What Is Gastric Bypass Surgery?

Gastric bypass helps you lose weight by:

• Reducing the amount of food you can consume: You can expect to feel full after a small meal and stay full for several hours.
• Skipping over parts of the digestion process: By spending less time in the stomach and skipping the first part of the small intestine, you absorb fewer calories. When you burn more calories than you absorb, you lose weight.

During normal digestion, food collects in your stomach, where it takes several hours to break down. After leaving the stomach, food passes through three parts of the small intestine. Here it mixes with gastric juices to help you absorb vitamins, minerals and other nutrients to make energy for living.

After gastric bypass surgery, food collects briefly in a surgically made pouch that is a fraction of the size of a normal stomach. We reroute your intestines so food spends less time in your stomach and skips over parts of the small intestine. 

Is Gastric Bypass Right for Me?

We will talk with you one-on-one about every aspect of gastric bypass surgery. This information includes what happens during surgery and the healthy eating habits that will help you lose weight and avoid complications. 

Together, we will answer any questions you may have and help you decide whether gastric bypass is right for you. 

These conversations also include information about the risks and benefits of gastric bypass surgery. 

Advantages of gastric bypass surgery

There are many benefits to gastric bypass surgery, including:

• Good chances for significant weight loss: Most people who undergo gastric bypass surgery end up losing between 60 and 80 percent of their excess weight. 
• Feeling hungry less often: Bypass surgery removes the part of the stomach responsible for producing hunger hormones. As a result, you will have more control over your appetite and feel full longer. 
• A long history of success: Gastric bypass has been helping people lose weight for more than 40 years.

Risks and complications of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery

As with any medical procedure, gastric bypass carries some risks, including: 

• Losing your gallbladder: People who have gastric bypass surgery face a higher risk for gallbladder issues, including gallstones, due to complications of quickly losing a lot of weight. Gallstones are hardened bits of a fatty substance (cholesterol) that don’t break down during digestion. These bits can block the openings to nearby organs, especially the gallbladder, causing intense pain that can last for hours. If you experience repeated bouts of gallstones, removing the gallbladder can help you get lasting relief. 
• Dumping syndrome: This condition happens when food moves from your stomach pouch to your small intestine too quickly. Your body reacts by rapidly shifting fluid from your blood stream to the small intestine to help break down the food. This shift can make you feel faint and nauseous and usually results in severe diarrhea. 
• Stomach pouch stretching out over time: Your stomach pouch may stretch out even if you’re doing everything possible to maintain healthy eating habits. If the pouch stretches, you will likely start gaining weight. You may need additional bariatric treatments, such as Apollo OverStitch™ weight loss revision surgery, to restore your pouch to its original size. 

What Happens During Gastric Bypass Surgery?

Before surgery, we work with you one-on-one to make sure you are comfortable committing to permanent changes in your eating and exercise habits. These extra steps help you maintain steady weight loss so you can achieve your goals. 

If gastric bypass surgery is right for you, here’s the step-by-step procedure you can expect: 

1. We give you medicine to help you fall asleep and not feel any sensation during the procedure (general anesthesia). 
2. Our surgeon makes up to 5 small incisions in your abdomen. Through these incisions, we place a special camera and special instruments to carry out the surgery.
3. The camera sends real-time video to a monitor in the operating room. We use this video to see inside your stomach during surgery.
4. The first step is to create a smaller stomach in your abdomen that will take over the work of your original stomach. Your surgeon forms this “new” stomach by separating the top of your stomach from the lower part of your stomach.
5. We cut and reattach your intestines so that when you eat, food empties into the stomach pouch and skips part over the digestion process. 
6. We complete the surgery by removing the camera and instruments, and closing the incisions with stitches.
7. We help you learn which foods to eat and give you helpful tips to avoid stretching out the pouch. These tips may include things like not drinking liquids with your meals and avoiding snacks.

What to Expect After Gastric Bypass Surgery

Recovery from gastric bypass surgery takes time. For several weeks, you will be limited in both the types and quantities of food you can eat. You will start with an all-liquid diet, followed by puréed portions, then soft, easily digested items, and finally foods of normal consistency. Your physician may also recommend taking a vitamin and mineral supplement, to make good any shortfalls in nutrition during this period. 

You can expect to lose weight rapidly for up to six months following surgery. As your body adjusts to its new condition, you may experience:

What Is Gastric Bypass Surgery?

Gastric bypass helps you lose weight by:

• Reducing the amount of food you can consume: You can expect to feel full after a small meal and stay full for several hours.
• Skipping over parts of the digestion process: By spending less time in the stomach and skipping the first part of the small intestine, you absorb fewer calories. When you burn more calories than you absorb, you lose weight.

During normal digestion, food collects in your stomach, where it takes several hours to break down. After leaving the stomach, food passes through three parts of the small intestine. Here it mixes with gastric juices to help you absorb vitamins, minerals and other nutrients to make energy for living.

