Gastric bypass?

Question

Can anyone tell me about the operation. The good and the bad.

Answer 1

I had Weight Loss Surgery more than 9 months ago. The results are fantastic... your question is great, because there are some negative issues to it also, and every body is different.

The GOOD: You do loose weight, it works, and you can have a totally normal life after the surgery. This is my case.

The BAD or Important Side Effects to consider:

One of the biggest side effects of gastric surgery results from the reduction of calorie and nutrient absorption. Because gastric bypass operations cause food to bypass the stomach and parts of the small intestine, where most of the iron and calcium from food is absorbed, patients run the risk of anemia, developing osteoporosis, and other nutritional deficiencies. Nutritional supplements can counteract these deficiencies, but they must be taken life-long. The more extensive the operation, the greater the risk is for complications and nutrient deficiencies.

Some patients have to have follow-up operations to correct complications (abdominal hernias being the most common), and more than one third develop gallstones from the rapid weight loss. The risk of developing gallstones can be countered though by taking supplemental bile salts for a short time after surgery. If a woman for any reason believes she might be pregnant, she should avoid such severe weight loss, or wait to become pregnant until her weight has stabilized.

The potentially deadly complications can include malnutrition, infection, and bowel and gallbladder problems. The surgery itself can be a dangerous shock to the system, particularly for older patients.

Answer 2

This operation is costly and very risky. If you are considering Gastric Bypass surgery then I assume you are significantly overweight. If you would like an alternative that is WAY cheaper than Gastric Bypass surgery but would like the same results you get from Gastric Bypass, try the Cambridge Diet. It was designed by a team of physicians and nutritionists at Cambridge University for obese patients with health issues who needed to do something drastic like Gastric Bypass. It works and it's very healthy. Sorry I don't know more about the surgery itself, I only know about the equivalent alternative! Check out the site below for more information:

Answer 3

I know a few people who have had it. I even have a cousin who had it done. It leaves a huge ugly scar on your stomache from your belly button to where your bra is. The doctors don't care if they leave a jaggedy crooked scar. They cut you open, make the stomach smaller as fast as they can and then they sew you up and get you out of there. There are many things that can go wrong - like gastric leaking and infections. The operation is like $50K and I think you have to pay alot more for a laproscopic operation - which are more dangerous because you are open in surgery alot longer.

And most people do not know this, but you can gain the weight back by having your stomache get stretched out again. You can never even drink pop again - there are many many diet restrictions - worse than any diet you have ever been on. Two people I know who had it are not all that skinny. Not the way you see them on tv. They look avg and even kinda big still.

The problem is in the mind - you need to treat the mind. The best author I ever read who truely helps people with over eating/ and eating disorders is Geneen Roth. http://www.geneenroth.com/
Go to your library and read some of her books for free they are great.

Good luck.

Answer 4

Well in general, the doctors physically take out half of your stomach. This obviously allows you to eat only so much forcing you to cut back on your portions and thus loosing weight. No reputable doctor would do this unless the patient were really overweight and this is the last ditch effort. This has worked for some, but you CANNOT EVER go back to the way that you were eating in the past. If you do, you risk stretching your stomach out and ripping your stiches open. It is REALLY hard to cut back on food at first because the food problem isn't just an issue of filling your belly. You have to get into the HABIT of eating healthy portions and you must excersise too. Please only consider this if this is a last ditch effort for your health and there is no other way.
On the good side, it has saved some lives. If you can get past the food portion problem, the surgery has also improved patients health.

Answer 5

The bad is death, and lack of nutrition the rest of your life. The good...you lose alot of weight, but then you have to have surgeries to remove the excess skin. Here is a website to look at: www.tfherbalnutrition.com, there is a link about gastric bypass on that site. The surgery should be the last thing you want to try. Try everything else first!

Answer 6

if you truly need it and cannot lose the weight alone, then by all means have it. but if this is 100 lbs overweight or less, the risks are not worth it. 1 out of every 200 people who get the operation die. To watch a video of the operation, taped live, go to

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4453648942262412230&q=gastric+bypass&hl=en

its an hour long and shows questions and answers about it. its really helpful and factual.

Answer 7

imho, gastric bypass is just a waste of money. about two years ago, its a 20%(or was that 5%?) chance that you'd die... also its just a way to force you(force as in 100% chance success) to eat only 1/10 of your normal food intake.you eat more then you feel sick and throw up. you can always do that with self control. you'd feel miserable anyway. think of thanksgiving and you cant eat anything more than a handful. you can always force yourself to throw up anyway.

i wouldnt recomment gastric bypass. i watched this lady have the operation and she was on oprah to tell her story. i guess after you get used to your limitation, you start to recover some happiness (after it hits rock bottom during recovery time.)

Answer 8

I know 2 people that had it done.

One nearly exploded her stomach when she stopped closely following her diet and the other nearly died on the table during and after the operation. The latter one also could loose his legs because of severe blood clots that have developed in them since the operation.

Both of them have excess skin that they haven't dealt with yet, because they lost weight so fast, their skin didn't have time to shrink. If you've ever seen someone who lost weight the regular way, they don't have near as much skin left over.

Answer 9

Gastric Bypass Surgery /gastrectomy/stomach stapling /lapband (all types of bariatric surgery) is very safe nowadays.It is very cheap in India.There is one company that is very famous in India that arranges obesity surgery for foreigners in India.They are called the Forerunners Healthcare.I read a lot about them in the Newspapers and about their patient stories.

I have also read that they arrange financing for american and canadian patients as obesity surgery is not covered by insurance.They also have photos pasted of their International patients.You can checkout their website.The cost savings are incredible.As a doctor i personally believe that your Gastric Bypass surgery can be easily handled in India as the quality of healthcare available here is simply best in the world.The surgeons are USA/UK trained and facilities are 5 star.

My cousin got her revision surgery for gastric bypass in India through the forerunners healthcare .She is more than very happy with the results.She has lost 65lbs in 5 months.She just paid 25% of the amount she was quoted in USA and is all praise for this forerunners healthcare company.hope this helps

http://www.forerunnershealthcare.com

Answer 10

good luck having it approved. i work for the top insurance company in the US and standard for getting this done are very, very strict as a result of many people having it for cosmetic reasons. i worked with a couple of women who even gained weight so they would reach the required bmi. this procedure will be subject to medical policy review which means a team of doctors and nurses will review your case and you will have to have:
1. 5 years of documented obesity
2. a bmi of 42 or above
3. you will have to first have 12 months of doctor supervised dieting which will have to show no weight loss while you are dieting
4. you will have to have three of five key medical conditions which include: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and two others that i can not recall right now.

please please dont do this unless you have to. i see these claims denied on a daily basis and the surgery is very costly and more than likely your insurance will not approve you for it and even if they do you still have to have the one year diet so why not at least try it on your own and see if you can do it. you may surprise yourself!