Bariatric Surgery is derived from the Greek words “weight” and “treatment”. Bariatric Surgeries are major gastrointestinal operations that seal off most of the stomach to cleave the amount of food one can eat and they rearrange the small intestine to slit the calories the bodies can beget. Weight loss operations fall into three categories. The first category is the Restrictive procedures do the stomach smaller to limit the amount of food intake. The second category is the Malabsorptive techniques cleave the amount of intestine that comes in contact with food so that the body absorbs fewer calories and the third category is a combination of the operations that exhaust both restriction and malabsorption.
There are several different types of Bariatric weight loss surgical procedures, but they are all collectively known as “bariatric surgery”. The surgical procedures fall into two categories which are Restrictive Operations and Gastric Bypass Operations. The two Restrictive Operations are known as Gastric Banding (Lap-Band) and Vertical Banded Gastroplasty. Gastric Bypass Operations include Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass and DISTAL Gastric Bypass.
The Gastric Banding procedure performed by introducing a Gastric Band diagram through tiny incisions in the abdomen and it is then placed around the upper part of the stomach. The resulting pouch dramatically reduces the functional capacity of the stomach. The band has a balloon from inside that is adjustable and can reduce stoma size. This prolongs the periods of fullness. The operation is performed under general anesthesia and lasts between thirty minutes to one hour. The Gastric Banding procedure has many advantages including no cutting of the stomach, no stapling of the stomach, calibrated pouch and stoma size, it can be adjusted to patients needs after surgery with no operation to adjust stoma, laparoscopic removal is possible, it is fully reversible and there is a short hospital stay following the procedure that does not exceed 48 hours.
The Vertical Banded Gastroplasty (VBG) is done by making an incision in the upper abdomen that measures several inches. A circular window is made through the stomach a few inches below the esophagus. A surgical stapler is used to create a small vertical pouch by putting a row of staples from window toward the esophagus. The pouch is carefully measured at the time of the surgery and will gain about one tablespoon of solid food. The next step involves a polypropylene band being placed through the window around the outlet of the pouch and it is secured to itself with stitches. The band controls the size of the outlet and keeps it from stretching. VBG limits the amount of food a patient can eat at one time. It works solely by restricting the amount a patient can eat, unlike the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass. The procedure is performed under general anesthesia and requires four or five days in the hospital.
The Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass is the most common Gastric Bypass Surgery. The stomach is made smaller by creating a dinky pouch at the top of the stomach using surgical staples or a plastic band. The smaller stomach is connected directly to the middle of the fraction of small intestine, bypassing the rest of the stomach and upper allotment of the small intestine. This contrivance requires a four to six day stay in the hospital or two to three days for the laparoscopic procedure. It is possible to return to normal activity three to five weeks after the surgery.
The DISTAL Gastric Bypass is performed by removing a portion of the stomach. The remaining shrimp pouch is directly connected to the last portion of the small intestine. There is a risk of nutritional deficiencies with this contrivance. The procedure is intended for patients who are more than 200 pounds overweight. The operation adds malabsorption to restriction of intake. The stomach stapling component is the same as the standard blueprint, the difference is the location of the distal connection of the intestine which is reconnected much closer to the colon.
Patients generally have more success with the Gastric Bypass Operations than the Restrictive procedures. The risks are similar for both the Gastric Bypass Operations and the Restrictive procedures, although the risk of nutritional deficiencies for iron, calcium and vitamin B-12 are higher in patients who undergo Gastric Bypass operations. There is also a risk of intestinal leaking. There is a possibility of the Gastric Bypass operations causing “dumping syndrome”. This is when food moves too fast through the small intestine. This causes nausea, weakness, sweating, faintness and sometimes diarrhea.
In 2003, 103,000 weight loss operations were performed. Every year that number increases. More and more people are using bariatric surgeries to deal with obesity. Although it seems like a fast way to lose weight the risks need to be carefully evaluated.
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Filed under Gastric Banding by on Dec 13th, 2011. 
