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Is Gastric Bypass Surgery?
What Is Gastric Bypass Surgery?
You will read about many options in weight loss surgery. The most
popular, because it has the longest track record and has been proven
very effective for losing and keeping weight off, is the Roux
en Y gastric bypass surgery. Dr. Procter learned to do this gastric
bypass surgery in the 1970’s when he trained with Dr. Ward O.
Griffen, who modified the loop gastric bypass to the Roux en Y gastric
bypass. There were very few centers treating morbid obesity with surgery
at that time, and patients came from all over the country to have
their operation at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. We did
three to five gastric bypass operations every day. Although the gastric
bypass operation has been altered by making the stomach pouch smaller,
the principles are still the same. The football-sized stomach is divided
to form a golf ball-sized stomach, completely separating the stomach
in most cases.
A limb of bowel is then attached to the small pouch. This limb of
bowel is the reason this operation is more successful than other “stomach stapling” procedures. If
a patient eats carbohydrates after the gastric bypass, the passage
of the “carbs” into the small intestine causes an immediate
outpouring of fluid into the bowel and an immediate release of insulin
into the blood stream. This results in a feeling of nausea, cramping
and diarrhea. This is called “dumping syndrome” and keeps
patients from eating the wrong foods. In comparison to the duodenal
switch operation, there is no attempt to make the body malabsorb nutrients,
which can lead to problems with protein malnutrition as well as electrolyte
abnormalities. Rather, it works by making the patient full after a
few bites of food, and by making them satisfied with that amount of
food without feeling hungry.
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