Gastric Bypass Surgery

Regain Control of Your Life with Gastric Bypass Surgery

Carrying around excess weight can take a toll on your body and your overall health. Struggles with obesity can quickly spiral into other health concerns such as gastroesophageal reflux disease or heart disease, creating a snowball effect that diminishes your quality of life and puts your health in severe danger. Bariatric procedures, like gastric bypass surgery, sleeve gastrectomy, and duodenal switch surgery can help if you’ve been struggling to lose weight and need an effective and long-lasting solution in order to save your health.

Garden State Bariatrics can help you regain control of your health and improve your life with gastric bypass surgery at one of our three NJ locations in Millburn, Toms River, and Browns Mills. Invest in your future and take the first step toward a happier, healthier life by calling us today to set up a consultation appointment.

What Is Gastric Bypass Surgery?

Gastric bypass surgery, also referred to as roux-en Y gastric bypass, is the most commonly performed weight loss surgery. It is endorsed by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Trusetd Source Checkbox Trusted Source Bariatric Surgery Procedures ASMBS. Go to Source (ASMBS) and is used to help individuals with obesity lose weight quickly. This laparoscopic surgery usually takes between 90 minutes and two hours to complete and requires an overnight hospital stay.

The procedure uses two key components to achieve weight loss results. The first is restrictive, which means fewer calories because your capacity to intake food is decreased. The gastric bypass procedure achieves this by reducing the size of the stomach pouch, or part of the stomach that receives food, from 32 ounces to two ounces—a small pouch roughly the Trusetd Source Checkbox Trusted Source Gastric Bypass Surgery UCLA Health Go to Source size of an egg . The second component is malabsorptive, which means your food will travel a shorter distance, preventing the absorption of calories and nutrients. To achieve this component, the doctor reroutes the small intestine to the new, smaller stomach, bypassing a portion of the digestive system.

Benefits of Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery produces fast results and helps individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher or a BMI of 35 or higher in addition to serious weight-related health problems such as type 2 diabetes, Trusetd Source Checkbox Trusted Source Risks of Gastric Bypass Surgery: Anastomotic Leaking Johns Hopkins Medicine Go to Source achieve their weight loss goals . Thousands of people undergo this procedure every year, and many see a high rate of success. Your doctor can tell you more about the benefits you will see following the surgery. However, some of the most common positive results include:

Rapid Weight Loss: Because gastric bypass reduces the size of the stomach and shortens the digestive tract, it works in two ways to support weight loss. The smaller stomach reduces the amount of food you can eat and suppresses your appetite, while the shorter digestive tract limits calorie and nutrient absorption. This produces rapid weight loss, helping you reach your goals faster.

Fewer Health Issues: The surgery can also help you improve or reverse some of the health issues you developed due to being overweight. You will likely see improvements in your symptoms of sleep apnea, high blood pressure, PCOS, or GERD/severe heartburn. In addition, gastric bypass has also been linked to reversing one of the causes of Type II diabetes.

Long Term Success: Gastric bypass surgery can help you achieve long term success in your weight loss goals, as many individuals see success for many years following the procedure. You can feel confident that with the help of this surgery and determination on your part, you can achieve a healthier life.

Potential Risks or Concerns of the Procedure

As with any surgical procedure, there are Trusetd Source Checkbox Trusted Source Risks of Gastric Bypass Surgery: Anastomotic Leaking Johns Hopkins Medicine Go to Source risks involved with undergoing gastric bypass surgery such as anesthesia risks, risk of infection, internal bleeding, blood clots, ‘leaks’ and strictures (the narrowing of connection between stomach and intestine) however, bariatric surgeries in general have a complication rate that is lower than other commonplace surgeries such as hip replacement, hysterectomy, or gallbladder removal.

Before your procedure, it’s important to understand these risks, which is why our doctors will take the time to discuss them and answer any questions you may have. Be sure to consider these risks as well as the benefits of the surgery, as this is an essential step in determining if gastric bypass is the right choice for you. Your doctor will help you through this process. Some of the most common risks or concerns you’ll want to consider include:

Nutritional Deficiencies: Because the digestive tract is much shorter following the surgery, your body will have less opportunity to absorb important vitamins and minerals from food. This can put you at risk for nutritional deficiencies if you don’t properly manage your diet with your doctor.

Dumping Syndrome: Dumping syndrome is an unpleasant side effect that can occur after gastric bypass. Though it is not medically dangerous, it can produce troubling symptoms like cramping, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The symptoms are usually a result of eating sugary foods or drinks and often resolve on their own in one to three hours.

