Surgery

New York Gastric Bypass Surgery Article

Should you Have Gastric Bypass Surgery?

Gastric bypass surgery is a way for extremely overweight people to lose the weight to ensure their health. Gastric bypass surgery has helped many people lose the weight and keep it off, but before rushing out to have it, you should make certain that it is the best option for you.

Before you can even qualify to have gastric bypass surgery, you should weigh at least one hundred pounds more than you should, or have a body mass index of over forty. Occasionally, someone that only has a body mass index of 35 might still qualify, if they have significant health risks caused by being overweight. You can’t just have gastric bypass surgery because you think it is the fast, easy way out. You have to have tried and failed previous attempts to lose weight with traditional weight loss methods, diet, exercise, etc. You need to fully understand the risks involved with the surgery, and what your life will be like once the surgery has been performed.

You can make the decision that you want the surgery, but the final say will be up to your medical doctor. If you meet the previous guidelines for being overweight, then he will do further tests to help him make his final decision, such as examinations to evaluate your mental state, ultrasound, chest x-ray, various blood tests, EKG, and an x-ray of your gallbladder and gastrointestinal system. He will be testing to make sure that you are mentally competent to make the decision to have the surgery, and that you are healthy enough to withstand a major surgical procedure.

Many previously diagnosed health conditions may make you ineligible for gastric bypass surgery, such as alcoholism, liver disorders, mental disorders, thyroid or hormonal problems. It might be possible to have these conditions treated so that they are no longer an issue, and then have the surgery, if that is something you still wish to do.

Gastric bypass can now be done in three different ways, you and your surgeon will decide which will work best for you. One procedure uses staples to reduce the size of the stomach, which limits the amount of food that you are able to eat at once. It also works by limiting your body’s ability to absorb calories from the food that you eat. This particular type of gastric bypass surgery is called the Roux-en-Y Procedure.

Laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery is done via a very small cut in your abdomen, through which a tiny camera is inserted. During this procedure the stomach is actually stitched shut, again reducing the amount of food that you can comfortably eat, helping you to lose weight.

The other option for gastric bypass surgery is to reduce the stomach size by using a small silicone band to section off a portion of the stomach, again helping curb the appetite, and reduce the amount of food that you can eat. The added benefit of this surgery is that it does not interfere with the body’s digestion process, so you are still able to absorb the nutrition you need from the food you eat.

The end result of your gastric bypass surgery depends on many different variables. A lot of it depends on you, and whether you take the imitative to change your eating habits and lifestyle for the better. You still need to exercise on a regular basis, and eat healthy foods. You will lose weight rapidly during the first year after your surgery, but if you don’t learn to change your old ways, you will likely end up gaining it all back in the end.