What are the different types of surgical weight loss procedures?
I'll talk about the five most common. Now, again, keep in mind I
am not a doctor. I will only give you the laymen's version, as I
understand them. There a re a trillion websites out there that
will give a more "medically sound" version of these surgeries.
The five I will talk about are as follows:
1. The Roux-en Y gastric bypass
This is the procedure that I had, so I know quite a bit more
about it so I will talk a little more in length about this
procedure.
The Roux-en Y gastric bypass is a restrictive operation where a
small pouch is made at the upper portion of the stomach, which
can hold only 1-2 tablespoons in volume. This procedure helps
you lose weight three ways:
A) You will eat less. You just won't be able to eat a lot. If
you eat too much, it will come back up. The food has no choice.
If you can't eat a lot, you will lose weight. Period.
B) Your appetite will actually begin to change. After the
procedure, most patients find that their body will not easily
tolerate foods that are high in refined sugars and fats. This is
called "Dumping Syndrome." Dumping Syndrome is a common side
effect after gastric bypass and occurs when the contents of the
stomach empties rapidly into the small intestine, especially if
you eat concentrated sweets or carbohydrates. The feeling you
will experience may be a combination of profuse sweating,
nausea, dizziness and weakness. "Dumping" is actually a desired
side effect of the surgery to discourage you from eating sweets.
C) You actually absorb fewer calories. Keep in mind that your
body's plumbing is re-worked. After a Roux-en Y, food bypasses
part of your small intestine and digestion occurs in the lower
part of the small intestine. These two factors reduce the amount
of calories your body absorbs from the food you eat.
2. The biliopancreatic diversion.
The procedure is a combination restrictive-malabsorptive
procedure as well, except that the main mechanism of weight loss
and maintenance is malabsoprtion, with restriction playing a
much lesser role.
3. The vertical banded gastroplasty
The vertical banded gastroplasty creates a small stomach within
the regular stomach. The operation causes weight loss by forcing
you to eat small meals.
Relief from hunger is accomplished with tiny amounts of food -
and overeating results in vomiting.
A vertically oriented staple line is placed high on the right
side of the stomach. The outlet is carefully measured and its
size precisely controlled. A mesh band is placed around the
outlet of the pouch to keep the pouch outlet from stretching.
Aside from the creation of the small pouch there is no
significant change in the gastrointestinal tract.
4. The laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LapBand)
The LAP-BAND is designed to induce weight loss by restricting
food consumption, and is a variation of the Vertical Banded
Gastroplasty.
I am a big fan of this procedure. I think one day this will be
standard in surgical weight loss procedures.
The laparoscopic adjustable gastric band, or the LapBand, is a
restrictive operation where a silicone band is wrapped around
the upper part of the stomach to create a small stomach pouch.
This means that you will feel full with only a small amount of
food and your intake is restricted. Food passes through the
outlet from the upper stomach pouch to the lower part more
slowly, resulting in you feeling full longer. This narrowing can
be adjusted as needed in a simple outpatient procedure. This is
a key point to understand. The fact that it can be adjusted
means you will regain less weight, if any for the rest of your
life. Whenever you start to regain weight, your doctor can
simply decrease the size of your makeshift pouch causing you to
eat less food.
5. The Mini-Gastric Bypass (MGB)
Dr. Robert Rutledge--director of The Centers for Excellence in
Laparoscopic Obesity Surgery, and a frequent guest on Lighten Up
America is a talented surgeon who pioneered mini-gastric bypass
surgery. He describes MGB as a minimally invasive procedure that
partitions the stomach into a long, narrow tube and a separate
larger piece.
The smaller stomach is attached about 6 feet down in the small
intestine. The larger stomach is sealed and left unattached. The
smaller stomach decreases the amount the patient can eat and the
bypass of a portion of the small intestine decreases the
absorption of fat and calories. In the more than 2,500 patients
who have already undergone the procedure, this combination of
smaller volume and decreased absorption has resulted in an
average weight loss of 140 pounds in one year in a 300-pound
patient. Go to Dr. Rutledge's website at http://www.clos.net for
more info on the MGB.