Increased Risk of Ulcers and/or Hernia: Following gastric bypass, there is an Trusetd Source Checkbox Trusted Source Gastric Bypass Surgery Columbia Surgery Go to Source increased risk of developing stomach ulcers and incisional hernia. Although rare, this is especially true for smokers or those taking aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs.

Not Easily Reversed Gastric bypass surgery is considered a permanent solution. It is technically possible to reverse but this is challenging and difficult to do. It is important to consider this before deciding to undergo the procedure.

What Results Can Be Achieved with Gastric Bypass?

If you’re considering bariatric surgery, you are likely wondering about the results you can expect to see following your procedure. Gastric bypass surgery doesn’t have an extensive physical recovery time, and can produce significant results in a short amount of time, especially when compared to the time required to lose weight through diet and exercise alone. Many patients who undergo gastric bypass experience a high rate of success.

Gastric bypass surgery helps patients lose significant weight and also helps them improve overall health. Many patients who have gastric bypass are able to reduce or eliminate medications for weight-related health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Your doctor will be able to tell you more specific information about the results you can expect to achieve with gastric bypass.

Gastric Bypass Recovery & Follow Up

Following surgery, it’s essential that you follow all postoperative instructions to ensure a speedy and healthy recovery. Your doctor will be able to go over all the necessary steps you need to take to remain healthy and ensure the procedure is a success. Immediately following your procedure, you’ll remain in the hospital for one or two days, under the care of medical staff. When you’re able to go home, it’s vital that you keep the advice of your doctor in mind and make sure you attend all follow-up appointments. Be sure to keep the following in mind as you return home:

Allow Yourself Time to Adjust: Be sure to take the time you need to adjust to your new lifestyle. Have patience with yourself, as it will take time to figure out how your new routine of healthy eating and exercise fits within your life.

No Heavy Lifting: You should not lift anything more than 15 pounds following your procedure. This requirement continues for two weeks, as straining to lift heavy objects could cause complications.

Returning to Work: We’ll work with you to determine when it is safe for you to return to work. Most people will be able to return to work in about one to three weeks following surgery, but it will depend on the type of work you do.

Expect Long-term Bariatric Care: It’s important to understand that you’ll have continued support from your bariatric team for the rest of your life. From Trusetd Source Checkbox Trusted Source Gastric bypass (Roux-en-Y) Mayo Clinic Go to Source vitamin and mineral supplement recommendations to ensure adequate levels of vitamin B-12, calcium, folate, and iron, to nutritional consultation with dietitians, as well as lifestyle support to help you navigate life after bariatric surgery to maintain long term weight loss.

Why Choose Us For Weight Loss Surgery?

Garden State Bariatrics is the team to choose to perform your gastric bypass surgery. We have been performing these procedures since 2003 and have a team of talented surgeons to help you reach your health and weight loss goals. If you would like to learn more about gastric bypass surgery and discuss your options for bariatric procedures, we encourage you to reach out to our team. Please contact us today to schedule a consultation where we can tell you about your options and answer any questions.

Patient Stories

1 ASMBS. Bariatric Surgery Procedures. Available: https://asmbs.org/patients/bariatric-surgery-procedures. Accessed August 16, 2021.
2 UCLA Health. Gastric Bypass Surgery. Available: http://surgery.ucla.edu/bariatrics-gastric-bypass. Accessed August 16, 2021.
3 Johns Hopkins Medicine. Risks of Gastric Bypass Surgery: Anastomotic Leaking. Available: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/risks-of-gastric-bypass-surgery-anastomotic-leaking. Accessed August 16, 2021.
4 Johns Hopkins Medicine. Risks of Gastric Bypass Surgery: Anastomotic Leaking. Available: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/risks-of-gastric-bypass-surgery-anastomotic-leaking. Accessed August 16, 2021.
5 ASMBS. Bariatric Surgery Procedures. Available: https://asmbs.org/patients/bariatric-surgery-procedures. Accessed August 16, 2021.
6 Columbia Surgery. Gastric Bypass Surgery. Available: https://columbiasurgery.org/conditions-and-treatments/gastric-bypass-surgery. Accessed Auguest 16, 2021.
7 JAMA. Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Available: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/199587. Accessed August 17, 2021.
8 Mayo Clinic. Gastric bypass (Roux-en-Y). Available: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/gastric-bypass-surgery/about/pac-20385189. Accessed August 16, 2021.

The Doctors at Garden State Bariatrics have either authored or reviewed and approved this content. Page Updated:

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