Gastric bypass is one of the most established and durable options for weight loss surgery available. This weight loss technique has been around for over 50yrs. However, advancements in key-hole surgery and equipment mean that gastric bypass has become a very common and successful weight loss treatment.
What is gastric bypass surgery?
There are several types of gastric bypass variations such as Roux-en-Y, Omega Loop, Mini, SADI and SASI-S. But don’t get confused by all these options as they all work by same principle of reducing the size of the stomach and bypassing a measured segment of the small bowel.
How does weight loss surgery work?
Patients should expect to lose around 75%-85% of their excess weight in the first 18 – 24months following surgery. However, it is important to be aware that surgery is a very effective weight loss tool that only works best with healthy lifestyle, dietary choices and compliance with their surgeons post-operative follow up programme.
Is gastric bypass surgery an effective treatment for type 2 diabetes?
Gastric bypass surgery has been shown to be the most effective treatment of type 2 diabetes in selected people. Unlike diabetes medications which aim to manage the consequences of diabetes such as raised blood sugars, gastric bypass surgery works to actually treat the underlying cause of type 2 diabetes. In fact, diabetes has been shown to resolve in 77% of people after 1 to 3 years following gastric bypass surgery.
Is gastric bypass surgery the right choice for me?
The decision to undergo gastric bypass surgery is an important one that should be made in consultation with your treating bariatric surgeon. All surgery no matter how big or small does come with some risks. However Gastric bypass surgery is actually far safer surgery than many people realise due to the keyhole technique. Patients may generally spend 1 to 3 nights in hospital and make a full recovery within a few weeks. In fact a study has revealed a low 3.4% complication rate associated with gastric bypass surgery which is in fact lower than commonly performed gallbladder surgery.
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