Sometimes when we look at ourselves in the mirror, we don’t like what we see. Our modern lifestyle does not exactly engender healthy living for normal people. The convenience of fast food combined with a sedentary lifestyle is not exactly conducive to a healthy life. Obesity is quickly becoming an epidemic in in terms of how it has spread. A lot of people are trying to be more fit, of course, with diet and exercise. However, sometimes, that’s not enough. This is where a gastric bypass comes in.

Having weight-loss surgery is quickly becoming an increasing trend among people who find that they just can’t seem to lose weight. This might have come about because of a combination of lifestyle choices, genetic predispositions and physical problems, but the results are still the same: stubborn flab that doesn’t seem to go away or even in some cases, incredibly overweight individuals. For people like these, a gastric bypasss is often their only hope.

What exactly is a gastric bypass? This is a simple process in which stomach capacity is lessened and a large part of the intestinal tract is skipped in the digestive process. It may sound complicated but it is actually the simplest weight-loss surgery that is possible. There are actually several variations of gastric bypasses but the most common type is the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. In this type of gastric bypass, a pouch is create at the top of the stomach using surgical staples sometimes this pouch is as small as a walnut. Then the stomach pouch is connected to the middle part of the small intestine, the jejunum.

All of this can be done by either an open procedure, where in the whole abdomen is sliced open, or by making a small incision in the side of the abdomen and using small tools and a camera to do the procedure, a process that is sometimes called the laparoscopic approach. An open procedure can be actually very dangerous and is also subject to longer recovery times; this is why the laparoscopic approach is often advised.

Of course, this is all a major surgical procedure and you can’t just have your digestive tract messed with. You can only be qualified for this procedure if you have been obese for five years, in which you have tried everything to lose weight, are not alcoholic, and not suffering from any psychiatric disorder. An age limit is also set for procedure only individuals from 18 to 65 may have a gastric bypass.

It may all seem like a done deal: just hop onto the operating table and you’ll be well on your way to svelteness. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. A gastric bypass is a four hour operation followed by a five day recovery period, in which the patient is observed. Liquids will be the only source of nourishment for him during the observation period. Afterwards, there will be a twelve week regimented diet that will take him from liquids to solids so that the patient’s new stomach may handle it. There will also be side-effects: a smaller stomach means less food which means less energy overall you’ll be lethargic until your body learns to cope. Also, you may experience pain and vomiting after eating too much or too fast.

A gastric bypass looks like a great shortcut to slimness but it’s a lot more difficult than it may seem.

Tags: Abdomen, Bypasses, Digestive Process, Epidemic, Fast Food, Flab, food;, Gastric Bypass, Genetic Predispositions, Incision, Intestinal Tract, Jejunum, Laparoscopic Approach, less energy, less food, Lifestyle Choices, obesity;, Overweight Individuals, pain;, Part Of The Small Intestine, Psychiatric Disorder, Roux En Y Gastric Bypass, Sedentary Lifestyle, Small Tools, Staples, Stomach Pouch, vomiting, Weight Loss Surgery —

Thinning Down: Do You Need A Gastric Bypass For It?

Obesity is an increasing problem in the world today. It can’t be avoided because of our current environment of fast food and sedentary lifestyles. So what can you do about your ever-expanding flab?There’s always the constant call for exercise and dieting however, sometimes even that is not enough. This is when surgery comes in and a gastric bypass can be needed.

First of all, let’s talk about what exactly is a gastric bypass. Have you ever heard of a heart bypass? This is when surgeons stitch up you arteries to avoid the clogged vessels of the circulatory system around your heart. This is also what happens in a gastric bypass, although the operation involves your digestive system rather than your blood vessels. What the surgeons do is make your stomach smaller by making a pouch at the top of the stomach. This neatly halves your stomach capacity. Then, the surgeons would connect your small intestine to this pouch, skipping a part of it. These two changes contribute to increased weight loss by lower food capacity and lesser calorie absorption over all. Weight loss would accelerate over a three to six-month period, until your body manages to adapt to the lower energy intake.

The question that most doctors ask before they have someone undergo all of this is very simple: do you really need it? Most doctors advise patients seeking a gastric bypass to exhaust all other forms of weight-loss options before doing this operation. It may be the safest option but it is still major surgery on a sensitive part of your body. These is still a chance for complications to set in both during and after the operation. Doctors also screen any patient wanting to have a gastric bypass you may not have a gastric bypass if you have not been obese for more than five years, are alcoholic, experiencing a psychiatric disorder and you have to be between 18 to 65 years of age.

If the patient has exhausted all other options and is eligible for a bypass then the doctor outlines exactly what happens after the bypass is done. After the surgery, the patient will stay in observation for the next three days to check for complications. He won’t be eating anything solid for awhile to let the pouch in his stomach heal. After discharge, he will also be under a rigid, progressive diet that would take him from liquid foods to solid foods in twelve weeks. The patient will also be experiencing the effects of lower energy intake: headaches and bodyaches, along with lower energy levels.

He will also have to take vitamin supplements since the part of the small intestine that is being skipped by the bypass is predominantly in charge of getting the appropriate vitamins and minerals from the food not all, of course, but a significant portion of the recommended daily allowance. The long-term effects are also there. A lower stomach capacity means you may vomit or feel abdominal pains if you eat too much or too fast.

It sounds extreme, but still, a lot of gastric bypasses are done each year it’s up to you to decide whether it is worth the risk.

Tags: Absorption, Arteries, Blood Vessels, bypass, Circulatory System, Digestive System, Doctors, Energy Intake, Fast Food, food;, Gastric Bypass, headaches;, Heart Bypass, lower energy intake, lower energy levels, lower food capacity, Major Surgery, More Than Five Years, obesity;, Optio, pains, Psychiatric Disorder, Sedentary Lifestyles, Small Intestine, Stomach, surgery, Weight Loss, World Today —