Bariatric surgery is a surgical procedure that reduced the size of the stomach. As a result the patient feels full on very little food, allowing them to lose a lot of weight usually very quickly. There are different types of bariatric surgery and they all have their advantages and disadvantages.
There are two main types of gastric bypass surgery and they are the lap band and the roux-en-y. Here is an overview of both of these surgeries:
Roux-en-y - this type of surgery is a reconstruction of the stomach area. The stomach is stapled and the small intestine is reattached bypassing part of the intestine, causing less food to be absorbed in the digestion process. This surgery requires a 4 day hospital stay and a 4-6 week recovery period. The roux-en-y is a more permanent procedure and allows for greater weight loss than the lap band, but the risks are also higher with the roux-en-y than the lap band procedure. This type of surgery may have several side effect; such as, dumping syndrome and sensitivity to sugar and fats.
Lap band - this is a procedure that is performed by placing a band around the upper part of the stomach forming a small pouch. This pouch considerably limits the amount of food that is able to be consumed. This procedure will require regular adjustments to the band to reduce or enlarge the size of the pouch depending on what is necessary to get the appropriate weight. This surgery requires an overnight hospital stay and many patients return to work in less than a week. Gastric banding is a much less invasive surgery then the roux-en-y, which is why there are fewer risks. You may not lose as much weight with the lap band as the roux-en-y.
In a large majority of the cases both of these weight loss surgeries are performed laprascopically through several one inch long incisions. Trends seem to be going more towards the lap band surgery due to the decreased number of risks and the cost being considerably lower than other forms of weight loss surgery.
Any type of gastric bypass surgery requires lifestyle changes to be successful and to maintain the weight loss. Regular exercise and sensible food decisions will be necessary to sustain a healthy weight. Bariatric surgery can help alleviate many of the medical conditions associated with obesity, but it is only a tool and you get out of it what you put into it. This surgery will get you to a healthy weight, but staying there will be up to you.
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