Gastric Sleeve Surgery

This is the gold standard for the weight loss surgeries. Gastric bypass surgery makes the stomach smaller and allows food to bypass part of the small intestine. You will feel full more quickly than when your stomach was its original size, which will reduce the amount of food you eat and thus reduce the calories consumed.

Bypassing a part of the intestine also results in fewer calories being absorbed. This will lead to weight loss.

In normal digestion, food passes through the stomach and enters the small intestine where most of the nutrients and calories are absorbed. It then passes into the large intestine (colon) and the remaining waste is eventually excreted.

In a Roux-en-Y procedure, a small stomach pouch is created which reduces the amount of food you can eat. The smaller stomach is connected directly to the middle portion of the small intestine, bypassing the rest of the stomach and the upper portion of the small intestine.

Who can have this Procedure?

Although guidelines can vary, surgery is generally considered when body mass index is 40 or greater or BMI 35 or more with co morbidities like diabetes/ hypertension etc. Also, if you have a life-threatening or disabling condition related to your weight. Your doctor may only consider doing gastric bypass surgery if you have not been able to lose weight with other treatments. The following conditions may also be required or at least considered:

1. You have been obese despite dieting/ medical attempts
2. You do not have an ongoing problem with alcohol
3. You do not have an untreated depression or another major psychological condition
4. You are between 18 and 65 years old

How is the operation (Gastric Bypass Surgery Dubai ) performed?

This surgery is done laparoscopically or by open method. You will be admitted to the hospital the morning of your surgery and the expected length of stay is about 2 nights post surgery. The surgeon will make a series of tiny incisions in your upper abdomen, through which he/she will pass fine laparoscopic instruments and a camera. The expected length of surgery is between 2-3 hours. In some patients that are very obese, or who have had previous abdominal surgery, it is possible that they might not be a candidate for laparoscopic surgery but may need ‘open’ surgery instead. Recovery may take a little longer but weight loss will be just the same. Some discomfort and limited mobility is also to be expected but prescribed medication is available to control this. You can be assured of immediate care & attention.

What to expect Following surgery (Gastric Bypass Surgery Dubai)?

Patients will be on a clear liquid diet for the two weeks immediately following gastric bypass surgery, and then advance to a pureed diet means foods will be very soft, so as to pass through the small, newly formed pouch and stomach. One of the main issues during this period will be adequate fluid intake. Approximately 3-4 weeks after the gastric bypass surgery, the patients can expect to advance to a normal healthy diet. They will still be learning how to eat right, including chewing food carefully, learning to drink most of their liquids between rather than with meals, and learning that eating the wrong foods, such as sweets or fatty foods,is not good for them.

Patients experience the most rapid weight loss during this period. They are often thrilled to see the weight coming off, sometimes at the rate of 5-10 kgs a month. Few of them may experience hair loss, though the hair usually begins to grow back within a few months.

After the gastric bypass surgery, the patients will probably be on their long-term maintenance diet, which is more or less what and how they will eat for the rest of their lives. The maintenance diet for the most part consists of regular table foods, but in small portions. Most patients describe their meals as child sized, and they often do not finish what they are served. The patients generally become comfortable eating these small meals, and almost always say the loss of the ability to enjoy large meals or certain foods is more than compensated for by being able to successfully control their weight.

Patients may expect to lose approximately 60- 70% of their excess body weight during the first 1 years following surgery. Sometimes a weight regain of about 10% is seen between years 2 and 5, perhaps because the small pouch increases several ounces in size, and perhaps because the patients learn how to take in extra calories without making themselves sick.

Regular follow up is strongly advised . An effort is made in order to keep patients involved in support groups and in follow-up with their doctors to reinforce what they had been taught after surgery, and what had worked for them the first 2 years. Long term success with this operation requires a team effort of both the patients and their doctors.

Gastric Bypass Surgery patients intake is less food and they absorb less of what they take in, making them at risk for developing nutritional deficiencies. They must also make a life- long commitment to taking vitamin, mineral, and possibly protein supplements..