Gastric Bypass
Learn About This Weight-Loss Procedure
Are you curious about gastric bypass weight-loss surgery at Valley Baptist?
We’re here to help answer your questions and get you started on the road to better health. Gastric bypass surgery limits the amount of food your stomach can hold by closing off — or removing — parts of your stomach. Gastric bypass also slows down the stomach’s emptying process, so you’ll feel fuller longer. We are proud to offer gastric bypass at Valley Baptist Medical Center—Brownsville.
How Gastric Bypass Works
Gastric bypass surgery creates a small pouch at the top of your stomach, and in addition your small bowel is divided. The biliopancreatic limb is reattached to your small bowel on one end, and the other is connected to the pouch, creating what’s called a Roux limb. The pouch releases food slowly, so you feel full after eating very little food.
Gastric bypass surgery is performed because it’s a very effective treatment option for producing lasting weight loss in obese patients for whom nonsurgical methods of weight loss haven’t been effective.
Is Gastric Bypass Right for You?
Gastric bypass may be the right choice for you if:
- You have a body mass index (BMI) greater than 40. You are a man who is 100 pounds over your ideal body weight or a woman who is 80 pounds over your ideal body weight.
- You have a BMI of 35 or more with another obesity-related health condition, such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea or heart disease.
Because the surgery can have serious side effects, the long-term health benefits must be considered and found greater than the risks. Despite the fact that some surgical techniques can be done laparoscopically with reduced risk, all bariatric surgery is considered to be major surgery.
Bariatric surgery helps many people reduce or eliminate health-related obesity problems. It may help you to:
- Lower blood sugar
- Lower blood pressure
- Reduce or eliminate sleep apnea
- Decrease the workload of the heart
- Lower cholesterol levels
Gastric bypass for weight loss is not a universal remedy, but these procedures can be highly effective in people who are motivated after surgery to follow their doctor's guidelines for nutrition and exercise and to take nutritional supplements.
Take the First Step Toward Health
We take pride in striving to send the patient home on the same day of surgery or the next day, and we continue to offer our support when the patient goes home. During the first week, clear liquids are allowed, progressing to a pureed diet in another week and gradually moving to the longer-term eating plan. We continue to serve as a resource for you as you move through the various stages of recovery and continued weight loss.
