Gastric Bypass Surgery

In a normal person, the foods that you eat pass through the stomach and into the small intestines where it is then digested and absorbed into the body. However in a gastric bypass patient this food passes through the small stomach pouch very slowly and then into the newly reshaped small intestines in which even less of the food is actually absorbed. The surgeon can actually control how much is digested based on the point in which he or she will cut the small intestines to make the “Y” shaped bypass.

There are a number of potentially hazardous risks associated with the gastric bypass procedure as well as many complications as it is a major surgery. It is done by a specialized surgeon who works in a bariatric clinic and it includes a 4 to 7 day stay in the hospital after the surgery is completed. This hospital stay is mainly for observation and once the patient is capable of taking care of their selves they are generally released.

After the surgery has been accomplished the person who has just undergone the gastric bypass surgery will be fed through an intravenous drip until he or she can safely drink a meal. These first meals are nothing more than protein shakes as protein will become an important part of your diet as it is the most needed nutrient for basic bodily functions. It may take you a week or more before you can eat something that has not been blended and most patients will never leave the pureed diet.

You will also need to add an exercise routine to your daily activities since the rapid weight loss will not only come from fat cells but muscle mass as well. Exercising when accompanied with the ingestion of protein helps repair the body from years of excessive fat storages.