Gastric Bypass Specialist

What is gastric bypass?

Gastric bypass is a surgery to help you manage your weight if dieting and exercise aren’t enough to reduce your weight. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the most common form of the surgery, involves making small incisions, allowing you to heal quickly and keep scarring to a minimum.

During Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, your surgeon at Lakeland Surgical Clinic, PLLC, creates a small pouch from your stomach that acts as your new stomach. Since it’s smaller than your whole stomach, you feel full earlier in your meal than you did before. You can eat smaller portions and walk away from the table feeling satisfied.

The most common form of gastric bypass surgery is minimally invasive, meaning your surgeon uses a small incision rather than a large one. The results include a shorter recovery time and less scarring than traditional surgery with a larger incision. This makes it preferable for patients who turn down surgery because of the side effects and potential complications.

Am I a candidate for gastric bypass surgery?

The surgeons at Lakeland Surgery Clinic, PLLC, evaluate you and do tests to make sure you’re a candidate for gastric bypass surgery. Not everyone can safely undergo the surgery, but it can be the right choice for people who:

• Have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher
• Have a BMI of 35 or higher with a weight-related health condition
• Are willing to make drastic dietary and lifestyle changes
• Have been unsuccessful with previous weight loss efforts

Before you start preparing for the surgery, you’ll go through an extensive screening process to make sure you’re a candidate for gastric bypass. Before the surgery, your providers encourage you to stop smoking, participate in physical activity, and make other lifestyle changes at home.

What should I expect after gastric bypass surgery?

Gastric bypass surgery is more of a commitment than you might believe at first. Even after the initial recovery period, you’ll need to make drastic changes in your lifestyle starting from the moment you leave the operating room.

Right after your gastric bypass surgery, you’ll need to stick to a strict diet of liquids. This will be followed in a few days by pureed foods. Soon, you can eat soft foods before moving onto solid foods. You’ll also need to take vitamins and other dietary supplements.

You’ll need to schedule regular follow-up visits to Lakeland Surgical Clinic, PLLC, after your surgery. During these visits, your provider examines your stomach’s function and could recommend bloodwork or other lab tests to check your health.

If you stick to your plan, you could lose about 70% of your excess body fat within two years. This drastic weight loss dramatically reduces your risk of developing conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Gastric bypass surgery shows a high success rate, but it isn’t for everyone. To consult with a surgeon about the procedure, call Lakeland Surgical Clinic, PLLC, or book an appointment online today.