response to the surgery and the healing process. If it is slower, the doctor administers medication that will accelerate the healing process. If the patient is not responding to the healing medication, then the doctor may consider changing the type of medication. It is also during this period that the doctor administers nutritional supplements since most of the calories and vitamins are not absorbed into the body.
Possibility of Regaining Weight
The process inhibits absorption of most of the calories and vitamins into the body. As a result, the body is deprived of important nutritional elements that the body cannot function properly without. For this reason, the doctors usually administer multivitamin and supplements that help the body absorb calories and vitamins. Since most candidates for this surgery are people with health conditions such as high blood pressure, they are not able to engage in any fitness program. The result is a high possibility of regaining weight loss since these supplements contain very high amounts of calories and vitamins.
Surgical Side Effects and Complications
Just like any other type of surgery, you may experience blood clots in the legs, infections and bleeding. The anesthesia used during the surgery may cause difficulty in breathing; especially in people who have heart related problems. The patients may also experience abdominal pains and vomiting due to the stretching of the esophagus or the pouch. The most common problem that comes with this surgery is abdominal hernias.
Researches show that 1/3 of the patients develop cholesterol clamps and other matter in the gall bladder, a condition known as the gallstones. It further indicates that nearly 30% of the patients are at risk of developing nutritional deficiencies such as anemia, metabolic bone disease and osteoporosis. Fortunately, this problem can be rectified with the use of multivitamin and salt supplements.
Whether roux en y gastric bypass surgery is safe or not is quite a long discussion. In a bid to try to answer this question, you can only look at your health history so that the doctor advises you on the possible side effects and complications that you are likely to develop. The more and serious the complications are, the less safe it is for you. The less the complications, the safer the surgery is. Before considering this option for weight loss, check your health history and the risks associated with it.
