In Ocean Springs, Mississippi – Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass
At South Mississippi Surgical Weight Loss, we employ two different bariatric surgery techniques. We believe that these two options represent the best of what is available in the field. Of the two methods practiced at our Ocean Springs, Mississippi practice, the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the most invasive, but also the most effective. It is not for everyone, being primarily reserved for those who are severely obese. We can help anyone who thinks that he or she may be a candidate for the surgery learn about its effects and evaluate the risks involved.
What is Roux-en-Y surgery?
A Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery involves rerouting the digestive tract to change the way the body holds and processes food. First, surgical staples are used to isolate a small section of the upper stomach, a step that will restrict the amount of food that can be consumed at one time. This small section is then connected to the middle section of the small intestine, known as the jejunum. The remainder of the stomach and the duodenum (the upper segment of the small intestine) are bypassed.
How does gastric bypass work?
At our Ocean Springs office in Mississippi, we offer Roux-en-Y gastric bypass because it has the best rate of success among the surgical weight loss methods currently in use. The effectiveness of this procedure can be attributed to the combination of effects that it has on the body. By both restricting the capacity of the stomach and shortening the route that food takes through the intestine, Roux-en-Y surgery results in rapid and significant weight loss.
Restriction
All surgical weight loss techniques involve restricting stomach capacity. Because human beings have a primal drive to eat when we feel hunger, it is very difficult to force ourselves to stop eating before our stomachs are full and satisfied. This is why most diet plans are unsuccessful. They require people to attempt to overcome a basic human instinct.
However, by significantly reducing the size of the functional stomach, surgical weight loss allows a person to feel full and satisfied after eating a very small amount of food. In fact, it effectively prevents a person from overeating, because that very small amount of food is all that the stomach will hold.
Malabsorption
In addition to restricting the stomach, gastric bypass surgery also reduces the amount of calories that can be absorbed into the body by reducing the amount of small intestine that is used by the digestive tract.
In the process of digestion, the job of the stomach is both to hold food as it is eaten and also to break it down into a useable form. Once the food has been processed in the stomach, it enters the small intestine, where the calories and nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass leaves the uppermost section of the small intestine out of the digestive tract, thereby shortening the absorption process. The body has less capacity to extract calories from the food as it is being digested, which prevents the absorption and storage of excess calories as fat.
Recovery
At South Mississippi Surgical Weight Loss, we perform bariatric surgery laparoscopically, which involves the use of a laparoscope – a long thin device with a minute camera on the end – and thin surgical instruments to perform surgery without creating large incisions. This technique results in reduced pain and quicker healing time for most patients. However, although the external incisions from laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery are small and usually heal quickly, it is still an invasive procedure and it will take time to recover fully. Patients will remain in the hospital for up to four days after surgery and must follow a strict dietary regimen during recovery.
Contact Our Office
Please contact our office located in Ocean Springs, Mississippi if you are considering Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. We can answer any questions you have and help you to determine whether this technique is the right solution for you.
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Contact our Ocean Springs, Mississippi office to learn more about Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.