- Gastric Bypass Surgery
- Surgery Costs
- Additional Surgical Options For Weight Loss
You’ve battled with weight loss for ages, and every slim down quick, only available on TV, lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks fad has left you feeling hopeless. If you are more than 100 pounds overweight, or have a BMI (body mass index) higher than 40, then perhaps Gastric Bypass Surgery is an option for you. Finding the knowledgeable answers to ease your concerns regarding Gastric Bypass Surgery shouldn’t leave you feeling like you just clicked your way around the internet in circles. Read below to find the answers to the most commonly asked questions regarding Gastric Bypass Surgery.
What is Gastric Bypass Surgery? This procedure is done by a Bariatric Surgeon, someone who specifically specializes in Gastric Bypass Surgery. By surgically sealing off a large portion of your stomach, then creating a bypass in your small intestines, Gastric Bypass Surgery literally “shrinks” the size of your stomach and its withholding capacity, while it simultaneously reduces your body’s absorption of calories. Also known as “stomach stapling”, this surgery has been refined until it can be effectively conquered with the use of small precision instruments that will make 5 to 6 petite incisions in your belly. After Gastric Bypass Surgery has been completed, the patient will no longer be able to ingest as much food as they were before the surgery, and won’t feel the hunger pains that you might assume would accompany eating less food. While eating less food, your intestines will be absorbing less calories, thanks to the bypass. Although this surgery seems like an ideal way to shed that unwanted poundage, it is not the last close to becoming thinner and staying that way. Eating healthier and exercising as a part of your daily routine will make the overall map go more soundly.
What are the risks involved with Gastric Bypass Surgery? With more than a possible 6 million people in the United States that could qualify for Gastric Bypass Surgery, the success rates are particularly high. Over 70% of participants for this plot have had success. Success for Gastric Bypass Surgery is defined by the patient’s ability to lose at least 50% of excess body weight and maintain that for at least a year. Along with any surgical procedure, there are always risks and side effects. The number one risk for Gastric Bypass Surgery is death. One in nearly 300 participants of this way have been known to die from it. Other common risks found with this surgery include incision hernias, leaking at staple sites, blood clots in the legs, narrowing of the opening from the stomach to the small intestine, and “dumping syndrome”. Other side effects from this surgery that have been reported include dehydration, vitamin and mineral deficiency, gall stones, intolerance to certain foods, bleeding stomach ulcers, kidney stones, and low blood sugar. Consulting your physician about Gastric Bypass surgery will give you an overview of whether this surgery is right for you or not.
What are the benefits to Gastric Bypass Surgery? The main goal to this surgery is to relieve you lose 50 to 60 percent of excessive weight. Other benefits to this surgery range from improving or resolving high blood pressure and cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, Sleep Apnea, and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Gastric Bypass Surgery has been known to increase a person’s mobility, enhancing the quality of their life.
What can be expected during surgery? Performed under general anesthesia, which is given through a gas mask or IV, you will be asleep for this procedure. During the 4 hour surgery, a tube is inserted through your nose and into the upper area of the stomach. Sometimes this tube is left in overnight. This line is inserted so that it can be hooked up to a suction machine after surgery to keep the microscopic stomach pouch empty, increasing better odds for your staple line to heal. You may also have a line running from the bypassed plot of the stomach to the outside of your body, reach the side of your abdomen. It is generally removed 4 to 6 weeks after surgery, while it is in place some skin irritation may be present at the tube site. Hospital stays usually range from 3 to 5 days.
What can you expect after Gastric Bypass Surgery? To allow your stomach sufficient time to heal, you may not be allowed to eat for 1 to 3 days during your hospital stay. Over the course of 12 weeks, you will be given a diet of foods that will start with liquids and steadily re-introduce solid foods back into your body. For the first six months after the procedure, your stomach pouch will remain the size of a walnut. You will no longer be able to handle the intake of food that you used to. Eating too fast or too much during this period could cause a pain high in your chest, just under the chest bone. Or, you could experience vomiting. The amount of food that you ingest will gradually improve over time. During the first 3 to 6 months following your surgery, you may experience feeling tired or cold, dry skin, body aches, hair thinning and loss, or mood changes. Your physician can help you to monitor these changes to guide you on how to relieve them.
