Laparoscopic gastric bypass (LGB) surgery involves stapling the stomach
to create a small pouch. The pouch is about the size of an egg. Your surgeon
then re-connects your intestine to the new pouch. Food can now “bypass”
the larger part of the stomach and most of the small intestine.
With a smaller stomach, you feel full sooner and eat less. The bypass surgery
also limits the small intestine from absorbing calories. Compared to the
sleeve, gastric bypass often results in more weight loss—about 60–80%
of extra body weight. It’s also better for treating reflux, heartburn,
and Type 2 diabetes. For this reason, gastric bypass can be a great option
for patients with obesity-related conditions.
Most people who get gastric bypass go home the day after the surgery. They
return to normal activities within two or three weeks.
A few of the most common risks of gastric bypass surgery include:
Dumping syndrome: About 20% of patients get dumping syndrome. It comes with fatigue, stomach
pain, a racing heart, sweating, and diarrhea. Symptoms usually appear
after high-calorie meals. You can manage dumping syndrome with diet changes
or sometimes medicine.
Intestinal blockage: There’s a less than 1% lifetime risk of your intestine getting
blocked. Blockage requires emergency surgery.
Malnutrition: Gastric bypass increases your lifetime risk of not getting the nutrients
you need. Most people have to take vitamins.
Ulcers: There’s a 5–10% chance of getting an ulcer between the stomach
and small intestine. Ulcers require medicine and possible surgery. The
risk of ulcers is mainly linked to smoking, drinking alcohol, and using
medicines such as steroids and NSAIDs (for example, ibuprofen, Advil,
and aspirin).
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