Mini Gastric Bypass Surgery: Revolutionizing Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery has been in practice for a very long time now and proven to be very effective in treating quite a several chronic diseases related to weight gain. Because bariatric surgeries are less invasive procedures and therefore are very demanding and popular. But, despite all the technological and medical advancements, gastric bypass surgery was one of those surgeries that didn’t change much and needed hours to be performed.

So, Bariatric surgery was revolutionized and designed to do gastric bypass surgery, which is also known as the mini gastric bypass surgery. There are many advantages of mini gastric bypass surgery over the traditional bypass surgery. In this article, we will discuss in-depth about this revolutionized bariatric surgery.

Benefits of revolutionized bariatric surgery 

• Less time-consuming in comparison to the traditional gastric bypass surgery
• Fewer risks of complications
• Less invasive
• Reduces stomach size, thus reducing the amount of food one can eat, which directly works on the weight of the person
• Reduces the requirement of further surgeries or re-surgeries
• Patients lose weight to almost 80% and get rid of obesity-related health issues like Type II diabetes, hypertension, etc.
• It also reduces the issues related to intestinal obstruction and internal herniation during the surgery.
• Easier for the surgeon to perform as compared to the traditional gastric bypass surgery

Recommended reading: Healthy Eating Habits

How is Gastric Bypass Surgery Performed?

A new stomach is formed, and the original stomach is divided with a laparoscopic stapler where stomach (most of) is disconnected from the oesophagus and doesn’t receive food anymore. The new stomach is much smaller in size than compared to the original one and looks like a tube.

Almost 2-7 feet of the intestine is bypassed using the surgery, and the remaining intestines are attached to the new stomach. So the food now goes into the new smaller stomach and then bypasses between 2-7 feel of the intestine where the normal digestion takes place. This reduces the amount of food taken by a person, which controls the calorie intake and gradually regulates body weight.

Recommended reading: Lesser The Better

What to do after the Gastric Bypass Surgery?

The recovery after any surgery is the most crucial and important part, and the same applies to Gastric Bypass surgery. Here are few points that one should always keep in mind once the surgery is over.

• Short walks once the recovery starts, but not soon after the surgery. Right after the surgery, the doctor will advise rest, and will also advise you to get on your feet and walk small distances. This might pain a little in the beginning, but eventually, you will be able to overcome it as your body will start to adapt to the new changes.
• Even though the surgery doesn’t restrict you from eating any specific food or items, you need to maintain the post-surgery diet very strictly. The post-surgery diet is prescribed for a reason and has a significant role to play in the recovery. So don’t think of cheating on what you eat and stick to your prescribed diet only until your doctor gives you further instructions.

Recommended reading: Keto Diet

Who is eligible for gastric bypass surgery?

• Anyone who has a BMI of 35 more and has serious health problems related to obesity such as type II diabetes, hypertension, etc.
• Anyone with a BMI of more than 40
• Anyone who is suffering from health conditions that can’t be treated with the excess weight and requires control on it

Pre-requisites for gastric bypass surgery

• Nutrition and weight history: Your day-to-day activity, exercise, routine, etc.
• Medical history and medical condition: Free of health condition that might risk one’s health due to or after the surgery
• Mental health condition: One needs to be free of any mental health condition like major bipolar disorder or depression. Although it doesn’t prevent one from undergoing surgery, it might be postponed by the doctor.
• Motivation: Needs to be motivated enough not just to undergo the surgical procedure, but also to keep up with the post-surgery requirements
• Age: Although the study suggests that the surgery is effective for adults who are aged 60 or more, it can be performed o teenagers with a BMI of more than 35 who has obesity-related severe health issues

Surgery of any kind is indeed a significant decision to be made, and therefore, one should take the required precautions to avoid any type of complexity after the surgery. Also, the person should do comprehensive research and seek expert guidance on what to expect after the gastric bypass surgery.