Is Gastric Bypass Surgery covered by insurance? Getting an insurance company to accept your claim for Gastric Bypass Surgery could be difficult. Some companies have started requesting that their patient’s not only got a referral to a specialist for this procedure, but they also request for a complete documented work up form your physician. These complete documents most often have to include documented attempts at weight loss that have been unsuccessful while under your physician’s care. Other companies refuse to accept any claim that is related to obesity, since they don’t view it as a life threatening disease. The companies that do accept claims for Gastric Bypass Surgery do quiz that the surgery is being performed for health reasons and not cosmetics. Speaking with your insurance company will give you a broader notion of whether they cover the map, and what exactly they need from you.
What is the cost for Gastric Bypass Surgery? If you need to pay for the surgery out of your maintain pocket, it can be quite costly. The map alone costs between $17,000 and $20,000 dollars. As with almost anything, the price isn’t etched in stone and varies depending on location.
Other surgeries with similar results are available in today’s market. Lap-Band adjustable gastric banding, Vertical banded gastroplasty, and Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch are the most common alternatives offered on today’s market. The best path to take when considering any of these surgeries or methods is to talk with your physician and research the materials that own information about them. Changing your lifestyle can open here.
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Filed under Gastric Banding by on Nov 18th, 2011.
It’s risky, life changing, and not to mention – costly. Gastric bypass surgery is usually the choice of action for someone who is a desperately trying to lose a large amount of weight and suffers from obesity. It’s often the route one takes when losing weight through diet and spend have not been successful. However, unless individuals are committed to challenging in these four things, weight loss will not occur.
1. Commitment to Healthy Living. Sometimes, individuals suffering from obesity, choose this surgery because they think it is an easy way out of their heavy body. However, choosing this route is not a “quick fix” solution for posthaste weight loss. Individuals must also be committed to changing their diet and exercising regularly. It requires a drastic change in lifestyle. Although blunt, the question, “Are you inactive because you’re fat? ” or “Are you fat because you’re lazy? ” is a prospective individuals who are obese need to come to terms with before agreeing to undergo the knife. Whatever the answer, laziness is not the the key to weight loss. You must be committed to moderate employ, controlling your food portions, and eating healthy foods. Doing these things takes work and dedication; key components in successful weight loss.
2. Eating Poorly. Individuals who undergo this surgery are forced to watch their portion control when eating food. If not, their stomach will do it for them. Due to stomach pouch resizing, eating large quantities of food will cause the body to feel nauseous and lead to vomiting. Even though it reduces caloric intake, not watching their portions isn’t the only reason why people can gain weight . Eating unhealthy foods, although the quantity may be small, can lead to high calories and fat intake.
3. Drinking. Solid foods aren’t the only thing high in calories. Drinking sugary liquids or alcohol are also contributors to weight gain. Individuals who undergo this type of surgery are strongly advised not to consume alcohol for many reasons. Post-surgery candidates are more easily affected as alcohol is quickly absorbed in the body. In addition, it greatly alters perception to include impairment in alcohol intake, further contributing to large amounts of “liquid” calories leading to weight gain.
4. Mental Health. Ignoring this key component will most likely cause you to accept or maintain the heavy weight. Obesity starts in the mind. Many times, there is a reason that leads to over excessive eating. It could be due to past childhood trauma, abuse, grievance, experiencing loss, etc. Although genetics and poor eating habits could also be contributing causes to obesity, anyone undergoing this surgery should seek professional counseling as body image issues arise “pre” and “post” operations. In addition, having a professional support system is the one of the main key factors to successful weight loss.
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Filed under Stomach Band by on Oct 21st, 2011.