After gastric bypass surgery, food collects briefly in a surgically made pouch that is a fraction of the size of a normal stomach. We reroute your intestines so food spends less time in your stomach and skips over parts of the small intestine. 

Is Gastric Bypass Right for Me?

We will talk with you one-on-one about every aspect of gastric bypass surgery. This information includes what happens during surgery and the healthy eating habits that will help you lose weight and avoid complications. 

Together, we will answer any questions you may have and help you decide whether gastric bypass is right for you. 

These conversations also include information about the risks and benefits of gastric bypass surgery. 

Advantages of gastric bypass surgery

There are many benefits to gastric bypass surgery, including:

• Good chances for significant weight loss: Most people who undergo gastric bypass surgery end up losing between 60 and 80 percent of their excess weight. 
• Feeling hungry less often: Bypass surgery removes the part of the stomach responsible for producing hunger hormones. As a result, you will have more control over your appetite and feel full longer. 
• A long history of success: Gastric bypass has been helping people lose weight for more than 40 years.

Risks and complications of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery

As with any medical procedure, gastric bypass carries some risks, including: 

• Losing your gallbladder: People who have gastric bypass surgery face a higher risk for gallbladder issues, including gallstones, due to complications of quickly losing a lot of weight. Gallstones are hardened bits of a fatty substance (cholesterol) that don’t break down during digestion. These bits can block the openings to nearby organs, especially the gallbladder, causing intense pain that can last for hours. If you experience repeated bouts of gallstones, removing the gallbladder can help you get lasting relief. 
• Dumping syndrome: This condition happens when food moves from your stomach pouch to your small intestine too quickly. Your body reacts by rapidly shifting fluid from your blood stream to the small intestine to help break down the food. This shift can make you feel faint and nauseous and usually results in severe diarrhea. 
• Stomach pouch stretching out over time: Your stomach pouch may stretch out even if you’re doing everything possible to maintain healthy eating habits. If the pouch stretches, you will likely start gaining weight. You may need additional bariatric treatments, such as Apollo OverStitch™ weight loss revision surgery, to restore your pouch to its original size. 

What Happens During Gastric Bypass Surgery?

Before surgery, we work with you one-on-one to make sure you are comfortable committing to permanent changes in your eating and exercise habits. These extra steps help you maintain steady weight loss so you can achieve your goals. 

If gastric bypass surgery is right for you, here’s the step-by-step procedure you can expect: 

1. We give you medicine to help you fall asleep and not feel any sensation during the procedure (general anesthesia). 
2. Our surgeon makes up to 5 small incisions in your abdomen. Through these incisions, we place a special camera and special instruments to carry out the surgery.
3. The camera sends real-time video to a monitor in the operating room. We use this video to see inside your stomach during surgery.
4. The first step is to create a smaller stomach in your abdomen that will take over the work of your original stomach. Your surgeon forms this “new” stomach by separating the top of your stomach from the lower part of your stomach.
5. We cut and reattach your intestines so that when you eat, food empties into the stomach pouch and skips part over the digestion process. 
6. We complete the surgery by removing the camera and instruments, and closing the incisions with stitches.
7. We help you learn which foods to eat and give you helpful tips to avoid stretching out the pouch. These tips may include things like not drinking liquids with your meals and avoiding snacks.

What to Expect After Gastric Bypass Surgery

Recovery from gastric bypass surgery takes time. For several weeks, you will be limited in both the types and quantities of food you can eat. You will start with an all-liquid diet, followed by puréed portions, then soft, easily digested items, and finally foods of normal consistency. Your physician may also recommend taking a vitamin and mineral supplement, to make good any shortfalls in nutrition during this period. 

You can expect to lose weight rapidly for up to six months following surgery. As your body adjusts to its new condition, you may experience:

How to Start Your Weight Loss Journey

Gastric bypass is available through our Louisville, Lexington and Richmond programs. Take the first steps toward a healthier, happier you by:

1. Completing a new patient information packet so we can start getting to know you:

2. Attending an optional in-person or online surgeon-led information seminar to learn more about your options.

Gastric Bypass at Baptist Health: Why Choose Us?

The idea of undergoing surgery to lose weight can be scary, but don’t let that stop you. Our team is dedicated to meeting your needs throughout your weight loss journey. We let you know what to expect, answer your questions and together, develop a personalized plan to help you achieve life-changing results.

Other highlights of our program include: 

• Outcomes: As a dedicated bariatric program, our sole focus is helping you achieve your weight loss goals. We work with you to help you overcome challenges and live a healthy lifestyle. Our dedication consistently helps patients lose weight and keep it off.
• Support: No matter what you hope to get out of weight loss surgery, it’s normal to need a little extra help along the way. From healthy food recommendations to overcoming personal challenges, we offer all the support you need.
• Minimally invasive techniques: We help you avoid large incisions, lowering your risk of complications, like infections, and leading to a shorter recovery. Our surgeons use several small incisions and sophisticated surgical tools to perform your procedure. Many of our patients are able to leave the hospital the day after their surgery.