Central Baptist Hospital Weight Loss Surgery Center
Kentucky Gastric Bypass Option - Roux-en-Y
According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the National Institutes of Health, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery is the current gold standard procedure for weight loss surgery. This surgery is a combination procedure with two mechanisms for achieving significant weight loss. First, the surgeon creates a small stomach or pouch, about the size of an egg. This limits the amount of food you can eat. Second, the surgeon will bypass the remnant stomach (remaining stomach) by connecting a section of small intestine to the pouch, causing malabsorption. The segment of intestine attached to the pouch is free of acid and enzymes required for digestion and absorption to take place. Together these two surgical alterations restrict the amount of food intake and the amount of calories and nutrients absorbed. The result is an early sense of fullness and satisfaction, a reduced desire for food, and rapid weight loss.
Dr. Weiss and Dr. Oldham, Jr. perform only minimally invasive Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, also known as laparoscopic surgery. Laparoscopic surgery reduces the length of hospital stay and greatly reduces the incidence of many complications. All surgery carries risk, and complications can occur. We will discuss all surgical risks and the risks unique to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass with you in your pre-op education classes.
- Hospital stay: When you leave the recovery room after surgery, you will go to the intensive care unit on 3rd floor, called 3 North ICU. Usually patients remain in ICU overnight and transferred to a private room on the telemetry unit around the corner, or 3 North. The staff of 3 ICU North and 3N are specially trained to care for the needs of weight loss surgery patients.
- Back to work: Most of our bypass patients schedule two-three weeks off work for surgery and recovery. You will have your first follow-up appointment one week after surgery, and should not return to work before that appointment. Your return to work is determined by your own needs, your health status, and how you’ve done following surgery. You and your surgeon will be discussing this prior to surgery, and at your follow-up appointment.
- Diet and nutrition: You will be on a liquid diet for a short period of time before and a longer period of time after surgery. We will provide you with specific pre- and post-op nutritional guidelines during your nutrition consults and your pre-op classes. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass patients should expect lifelong vitamin supplementation and a high-protein-lower carbohydrate diet.
- Medications: Stop taking hormones, herbals, birth control medications 30 days prior to surgery. You must wait 30 days after surgery to resume these medications. You will be required to stop taking blood thinning medications like Plavix and anti-inflammatory medications including but not limited to Motrin, Advil, Aleve, Celebrex, Ibuprofen, steroid pills, shots, and creams one week (7 days) prior to surgery. You will not resume these medications after surgery. All steroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like those prescribed for arthritis, greatly increase the risk of post-op complications; specifically, pouch ulceration. Additionally, if any of your pills are larger than a plain M&M, ask your pharmacist if they may be crushed or cut into smaller pieces. Please start taking a multi-vitamin now if you are considering surgery. Medications will be discussed in greater detail in your pre-op education classes.
- Dumping Syndrome: Approximately 1 in 6 Roux-en-Y gastric bypass patients suffer from dumping syndrome following a high carbohydrate meal. This will be discussed with you during your pre-op class.
Gastric Bypass Surgery is a tool! Yes you can lose as much as 70% of your excess body weight within one year of surgery but, you will need to maintain healthy eating habits, vitamin supplementation, and exercise regularly to sustain those results.
To learn more about your Kentucky gastric bypass options, please attend a free seminar at our Lexington, KY location today!