LAPRASCOPIC GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY

I first heard about Laproscopic Gastric Bypass surgery when Carnie Wilson from the pop group “Wilson Phillips” had it done. I thought that open was the only way the surgery could be done. I was able to see her lose 150 pounds and talk openly about her struggle with weight loss and obesity. She even had her surgery on the Internet for the world to see. I first heard of Gastric Bypass surgery 6 years ago through TV and Richard Simmons. They mostly performed this surgery on people who were over 500-600 pounds.

The Gastric Bypass, Roux en-Y is considered the "gold standard" of modern obesity surgery - the benchmark to which other operations are compared, for evaluation of their quality and effectiveness. This operation achieves its effects by creating a very small stomach pouch (thumb-sized, actually), from which the rest of the stomach is permanently divided and separated. The small intestine is cut about 18 inches below the stomach, and is re-arranged so as to provide an outlet to the small stomach, while maintaining the flow of digestive juices at the same time. The lower part of the stomach is bypassed, and food enters the second part of the small bowel within about 10 minutes of beginning the meal.

There is very little interference with normal absorption of food - the operation works by reducing food intake, and reducing the feeling of hunger. The result is a very early sense of fullness, followed by a very profound sense of satisfaction. Even though the portion size may be small, there is no hunger, and no feeling of having been deprived: when truly satisfied, you feel indifferent to even the choicest of foods. Patients continue to enjoy eating - but they enjoy eating a lot less. The Gastric Bypass provides an excellent tool for gaining long-term control of weight, without the hunger or craving usually associated with small portions, or with dieting. Weight loss of 80 - 100% of excess body weight is achievable for most patients, and long-term maintenance of weight loss is very successful - but does require adherence to a simple and straight forward behavioral regimen.

Laproscopic surgery first became available around 1990, when small, light-weight, high-resolution video cameras were developed, allowing surgeons to "see" into the abdomen using a pencil-thin optical telescope, and to project the picture from the video camera on a TV monitor at the head of the operating table. The surgeon must develop skills in operating by this new method, without being able to feel tissue directly, and by learning to determine where instruments are by seeing them on TV. The benefits of the Laproscopic approach come from the very small incisions, which are necessary, which cause much less pain, and very little scarring. Patients are able to get up and walk within hours after surgery, can breath easier, and move without discomfort. Bowel activity usually is not affected, as it is with an open incision. Most persons find they can return to normal activities within 10 – 12 days, or even sooner. The risks of surgery performed laparoscopically are comparable to those the standard operation – when done by an experienced and skilled Laproscopic surgeon. Some bariatric surgeons have been unable to master the techniques of advanced Laproscopic surgery, and therefore do not offer this method – or may even try to claim that it is less effective – which is certainly not true.