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[L42]Laproscopic Gastric Bypass Surgery

by Amy Nutt, Amy

There are two different types of weight loss surgery. Those surgeries are Lap Band surgery and gastric bypass surgery. These are two of the most exciting medical advancements when it comes to the treatment of obesity and both are rather safe procedures. However, for those wishing to undergo weight loss surgery, it is important to know the differences between both the Lap Band surgery and gastric bypass surgery.

Gastric bypass

In gastric bypass, doctors staple the stomach to form the pouch that Lap Band uses a ring to do. The doctors then take a section of the intestines and attach them to the pouch, which means the remainder of the intestines and the stomach are being bypassed. In all actuality, the stomach and intestines are no longer part of the digestive tract. What results, just as in Lap Band, is a stomach that can only hold a small portion of food. This allows the patient to feel full quicker and also results in the absorption of fewer calories.

Lap Band

Lap Band involves an inflatable ring being placed around the top of the stomach, which makes it adjustable. What the ring does is reduce the patient's appetite and initiates the weight loss process by closing off part of the stomach and making a small pouch that can only hold about 30 ml of food. This results in the patient eating less because that is all their stomach can hold.

This procedure is minimally invasive because it is done laparoscopically. That means there is no stapling and no cutting involved and the intestinal tract is not compromised as it is in gastric bypass. The feeling of fullness that is achieved with the lap band is similar to that of gastric bypass, but it is the small inflatable ring that is responsible rather than stapling of the stomach.

However, the Lap Band actually slows the digestion process, especially when the band is adjusted through the injection of a liquid solution such as saline that is injected into a port that is placed under the skin subcutaneously. The patient knows what is comfortable to them and it may take several adjustments before the patient is comfortable with the adjustment of their Lap Band.

More key differences

There are other differences between the two aside from how the procedures are done. Recovery times are different. Gastric bypass patients are able to return home in 2 to 3 days after having the surgery. However, Lap Band patients can usually go home the same day the procedure was performed. It will take gastric bypass patients 2 to 3 weeks to return to normal activities, whereas, Lap Band patients can complete recovery in 1 to 2 weeks. Even the weight loss is experienced differently. Those who have gastric bypass experience weight loss rapidly at first, but there is no way to be sure that the weight will stay off in the long-term like with the Lap Band. The Lap Band can be adjusted to ensure the stomach only holds so much food and it also has a lesser likelihood that nutritional deficiencies will result because there is no re-routing of the intestinal tract.

The weight loss from Lap band is gradual and it is a healthy weight loss, which is effective in preventing malnutrition. The average weight loss is around 1 to 2 pounds per week, but the gastric bypass patient will lose weight a bit faster. In this case, they do need to stay up on taking supplements and meet other various dietary requirements in order to avoid malnutrition.

There is also a side effect of gastric bypass called dumping syndrome, which is when the undigested food moves into the small intestine too quickly. This can result in cramps, diarrhea, a rapid heartbeat, and a cold sweat. However, when these things occur, there is nothing that can be done in regards to reversing the surgery. The is reversible in it can be removed and the stomach returns to its natural state.

Today obesity is arguably the leading health problem in the Western world and in the US alone approximately 60 percent of the population is overweight, with nearly 24 percent being obese and 3 percent severely obese. Now 3 percent may not appear to be large figure but when you consider that it represents in excess of 9 million morbidly obese people this is a pretty big problem.

Despite the fact that more and more attention is being turned towards the problem of obesity and its cure, it is surprising just how much we are still learning about the condition, including the affects of alcohol on individuals who have undergone gastric bypass surgery.

For a time now there has been a fair amount of anecdotal evidence to suggest that individuals who have undergone weight loss surgery are more susceptible to the affects of alcohol but it was not until the end of last year that any real attempt was made to assess the extent or otherwise of the problem.

In a fairly small-scale study the affects of alcohol on 19 individuals who had weight loss surgery was compared to the affects on 17 control subjects. The people in the study were each given a 5 ounce glass of red wine and their breath alcohol was then measured at 5 minute intervals until it had fallen back to zero.

The study showed that alcohol levels reached a higher level in the weight loss patients and also took much longer to fall back to zero. However, most interestingly, the study also showed that just }a single|one} small glass of wine was sufficient to put the breath alcohol level in a number of weight loss surgery patients over the legal alcohol level for driving in several US states.

The explanation for the added affects of alcohol on weight loss surgery patients is quite simple to understand because surgery both reduces the size of the stomach and bypasses part of the intestine, both areas of the body that are responsible for breaking down alcohol before it finds its way into the bloodstream.

So exactly what does this mean for weight loss surgery patients?

Well, apart from the clear need to exercise caution and most definitely to avoid driving after drinking even small quantities of alcohol, the implications for weight loss surgery patients do in fact go a little deeper.

A particular problem is that alcohol acts as a relaxant and this can lead to problems with post-surgical weight loss and to maintaining weight loss. As alcohol relaxes the stomach, which includes the lower esophageal sphincter, together with the intestine, patients who enjoy alcohol can eat more and the presence of alcohol effectively counteracts the affects of surgery. As if this were not bad enough many individuals become more socially active following surgery and this frequently means an increasing consumption of alcohol.

There will still need to be a great deal more research carried out but, in the end, the fact is that individuals who have gastric bypass surgery need to be aware of the possible risks of alcohol and act accordingly.

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Both Amy Nutt & Don Saunders are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Amy Nutt has sinced written about articles on various topics from Culture and Society, Recreation and Sports and Women. The adjustable is the ideal tool to help fight obesity. Lap band is the only reversible. Amy Nutt's top article generates over 368000 views. to your Favourites.

Don Saunders has sinced written about articles on various topics from Types of Cancer, Sleep Apnea and K 15. GastricBypassFacts.info has a wealth of information on including before and after. Don Saunders's top article generates over 8100 views. to your Favourites.