Getting Treatment at a Bariatric Surgery Center
Many morbidly obese patients consider treatment at a bariatric surgery center such as Barix Clinics ® as an option when they have exhausted their weight loss attempts. Morbid obesity causes health complications ranging from diabetes to heart disease and increased cancer risk. For patients who are unable to lose weight naturally, bariatric surgery is an option that can produce life-saving results.
About Gastric Bypass Surgery
Laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery is a permanent treatment for obesity that results in immediate weight loss and long-term healthy weight maintenance. Its benefits include food restriction, malabsorption and dumping syndrome, all of which contribute to keeping weight off in the long term. The surgery requires a highly experienced surgeon, which makes it important to use a bariatric surgery center that regularly performs these procedures.
How Gastric Bypass Works
The procedure involves bypassing the stomach with a small stomach pouch, which can hold tiny amounts of food. This pouch connects to the Roux limb, which receives digestive juices from the intact stomach. Since the pouch receives no digestive juices, the patient experiences a malabsorption effect with fewer absorbed calories until the food reaches the Roux limb for digestion.
The other benefit that results in long-term weight loss is dumping syndrome, which occurs when fatty foods move into the Roux limb and cause physical discomfort. This discourages patients from indulging in foods that cause weight gain, causing effective behavioral modification. It prevents relapse into previous eating habits, which ensures that patients will maintain a healthy weight long-term.
Since gastric bypass surgery is highly specialized, it is important to find a surgeon who performs gastric bypass on a regular basis and maintains a high skill level. The laparoscopic procedure results in faster recovery compared to the open surgery technique. The surgery usually requires several weeks of recovery, which a bariatric surgery center such as Barix Clinics ® will provide along with intensive aftercare and dietary instructions.