Frequently asked questions
Why would a person choose the surgery over traditional weight
loss methods?
Will I ever be able to eat like a normal person again?
I heard that gastric banding is as good as gastric bypass
- is this true?
What is staple line breakdown and is it true that gastric
restrictive surgery does not work then?
What happens to the part of the stomach that is bypassed?
Will I have a lot of tubes?
Will my skin shrink? Will exercise help?
Will I lose my hair?
My friend had surgery in 1974 and regained all of her weight
- why?
I know someone who's stomach stretched several years after
surgery, they regained all their weight - why?
Why would a person choose the surgery over traditional weight loss methods?
Many morbidly obese people may be in a life-threatening situation. They have
tried a variety of diets, with little or no success. Even when they experience
weight loss, the weight is often regained. Gastric restrictive surgery is considered
a permanent procedure, and therefore, has good long-range results when patients
comply with the nutrional and exercise guidelines.
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Will I ever be able to eat like a normal person again?
For your gastric restrictive surgery to be successful over the long term, you
will need to continue to go along with the restrictions imposed by your gastric
bypass procedure. You will always need to be food conscious. In other words,
dieting in some aspect will be necessary for the rest of your life.
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I heard that gastric banding is as good an operation as gastric bypass -
is this true?
Gastric banding in some respects is a simpler operation and can have different
side effects. For some individuals, the adjustable gastric LapBand® may
work as well as gastric bypass depending on the person's eating patterns and
food selection. A careful review of your dieting history will be very important
in the decision-making process.
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What is staple line breakdown - and is it true that gastric restrictive surgery
does not work then?
Staple line breakdown tended to be a problem in operations that were carried
out prior to 1987. Breakdown occurred where the new small gastric pouch was
not physically separated from the lower bypassed portion of the stomach. Staple
line disruption in this situtation re-established the continuity between the
two parts of the stomach resulting in weight gain. The Roux-en Y Gastric Bypass
involves complete separation of the new small gastric pouch and the distal stomach,
tending to make it unlikely for spontaneous re-connection.
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What happens to the part of the stomach that is bypassed?
The distal stomach tends to shrink slightly but continues to function as a normal
stomach, producing acid and digestive juices. The only difference is that it
does not receive food.
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Will I have a lot of tubes?
An oral-gastric tube is inserted during surgery to check for leakage. It is
removed in the operating room. Intravenous feeding tubes (IV) are
left in for one to
two days. Bladder catheters are generally not required.
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Will my skin shrink? Will exercise help?
The skin tends to shrink after continuous and sustained weight loss. This occurs
more readily in younger individuals and individuals who do not smoke. Exercise
does help to some degree, but time is the most important factor. Plastic surgery
is seldom requested and should not be considered for at least two years after
surgery. You can help support the skin during rapid weight loss with spandex.
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Will I lose my hair?
Some individuals will experience hair thinning that is associated with sustained
weight reduction, and it is a result of the body going through a starvation
phase. Other side effects during the time are dryness of the skin, lightheadedness
when changing positions and brittleness of the nails. In the vast majority of
the cases, these side effects are reversed after one year's time or after the
weight loss has plateaued for a period of time.
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My friend had surgery in 1974 and regained all of her weight - why?
Intestinal bypass operations and gastric weight reduction surgeries done in
the 60's and 70's were still in the formative stages. These procedures tended
not to be as successful over the long term as procedures currently being used.
Other factors associated with weight gain may also be: breakdown of the staples,
stomach stretching, resuming old eating patterns (such as multiple small meals,
snacking, poor food selections) drinking liquids when eating and lack of exercise.
These factors will defeat the weight reduction qualities of restrictive operations.
Careful reevaluation and medical work-ups can usually detect the reasons behind
the weight gain.
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I know someone who's stomach stretched several years after surgery, they
regained all their weight - why?
Older operations for gastric restriction tended to leave too large of a pouch
which did in fact stretch to near normal size. Modern surgical techniques reduce
this possibility.
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