Roux Loop

Some people have gastric bypass surgery and shed 100 pounds or more. What is the surgery for you?

To answer this question, you must first know what the gastric bypass and how it helps you lose weight.

A gastric bypass surgery also known as Roux-en-Y surgery is a medical technique that reduces the size of your stomach making you feel full when you eat a small portion. What your surgeon will essentially do is divide the stomach into two sections - a little higher and a much larger remnant using surgical staples (which explains why this procedure is also known as stomach stapling). The small pocket on top is one that will hold your food. Your surgeon will also rearrange your small intestine so that stomach pouches remain connected to the intestine.

Reducing the volume of functional stomach reduces your food intake. Not only that, the redevelopment of the small intestine causes food to bypass the first part of the small intestine resulting in reduced caloric intake. These two factors help you lose weight.

But is gastric bypass surgery for everyone who needs to lose weight?

It's a personal choice or your doctor may prescribe. Generally, it is considered that those who tried hard but failed to achieve weight loss through exercise and diet.

Obesity, which is a complex disease, leads to other diseases. Morbid obesity increases or accumulation of too much body fat a person's risk of developing health problems or other co-morbidities such as heart disease, diabetes, etc.

But how much fat is too fat?

It is calculated by your body mass index or BMI is a measure of your weight relative to your height. In simple terms, it tells you how you should normally weigh for your height and if you exceed that normal weight, you are medically considered overweight. Reducing the weight and, therefore, your BMI, helps you control the risk of developing obesity related health problems. (Use the BMI calculator to calculate your BMI.)

Like any other surgery there are risks associated with surgery and gastric bypass. Some of the risks include gastritis (which is an inflammation of the lining of the stomach), the development of gallstones (caused by loss of weight in a short time), nausea, vomiting, bleeding, infections and nutritional deficiencies (which can be avoided through nutritional supplements). Thus, when deciding to undergo surgery, you should weigh carefully the risks associated with them and the problems it can solve for you.

Variations of gastric bypass surgery are gastric bypass, Roux-en-Y proximal gastric bypass, Roux-en-Y distal bypass and loop gastric bypass or mini-gastric tube. gastric bypass bariatric surgery is not only available for treating morbid obesity. Some people also consider gastric LAP-BAND option.

The cost may be an important factor to decide when considering surgery. Depending on your specific medical conditions and terms of insurance, your health insurance may or may not cover costs.

The high cost of health care has led some Americans to seek treatment in countries like India, Thailand, Singapore, Mexico and Turkey. This practice of going abroad, which is termed as medical tourism or medical travel or health tourism is a way to get low cost high quality medical care. But before you decide to outsource your health care, it is extremely important that you do your job properly - Research ACS.