Weight Loss Surgery Can Save Your Life
Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass
Gastric bypass (also known as “Roux-en-Y” or “the bypass”) is one of the most common weight-loss surgical procedures performed worldwide. It has more long-term studies proving its efficacy than any other procedure. Patients can drop 70-80% of their excess weight within the first year. It is also a highly effective treatment for diabetes in obese individuals. Patients likely will experience improvements in high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and joint pain.
Minimally Invasive
Gastric bypass is minimally invasive and requires only a few small incisions in the abdomen. It has fewer complications, requires shorter hospital stays, and has faster recovery than open surgery. The surgeons at KC Bariatric have performed the most laparoscopic gastric bypass surgeries in the Midwest.
How Gastric Bypass Surgery Works
Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass causes weight loss by significantly restricting the amount of food you can eat and bypassing the upper portion of the digestive tract. The stomach is divided into a small “pouch” which food will go into and one large “remnant stomach” through which the food no longer passes. The upper, smaller “pouch” or “new stomach” can hold only about one to two ounces of food and is connected directly to a portion of the small intestine bypassing the larger chamber created by the procedure. The body will absorb fewer calories from the food.
Most importantly, the rerouting of the food stream produces changes in gut hormones that promote satiety, suppress hunger, and reverse one of the primary mechanisms by which obesity induces type 2 diabetes. During this surgery, the surgeon does not place any foreign implants and does not remove organs.
After Surgery
This operation requires an overnight hospital stay. Significant changes to diet and lifestyle are needed to ensure patient safety and success. You must continue following the diet and exercise guidelines given to you by the surgeon after your surgery. After gastric bypass, you should take daily bariatric supplements to ensure adequate nutrition and optimal health. We will arrange scheduled follow-up visits to monitor your progress.
