Advantages:
- The gastric bypass is presently the most commonly performed weight-loss operation
and is endorsed by the American Society
for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) as the "gold standard" of
bariatric operations.
- Weight-loss
ranges from 60% to 80% of excess body weight in patients with a BMI
35-60 kg/m2, over the first 2 years. This equals
roughly 80-150 pounds, depending on the patient's original weight.
- The majority of existing
co-morbidities are improved, or even cured.
- This operation is reversible, since the rest of the lower portion of the stomach is left alone.
- "Dumping syndrome", the rapid emptying of the stomach's contents into the small intestine,
is a common side-effect of gastric bypass surgery. It tends to occur
after you eat concentrated sweets or carbohydrates. The feeling
you will experience may be a combination of profuse sweating, nausea,
dizziness, and weakness. "Dumping" is actually a positive side-effect
of the surgery inasmuch as it discourages you from eating sweets.
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Disadvantages:
- After 2 years, some patients may experience a 10-30 pound weight-regain.
- The operation causes food to bypass certain areas of the small intestine that are
responsible for absorbing protein, calcium, and certain vitamins. In
addition, less iron is absorbed because of the smaller size of the new
stomach pouch. For these reasons, it will be necessary to take daily vitamin
and mineral supplements everyday for the rest of your life so that you
avoid any problems with nutritional deficiencies. The supplements include a multivitamin,
calcium, Vitamin B12, and iron. You will also need to increase the amount
of protein in your diet according to your nutritionist, since the amount
of food you will be eating is much less. Blood tests are performed every
3 months for the first year to check your nutritional status.
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