Benefits from Gastric Bypass

The Major Benefits from Gastric Bypass Surgery

Due to the amount of weight loss incurred from gastric bypass surgery, most people’s benefits to the surgery far outweigh the potential risks. The majority of those that elect to receive this surgery will lose around 80% of the excess weight they had. Most people with certain health conditions like high blood pressure, sleep apnea, arthritis, and diabetes will notice either full recovery from these conditions or extensive improvement.

People that have gastric bypass surgery also see improvement with things like reflux, fatigue, asthma, and shortness of breath. In addition, all people feel much better about themselves and have a higher self- esteem after the procedure.

Gastric bypass surgery also lowers the risk for heart disease, pulmonary diseases, and cancer. Morbid obesity can shorten a person’s life by 20%. Gastric bypass surgery can change this percentage and give people a new lease on life.

The procedure is accomplished by reducing the area of the stomach that is functional, making it as big as a pouch, and also by creating a little opening between the stomach and intestines.

When the surgery is finished, people only have to eat a tiny amount to feel full, so weight loss occurs rapidly. Also, since there is now an opening between the stomach and the intestines, food is digested at a slower rate, so people stay full for a longer time period.

When people have gastric bypass surgery, right after the procedure they will be limited to only a liquid diet. This is because it takes the body time to adjust to the smaller stomach. The liquid diet will last for a few days, and then the patient can begin to eat food that has been pureed. Dehydration is something that is a real concern during this time, and patients have to drink enough to stop this from occurring. Before the person can leave the center for surgery, they will need to drink a certain amount of liquids.

A few weeks after the gastric bypass surgery, patients can start to eat a greater amount of regular table foods. However, until whole foods can be kept down without incident, the patient will need to eat pureed foods. This is the time when patients relearn how to eat, through eating more slowly, chewing their food carefully, remembering to drink between mealtimes, and staying away from foods that are high in fats and sugar. Consuming foods such as these can cause the patient to feel sick.

People that have gastric bypass surgery often lose a great deal of weight right after the surgery has been performed. This is the time when adjustments to eating habits are made, allowing the patient to drop as much as twenty pounds each month.

Gastric bypass surgery is a life changing commitment, but one that can give the person back much of the life they had been missing due to their weight.