What is Gastric Bypass - Roux-en-Y surgery ?

Gastric bypass is surgery that helps you lose weight by changing how your stomach and small intestine handle the food you eat. After the surgery, your stomach will be smaller. You will feel full with less food.

Gastric Bypass is a surgical method of weight loss. This method is executed in the operating room with general anesthesia. A fasting of at least 8 hours is required prior to the surgery. A day before the operation, blood thinners are administered in sufficient doses to prevent blood clotting.

After the patient is induced anesthesia, a urinary catheter is placed. Gastric Bypass surgery is performed with the laparoscopic method called “closed”. With the help of a 30-cm camera inserted into the abdomen, 5 to 10 mm long skin incisions are made. After that, long rods thinner than a pencil are inserted into the abdomen. With the help of these sticks and staples, a 6-cm long and 3-cm wide stomach pocket is created in the part of the normal stomach after the esophagus.

In order to reduce digestion, the small intestine is combined with the stomach pouch 200 cm ahead of the section called Treitz. In order to see the strength of the stitches formed between the new stomach pocket and the intestine, the anesthesiologist tests the stomach with a blue dyed liquid, which is called leak test. At times, this test is done with air and sometimes using both liquid and air. The operation is terminated by suturing the incisions without removing any stomach part.

Can you live a normal life after gastric bypass?

Gastric bypass surgery, also known as a Roux-en-Y, is one kind of weight-loss surgery. You can live a normal live after gastric bypass but you have to change your diet, exercise and lifestyle habits.

Gastric Bypass surgery is one of the most performed surgeries in the world. This surgery is applied for weight loss with two mechanisms. In Gastric Bypass surgery, a small stomach space is created. This small stomach is connected to the small intestine. Incoming foods bypass the large stomach and pass into the small intestine. This process is called Gastric Bypass.

Gastric Bypass surgery is a suitable surgery for patients with a body mass index of over 35,who have diabetes or who consume sugary foods, alcohol, high-calorie snacks and soda.

Patients usually stay in the hospital for 2-3 days after the surgery. During this period patients are fed with liquid foods and water. If a doctor considers the health condition suitable, a drain is removed and a patient is discharged.

After the surgery, you can easily feel full with a small amount of food. This feeling will turn into satiety and loss of appetite over time. The use of necessary vitamin and mineral supplements will be followed by the instructions of surgeons and dietitians. In this way, you can lose weight very easily without losing vitamins and minerals.

After Gastric Bypass surgery, it is possible to lose 50-100% of your excess weight in a 1-2 year period. The success in losing weight is proportional to your compliance with your diet and exercise program after the surgery. After Gastric Bypass surgery, for example, someone who has undergone surgery with 120 kilograms can lose about 50-60 kg.

What are the limitations, Activities & Diet after surgery ?

Walking is good exercise and should be encouraged right after surgery. When a patient returns home, they should walk about 5 minutes every hour. After surgery, going up and down a flight of stairs and riding in a car are allowed. However, doing too much too quickly can lengthen a patient’s recovery time.

Patients are restricted from lifting objects over 10 pounds for the first 4-6 weeks after surgery. Sexual activity is restricted for the first 2-4 weeks after surgery. Patients should not take a bath (showers are okay beginning the day after surgery) or go into a swimming pool for two weeks. While on pain-relieving narcotic prescriptions, patients should not drive or operate heavy machinery. For the first six weeks after surgery, patients should not go golfing, play tennis, do yoga, Pilates, swim, or do any vigorous exercise that uses the core muscles. Additionally, unless consulted by their physician, a patient should not fly on an airplane for four weeks after surgery.

After six weeks, or after a patient has healed internally, they can introduce low-impact exercises into their routine, gradually increasing their intensity and impact over time. Exercise is an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle after bariatric surgery and can help patients keep off weight.