Gastric Bypass

Gastric Bypass Q & A

What is gastric bypass?

Gastric bypass is a type of weight loss surgery that changes how your stomach and small intestine process food.

Dr. Patching customizes a surgical plan to make your stomach smaller. 

He divides your stomach into a smaller section or "pouch." The pouch is the size of a walnut and becomes the new location for food to go to after you eat.

The pouch can only hold several ounces of food, so you can only eat small amounts. By decreasing the size of your stomach, your physician can help you lose weight quickly and safely.  And the small size decreases your appetite, so you do not want to eat more.

During gastric bypass surgery, your provider also connects a part of your small intestine to a small hole in the newly formed pouch. 

As you eat, food travels from the pouch and through the new opening before going into your small intestine. This process causes your body to absorb fewer calories when you eat, which supports successful weight loss.

Am I a candidate for gastric bypass?

You may be a candidate for gastric bypass if you’re suffering from morbid obesity and can’t lose weight through dietary changes and routine exercises.

The team can determine if gastric bypass is right for you based on your overall health. If your BMI is 40 or greater, you qualify and do not need another diagnosis to make you a candidate for bariatric surgery.  You may still qualify for surgery if your body mass index (BMI) is 35-40 and if you have obesity-related conditions like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or sleep apnea and your expectations for post-surgical results are reasonable.  Because of recent changes in the accepted BMI for weight loss surgery, if you are diabetic you can qualify for surgery with a BMI of 30 or greater.  (there are many apps available for your phone that allow you to calculate your BMI easily, by just entering your height and weight).

For gastric bypass surgery to be successful, you will need to change what you eat and how much you eat. Following surgery, you can expect to make other lifestyle changes to help you maintain your weight loss results in the long term and prevent post-surgical complications.

How long does it take to recover from gastric bypass?

Because a gastric bypass requires surgery under general anesthesia, you can expect to stay in the hospital for 1-2 days after surgery.  85% of our patients go home after one night in the hospital.

Dr. Patching and the team will recommend that you move around as soon as you can after surgery.  You will be restarted on a liquid diet a few hours after surgery.  Our patients typically experience minimal post-op pain because of our unique approach to minimizing your discomfort:  we use a 4-prong program to minimize post-op pain before it happens, using laparoscopy/robotics/preop nerve blocks and ERAS (see section Our Approach).  With this formula, most our patients are managed with just Tylenol, with additional narcotics being used only as needed.  Because we use tiny 1/4" incisions, you will be self-sufficient at home within a few days.  You will be able to drive within a week as long as you are not taking narcotics.

 You will be progressed to a soft diet within a week of surgery, and then on to a regular diet.  The team can help you address any post-surgical pain to keep you comfortable and recommend when it’s safe for you to return to your usual activities based on your recovery progress.

Patients will lose weight at different rates, but our average gastric bypass patient loses about 80% of their excess weight within a year of their surgery.  Dr. Patching can help you make changes to your diet and exercise plan to help you reach your ideal weight loss goals.

To find out if you’re a candidate for gastric bypass surgery, call the practice or request an appointment online today.