Losing weight really can be a life or death situation, particularly for those people who are morbidly obese. Time is of the essence and the longer it takes to lose the weight the greater the risk to their health. For this reason gastric bypass surgery may be the best option. If you are considering this procedure but would like to know more about the recovery process, this article on gastric bypass post op can help.

This procedure has been available for decades and though there are some risks, as with all surgeries, they are minimal and rare. The most common issue faced by someone is the lifestyle changes they will need to make. These changes can be challenging which is why most patients are given a lot of pre-op counseling so that they fully understand what they will need to commit themselves to.

Most people understand the basic concept of gastric bypass, your stomach is made smaller so that you can only eat small amounts of food at one sitting. So, obviously, one of the most drastic changes will be a dramatically reduced food intake at each meal.

Other post op lifestyle changes may not seem so obvious such as the fact that you can no longer eat a lot of high sugar and high fat foods. Eating too much of this type of food can lead to fainting since it will be absorbed much more quickly than it would have been before the surgery when your stomach literally had more room.

When you are eating less, you are also drinking less which means that you will need to drink water, in small amounts, throughout your day to avoid dehydration.

While everyone is different and each individuals results will vary, on average many patients will lose up to 50 % of their extra weight within the first six months after surgery. From six months to two years the amount of weight loss will generally be as high as 70%. After two years post op the average weight loss tends to level off at about 80%. It’s very uncommon for someone to lose 100% of their excess fat so some people will claim that this type of surgery isn’t successful.

Only the individual can judge the success for themselves, but my guess would be that if someone is morbidly obese and weighs in excess of 300 lbs, they would be thrilled to lose 60 – 80% of their excess weight!

If you are extremely overweight and you are anxious to get yourself to a more healthy weight you may want to look into gastric bypass surgery. This is a viable way for you to take control of your weight more quickly than just diet and exercise. Your gastric bypass post op lifestyle will be considerably different and if you’re not willing to make significant changes to your lifestyle the process will not work for you. This article has given you a brief overview and now you have an idea of what’s involved, your doctor will answer the rest of your questions.

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How to Talk to a Loved One about LapBand Surgery

In many aspects, obesity is referred to as a disease. This is because some suffering from obesity cannot change their lifestyle. Some do not have the needed determination, others have tried healthy eating and exercise without the right results. This is when many opt to give up. If you are related to one of those individuals, you may want to help. One approach you should examine is that of LapBand surgery.

LapBand surgery is the fastest growing weight loss surgery in the United States. It was introduced in 2001 and its popularity continues to grow. What makes the LapBand system the most preferred weight loss surgery in the United States? Its advantages. These advantages include a short recovery period and low risk of complications. These advantages are due to the LapBand system. Unlike gastric bypass surgery, an adjustable gastric band is used to reduce the stomach size.

Since the LapBand surgery comes highly rated and recommended, you may want to suggest it to an obese loved one, but how?

First, it is important to learn about the surgery. Not everyone is an ideal candidate. Do not suggest it as an option without first knowing if your loved one will qualify. So will they? Your best option is to start researching. You can do so online. The LapBand surgery is discussed in detail on many medical websites.

Another ideal approach is to speak with your own doctor. Approach your primary care physician and express your concern for your loved one. Your doctor should take the time to discuss the LapBand procedure with you. They will also outline the common criteria that most surgeons use to determine legibility.

Speaking of those requirements, on average, most doctors will only operate on patients between the ages of 18 and 60. Being overweight isnt enough. Many surgeons use LapBand surgery as a last resort; therefore, those with severe to morbid obesity are better candidates. On average, patients have Body Mass Index (BMI) rating of 40 or more. Most importantly, is drive and determination. The LapBand itself will not result in weight loss, it is the band combined with diet restrictions.

Once you are sure that your family member will likely qualify as a LapBand patient, it is time to start the conversation. You may opt for a group discussion. This is ideal in cases where the parent is obese. Discussing the LapBand surgery with an obese relative in a group does have risks. Your loved one may feel that everyone is gaining up on them. For that reason, your concerned group should only contain immediate family members.

You also have the option of discussing LapBand surgery as a private matter. For example, if your sister is suffering from severe obesity, approach her one-on-one. Explain your concerns and suggest the LapBand surgery. When doing so, have more than just your word. Documents printed from the internet or LapBand brochures from a medical office are recommended.

As previously stated, LapBand is often used as a last resort. If your loved one is suffering from morbid obesity, they may have come to terms with their health. Certain guidelines may be in place. For example, they may have a will or already assigned a power of attorney. If that person is you, speak to your loved ones physician. In most cases, doctor patient confidently prevents too much information from being disclosed, but no harm can come from making an inquiry.

Regardless of which approach you take, use extreme caution. Be kind and gentle. The wrong approach can lead to serious consequences, including a hurtful family dispute.

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Gastric bypass surgery is done to primarily solve or treat morbid or severe obesity and other health problems associated with it. With this procedure the stomach is made smaller. The food will bypass part of the small intestine. By doing so, the patient will consume less because he feels full immediately. Getting full easily would reduce the calories taken by the body and eventually lead to weight loss.

Actually, gastric bypass is just among the many similar operations to reduce obesity. To refer all of these procedures, bariatric surgery is the term. These operations intend to reduce accumulated fatty tissues by altering the physiological and psychological attitude of a patient towards food and eating.

How does it alter normal digestion?

What normally happens is that after eating, the food would go through the stomach and then proceed to the small intestine. The nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine before it goes to the large intestine where waste is eventually pushed out of the body. The most common gastric bypass procedure, the Roux-en Y gastric bypass, alters this process.

In the Roux-en gastric bypass, a small pouch is made on the top part of the stomach. The lower part of the stomach, which is much smaller now, is connected directly to the middle part of the small intestine. The stomach was made smaller and at the same time, the intestine was cut short, the upper portion of the small intestine was bypassed. Both the upper portion of the stomach and the small intestine no longer digest food.

Statistics showed that patients would lose 60%, on the average, of their weight after the gastric bypass surgery. There are even who would say that they have lost 80% of their weight. There are studies showing that about 90% of patient who have undergone gastric surgery were able to maintain their weight loss after ten years of having the surgery performed.

Having gastric surgery is not risk-free though. People who have undergone this procedure would report more cases of gallstones, in other studies, they would also report nutritional issues like anemia or osteoporosis.

Every year there are about 140,000 gastric procedure being performed in the United States alone. The results could really be successful, with people being able to get better weight-loss results, however, about 2% of patients would find it very fatal. In the 2%, one percent could be as a result of complications during surgery. The heart in unable to support the pumping it has to do to handle the excess weight or the complication brought by it.

The other one percent cause of fatality among people who gone through the procedure, would be about not following the dietary restrictions that should be followed after the surgery. After gastric surgery, the body could no longer handle too much intake of high-sugar and high-fat food. There is a special diet that those who have just undergone the surgery should follow. Bypass diet would usually include foods that are high in protein but low in fat, fiber, calories, and sugar. There are vitamins and mineral supplements that are required to be taken to avoid health and nutritional deficiencies.

With more and more people turning to gastric bypass surgery as a weight-loss option, it is important to understand not only the procedure and the benefits. It is also important to weigh the risks and if our lifestyle and our body would be able to handle the dramatic loss of weight.

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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 —