If you are considering having weight loss surgery, such as lap band surgery or a gastric bypass, you need to find a bariatric surgeon. A bariatric surgeon is a doctor who specializes in weight loss surgery. The first thing you’ll want to do is contact your insurance company and regain out which surgeons are covered on your plan, but you will probably have several from which to decide. This is a big decision, and it is suggested that you interview a couple different surgeons before making your choice.
You will probably have to pay for a consultation with a bariatric surgeon in order to interview him or her. A doctor may be willing to answer a couple of questions for you over the phone for free, however. But if you schedule an appointment for an interview, be sure to ask how much it will cost. Your health insurance will probably pay for a consultation with a surgeon (provided your insurance covers weight loss surgery – not all do), but they may not pay for you to interview several different surgeons.
Write your questions down before going to see the surgeon. You might want to take notes of his or her answers, too. That way you’ll remember what they say and be better able to compare the answers of different surgeons.
Here are some basic questions you might want to ask. Add your own questions based on your own needs, as well.
- What weight loss surgeries do you build? (Most bariatric surgeons execute lap band surgery and gastric bypass. Some, but not all, also perform vertical sleeve gastrectomy. Obviously, if want a VSG, you need to find a surgeon who is experienced with it.)
- Do you perform laparascopic surgery? (Laparascopic surgery is performed by making several small incisions instead of one vast incision. It is generally preferred to open surgery, because the healing process is faster and easier.)
- What is your mortality rate? (This means, how many patients have died during or from the procedure? )
- What complications do you deal with most often? How many patients experience these complications?
- How many weight loss surgeries have you performed? How many of these were laparscopic surgeries?
- Do you have a dietician that you work with, or would I have to find a dietician on my own?
- What kind of patient education do you provide? (Many bariatric surgeons require you succor one or more classes at their office before your surgery, and this is a capable thing. There may be a cost for the classes, and your insurance may not cover it, so ask about the cost.)
- Do you offer patient benefit groups?
- How many nights do patients usually exhaust in the hospital?
- What kind of follow up care do you offer?
- What kind of vitamin and protein supplements do you recommend? (If a surgeon tells you he or she recommends Flintstones vitamins and Tums for calcium after surgery, find a new surgeon! This one is terribly out of date and is giving you advice that will likely cause you to have long-term nutritional problems.)
- Would I have to have a psychological evaluation before surgery? And if so, is there a psychologist you recommend, or do I need to find one on my occupy? (Many bariatric surgeons require patients to get a psych clearance before surgery, and many insurance companies require this as well. It’s a marvelous thing. Don’t be put off by a surgeon who requires it.)
- Which form of weight loss surgery would you recommend for me, and why?
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Filed under Gastric Banding by on Sep 28th, 2011.
For James Hough, the decision to have a gastric bypass came one day when he fell – and couldn’t gain up. His wife had to help him up off his hands and knees. At almost 300 pounds, Hough simply couldn’t do it. “I had been thinking about having the surgery, and this really made me determine to go ahead with it,” said the Prunedale, California, husband and father, who weighed 292 at his heaviest. Now, two years later, he has lost more than half of that, and weighs unprejudiced 142 pounds.
The operation has been life-changing for Hough in several ways. Not only is he much thinner, he no longer has diabetes or sleep apnea, both conditions which can be very serious in their impact on health.
Also, Hough notes, he no longer needs glasses except for reading.
“When I was diabetic, my glasses were definitely needed for reading and distance,” said Hough, an IT manager for a Salinas, California, medical clinic. “After losing the weight, my vision cleared up. Apparently, the excess weight made my cornea out of shape and thus (caused) poor vision.”
Hough is a very good example of how gastric bypass can have a dramatic impact for better health, said his surgeon, Dr. Mark Vierra of Monterey, California.
“James has really gotten it,” said Dr. Vierra, a gastrointestinal surgeon who has performed more than 800 bariatric surgeries since 2001. “He’s done everything absolutely good and is getting the benefits from it.”
