Gastric Bypass Surgery A New Beginning

A little over a year ago I weighed in at over 360 pounds. I had high blood pressure and was heading towards a life of heart problems. I hated to go anywhere where I would need to do any extra walking, as it was difficult for me to walk. When I did walk, I would have a hard time breathing. It was hard to sleep at night, I was never comfortable, and again breathing was an issue. Approximately two years prior to this, my doctor mentioned the idea of weight loss surgery to me. I thought she was crazy. It took about two years and extensive research but I came to one major conclusion. Gastric bypass surgery can be both dangerous and controversial, but it will help you win the war against obesity.

Currently, more than 44 million Americans are considered to be obese (PRIMEDIA Business Magazines & Media, Inc., 2003, p8). Along with obesity, people will have many types of co-morbidities. Some co-morbidities often associated with obesity include coronary heart disease, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, osteoarthritis, gall bladder disease, gallstones, pulmonary embolism, and gout (Accredited Practising Dietitian, 2002, p56). One way to reduce the risk of many of these co-morbidities comes in the form of gastric bypass.

Gastric bypass is a surgical procedure by which all or part of the stomach is circumvented by anastomosis to the small intestine (Dictionary.com, 2006). There are several gastric bypass surgical procedures performed today. Procedures known as the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (or lap band for short) and roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure are two of the more commonly performed procedures. Other procedures performed are vertical banded gastroplasty, biliopancreatic diversion, and the duodenal switch. Each of these procedures comes with a host of advantages and disadvantages depending on the procedure. (Kendrick & Dakin, 2006, pS19). Overall results can depend on many factors; most patients will lose 50-60% of their excess weight in the first year or two. With gastric bypass surgery, many can lose up to two-thirds of excess weight by the second postoperative year. (Odle, 2006)

After consulting with my surgeon and thorough research on my part, I chose the roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure. The currently performed roux-en-Y technique uses a small proximal cardia pouch (10-30mL) and a 75- to 150-cm Roux limb. Several techniques for constructing the gastrojejunostomy have all been described, including a hand-sewn or stapled (linear or circular stapler) approaches, each of which has advocates. (Kendrick & Dakin, 2006, pS20).

Patients who undergo gastric bypass surgery or otherwise known as Bariatric surgery often reduce or remove the risk of many co-morbidities, such as high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, and sleep apnea, to name a few. Patients will often have to take less medication or even stop taking medication for some of these co-morbidities, as was my case. Approximately 8 months after my surgery my doctor removed me from medication that I was currently taking for high blood pressure. I had been taking this medication for over 8 years. Diabetes is another co-morbidity that is often associated with obesity. Once people begin to lose the excess weight the diabetes is controlled and even in many cases goes away.

People who have gone through gastric bypass often gain better eating habits. After surgery, people can only eat small amounts of food, approximately 3-5 ounces per meal. So patients need to make the most of what they eat so as to get the proper nutrition. I, for example, focus much of my meal on protein-based foods, such as meat or cheese. I am focusing on proteins because my nutritionist has taught me that women of my age require 70 grams of protein a day. This can be difficult to accomplish with my limited food intake, so protein supplement has become a regular staple in my diet.

Many post surgical patients have difficulty eating certain types of food. Food that they had no trouble consuming in the past can no longer be digested and will often lead to vomiting. While this is undoubtedly one of the more uncomfortable side effects to gastric bypass surgery, it can be used as a tool to retrain the patient in what can and cannot be eaten. Food toleration is different for different patients. Some patients are able to tolerate foods that others cannot.

Dumping syndrome is another side effect to gastric bypass surgery. Dumping syndrome is a physiological reaction to the ingestion of simple sugars (Hirschfeld & Stoernell, 2004, p103). Dumping syndrome does not happen to everyone and can be avoided by not eating sugar or foods that contain high amounts of sugar. Dumping syndrome is characterized by symptoms such as shaking, sweating, rapid heart rate, and dizziness and is often accompanied by severe diarrhea (Hirschfeld & Stoernell, 2004, p103).

By trying to avoid dumping syndrome and vomiting associated with over eating or eating the wrong type of foods, gastric bypass patients are re-trained on how to eat healthier foods. Along with eating healthier foods, patients are put on a strict vitamin regime. Multivitamins and mineral supplements are mandatory as well as protein supplement to ensure patients do not become vitamin deficient. However, the plus to this is a patient becomes healthier in many ways. Before having this surgery, I would come down with colds on a regular basis. However,