Why would I have a gastric bypass surgery
Gastric bypass is a type of weight-loss surgery (bariatric surgery) to shrink the size of your stomach. As a result, you can’t eat as much as you used to. The surgery also involves rerouting (bypassing) part of your digestive system so your body can’t absorb as much food. This procedure is usually recommended for people with extreme obesity or whose BMI is 40 or higher, and diet and exercise have failed to provide weight loss.
What are the benefits of having gastric bypass surgery?
Weight loss is only one of the many benefits and the other benefits include:
- Improve your cardiovascular health
- Causes long-term remission of type 2 diabetes
- Relief of depression
- Relieve joint pain
- Eliminate obstructive sleep apnea
What is the recovery time?
In general, it may take around 4 to 6 weeks in total. You may feel moderate to severe pain for a few weeks, but your surgeon will prescribe pain killers to help deal with the pain. You may also experience bruising and swelling around your surgical wounds, but these will subside within several weeks. You should be able to return to work and some of your normal activities within 4 weeks.
How long will I need to stay in the hospital after my procedure?
After gastric bypass surgery, you are required to stay in the hospital for about 3 to 5 days depending on your overall health. During your stay in the hospital, you will be under close monitoring. The procedure itself takes approximately 2 to 4 hours to finish.
How long should I expect to stay overseas after my procedure?
Plan to stay in the country for at least 14 additional days after surgery. You will need to attend follow-up check-ups where your health and recovery are continuously monitored. Your stitches will be removed within 7 to 10 days. If everything is fine, you are allowed to fly home.
What aftercare should I take into consideration?
To successfully lose weight and maintain your weight loss, you need to commit to healthy eating and regular exercise for the rest of your life. You will also need to adjust your eating habits. Instead of eating 3 large meals every day, you need to eat 6 small meals each day. It is also important that you eat slowly and chew each bite well to avoid an overloaded stomach. Drink around 8 cups of water a day and don’t drink anything with your meals. You may also need to take vitamins and supplements to ensure you obtain plenty of nutrients.
What’s the success rate like?
The success rate of gastric bypass surgery has increased significantly in the last few years. The procedure is considered successful if you lose 50% of your excess weight. However, the procedure carries some risks, such as nutritional deficiencies, stomal stenosis, breakdown of staple lines, and pouch stretching.
Are there alternatives?
Surgery should never be your first option to treat obesity. The nonsurgical or minimally invasive alternatives to gastric bypass are gastric balloon and gastric banding.