Bariatric, or weight-loss surgery, is becoming more commonly performed as obesity has become more common in the United States.
Still, it’s a serious measure to take for the sake of health, and one that should be considered only as a last resort.
“The risks of any surgery for anyone overweight enough to be thinking about weight-loss surgery are grand greater than the risks for someone of normal weight,” said Dr. Vierra. Some of these risks include blood clots and intestinal obstructions.
Therefore, a gastric bypass must be deemed a medical necessity. Typically, the patient must be 100 pounds or more over his or her ideal weight, and likely is suffering ill effects from being obese, such as diabetes, severe degenerative joint disease or sleep apnea.
There are two procedures commonly done these days, Vierra said: laparoscopic gastric bypass, and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. There are several other types that are done less frequently, including Roux Y gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, and duodenal switch.
Laparoscopic procedures are done with a very small incision, letting patients heal more quickly and with fewer complications.
In a laproscopic gastric bypass, the stomach is divided to create a small upper pouch the size of a thumb. The unusual stomach is then sewn to the small intestine. Digestion and absorption are virtually normal but patients can’t eat as great because they have a much smaller stomach to hold food.
In laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, an inflatable cuff is placed around the upper stomach, which can be inflated or deflated as needed in the office to either tighten the band or to loosen it.
While on the faculty at Stanford University, Dr. Vierra specialized in gastrointestinal surgery and had an interest in complicated cases. He was especially struck by patients who had regained weight following reversal of obsolete weight-loss surgery, and how this weight gain affected their health and quality of life.
He began doing gastric bypasses at Stanford in the early 1990s.
“At that time there was no such program at Stanford, so I put together a team with a fantastic nurse, a dietician and a psychologist, a group of anesthesiologists and some very patient colleagues, and we began doing gastric bypasses,” Dr. Vierra recalls. “At that time there were very few surgeons performing this type of surgery and it had a somewhat shady reputation.”
He started developing the less invasive laproscopic techniques a few years later, urged by a patient to do her gastric bypass that way, “and with that I became one of the first surgeons in the world to begin doing weight-loss surgery by laparoscopy.”
After moving to Monterey seven years ago with his family, Dr. Vierra put together a program at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, which was among the first centers on the West Coast to be designated a Center of Excellence by the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
Patients seeking weight-loss surgery must first undergo a battery of tests to determine their overall health, both physical and mental. In addition to being at least 100 pounds overweight, they must have also tried to lose weight in the past without success.
Hough’s history fit right into this profile. “I fought my weight all my life,” said Hough, 56. After retiring from the military in 1993, Hough’s weight increased steadily, and although he tried to diet and be more active, nothing seemed to work.
But weight-loss surgery did the trick, and Hough said he couldn’t be more cheerful.
“People literally don’t recognize me,” he chuckles.
It took between nine and ten months for Hough to lose 150 pounds, and in addition to the surgery, he’s made some lifestyle modifications.
Both Hough and Dr. Vierra emphasize that weight-loss surgery isn’t the end, but the beginning of a new design of life. Patients must bewitch care to eat smaller amounts of food at each sitting, to comply with their reduced stomachs. They may need to take vitamin and mineral supplements to head off any deficiencies that may occur as a result of the surgery.
“I discourage anyone from ever imagining that their weight pickle is cured – it is only in remission,” said Dr. Vierra.
Support groups are available to offer tips and friendship to gastric bypass patients, and aftercare is an famous consideration for the rest of their lives. Dr. Vierra’s patients must agree to followup appointments for at least five years.
“You have to use it as a tool,” said Hough. “It’s a lifestyle change. Success is going to gain on how you change your attitude.”
Hough now keeps active by walking, riding mountain bikes, backpacking and scuba diving – activities that would have been difficult or impossible for his former self.
Hough said he’s glad he had the surgery: “I’d do it again this afternoon.”
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Filed under Gastric Banding by on Aug 14th, 2011.