Gastric Bypass: Post-surgery conditions
Most people can resume normal activities within 3 to 5 weeks and the surgery generally requires a 4- to 6-day hospital stay, which is reduced to 2 to 3 days in the case of a laparoscopic approach.
Dumping Syndrome is sometimes caused by a gastric bypass surgery. This can cause nausea, weakness, sweating, faintness, and possibly diarrhoea soon after eating and occurs on account of food moving too quickly through the stomach and intestines. When one eats highly refined, high-calorie foods like sweets, these symptoms are made worse. In fact, these symptoms can cause the sufferers to become so weak that that they have to lie down until the symptoms pass.
The reasons for performing gastric bypass surgery
Generally, gastric bypass surgery is recommended when the body mass index is 40 or higher or when someone has a life threatening or disabling condition related to body weight. However, guidelines on the subject vary.
Doctors may also consider gastric bypass surgery if someone has not been able to lose weight with other treatments.
There are a few conditions that may also be required. These are:
- Obesity for at least 5 years.
- There is no history of alcohol abuse.
- There is no untreated depression or any other major psychiatric disorder.
- The age is between 18 and 65 years.
The effectiveness of Gastric Bypass Surgery
Out of all the people who undergo gastric bypass surgery, most quickly begin to lose weight and continue to lose weight for up to a year. Studies have found that people tend to lose about one-third of their excess weight in one to four years. However, some people regain a part of the weight that is lost on account of the surgery.
Risks
Some risks are common to all surgeries for weight loss. These include infections in the incision. Also there might be a leak from the stomach into the abdominal cavity or where the intestine is connected which can result in an infection called peritonitis, besides a blood clot in the lung. Approximately 33% of all people having surgery for obesity are likely to develop stones in the gall bladder. Some are also likely to develop a nutritional deficiency condition like anaemia or osteoporosis or metabolic bone disease.
These nutritional deficiencies generally occur on account of the changes in the manner in which food is digested after gastric bypass surgery. In fact, that is the reason for which women of childbearing age should avoid pregnancy until their weight stabilises. Taking iron, calcium, and Vitamin B12, protein and folate supplements can prevent these deficiencies.
Although the greater majority of patients do not experience this problem, about 10% develop lactose intolerance after gastric bypass surgery. This can be dealt with by taking milk products more slowly, eating thicker products such as yoghurt or cheese rather than liquid milk, avoiding milk products completely, or taking an enzyme substitute Lactaid with meals.
Less than 1.5% people die after gastric bypass surgery.
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