Most surgeons recommend a daily multivitamin, calcium, and vitamin B12 for the rest of your life. B12 injections are sometimes suggested once a month for the first year and every six months thereafter. B12 may also be taken orally or sublingually (under the tongue) by most patients. The dietician will provide specific guidelines on necessary vitamin supplementation, dependant upon your surgical procedure.

Gastric bypass surgery provides an effective tool to limit the amount of food eaten and to change how food calories are absorbed. It must be understood that the surgery is not magic: it works with you, not for you. By working consistantly to make appropriate food choices and behavioral changes, a successful, long-term health impact is possible.

The LAP-BAND® System is a silicone band that is placed around the stomach, creating a small upper stomach pouch that prevents a patient from eating excessively. It is only a restrictive device (not a malabsorptive one), and can be adjusted and/or removed, if necessary. The procedure to place the band is done laparoscopically on an outpatient basis, so our patients go home the same day as surgery in most cases.

ObesityCare.com's mission is to provide information about severe obesity and the treatment there of. Our service is informational only. To find a doctor who can do your gastric bypass surgery or lap band procedure, we recommend using ObesityDirectory.com. It is a nation wide directory (United States) and all of the bariatric surgeons listed are members of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

The operation is performed laparoscopically and takes approximately 2 hours. The upper part of the stomach is divided and joined onto the small bowel so that the main reservoir of the stomach and some part of small bowel are bypassed. The hospital stay is 3 to 5 days. Fluid is started on the first postoperative day and built up to full diet by six weeks. ^TOP^

Despite the billions of dollars spent yearly by consumers on weight loss programs and dietary supplements, no medical treatment has been demonstrated to sustain a long term weight loss in a significant number of men or women. In fact, the 1992 NIH consensus statement concerning obesity asserts that medical treatment is considered ineffective in 95% of patients.

You have failed repeated, medically-supervised attempts at losing weight and controlling your obesity You are 100 pounds over your ideal body weight and have a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than or equal to 40, or a BMI of 35 (approximately 80 pounds over ideal body weight) if you have a serious associated medical complication or other obesity-related disease(s) You have had a consultation with one of our Bariatric Surgeons and have been determined to be a surgical candidate.

Like every operation, there is a risk. Because you may already have health-related problems, there is an increased risk of complications. Your doctor should thoroughly screen you to make sure that there are no surprises on the operating table.

The surgery is not a cosmetic procedure, but rather, a course of last resort for people who are at least 100 pounds over their ideal weight and have a body mass index (BMI) of over 40. Patients with a slightly lower BMI may be considered for the procedure if they have other obesity-related problems such as Type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or sleep apnea.

is true with any operation, there are complications associated with gastric bypass surgery. One of the most serious is leakage where the stomach pouch meets the small intestine. With no treatment, approximately one in four gastric bypass patients will develop gallstones following surgery. That is why a bile thinning medication is prescribed after surgery. Some other complications include abdominal hernia, wound infection, and bowel obstruction.

Gastric bypass surgery is reversible, but to reverse this procedure requires additional surgery. Once the procedure is reversed, there is potential for total regain of all weight.

The saphenous vein is not the preferred conduit for bypass grafts. Arteries in the arms and chest wall are now most commonly used. Other veins are available, if needed. Also, the abnormal saphenous vein is usually not suitable for a bypass graft even if present.

Open Gastric Bypass is performed through a larger incision and abdominal wall retractors to create space to work. By reducing the size of the surgical incision and the trauma associated with the operative exposure, the surgical insult has been shown to be much less after laparoscopic surgery compared to open Gastric Bypass. A limitation of the laparoscopic approach is the steep learning curve of this technically challenging procedure for the surgeon.

We have had many individuals use Medifast prior to and after having gastric bypass surgery. Your meal plan should be adjusted based on when your surgery was completed. Medifast Meals are portion controlled, high protein, low carbohydrate and fortified with vitamins and minerals. Medifast recommends (as with any weight loss program) that you consult with your doctor prior to and throughout the weight loss process.

Gastric Bypass surgery has been performed on patients as young as 16 years of age. In this age group, the concern is that the patient make the decision for surgery him- or her-self, and that there be a full understanding and commitment to the life long altered eating pattern which will be necessary for success.

Food tolerance is very individual. Some people eat almost everything they ate before surgery that is low in fat and sugar. However, they chew more carefully and eat smaller portions. Occasionally, patients find there are a few foods they do not tolerate well after surgery. This usually happens as they reintroduce solid foods into their eating program. Foods that can provide difficulty include red fibrous meat, doughy bread, rice and pasta.

Alcohol is basically a type of sugar and it slows down a patient’s weight loss and may cause dumping syndrome. It contains lots of calories and is not nutritional. After surgery, alcohol enters the blood stream more quickly than before surgery. The intoxicating effects of alcohol occur sooner than before surgery and after smaller amounts are ingested. A patient who has had gastric bypass surgery absorbs FOUR times as much alcohol from a given drink versus before surgery.

Although complications may occur, the benefits of surgery outweigh the risk in carefully selected patients. Recent studies have demonstrated that up to 80% of excess body weight can be lost, and that 40-70% of excess body weight lost can be maintained for as long as 5 years. 95% of diseases related to obesity can be improved or cured.

Diet and exercise are key components for ensuring success following Bariatric surgery. Compliance with dietary changed, combined with the right exercise program, will help you lose weight in the post-surgical period, as well as maintain that weight loss over time. These principles, along with many others, are discussed at each Summa Bariatric support group meeting to help keep you on track.

You have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more (about 100 pounds overweight for men and 80 pounds overweight for women) You have a BMI between 35 and 39.9 and a serious obesity-related health problem (such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, or severe sleep apnea). You possess a thorough understanding of weight loss surgery and the lifestyle changes it will require you to make. With LAP-BAND® surgery, an average patient loses about 50 percent of excess body weight.

Sexually active women should use more than one method of contraception for at least 18 months post surgery. Due to malabsorption with gastric bypass, hormonal methods of contraception such as birth control pills or injections like depoProvera may be less effective. A barrier method such as condoms (male or female), diaphragms and spermacides should be used in conjunction with a hormonal contraceptive. Unplanned pregnancy during the first 18 months post surgery carries high risk.

After the stomach stapling surgery, most doctors recommend you exercise to help you lose the weight more quickly. Regular exercise can usually proceed after 6 weeks, but consult your doctor. If the lap band surgery is performed laparoscopically, patients typically spend less than 24 hours in the hospital. It takes most patients about a week to return to work and a month to six weeks to resume exercising. In the case of open surgery or if there are complications, recovery may take longer.

Patients can expect to be out of bed by evening of the same day of the surgery, with a total hospitalization stay of about 3-4 days. The surgical recovery period averages between 3-5 weeks. Every person's weight loss experience is different. As a rule of thumb, the heavier the patient, the more weight they are likely to lose. Most patients can expect to lose two-thirds of their excess weight. Most of that weight loss will occur within the first 18 months.

Many obese women of childbearing age do not have menstrual periods, a condition known as amenorrhea, and thus, are unable to become pregnant. After the surgery and subsequent weight loss, regular menstrual cycles typically resume. Barring other fertility-related problems, these women are able to become pregnant. However, it is not advisable to attempt a pregnancy until 18 months after the surgery. Before then, the rapid weight loss and nutritional deficiencies can harm a developing fetus.

The surgeon is able to reduce the size of the stomach from two fists down to the size of a thumb, with a row of staples. The stomach is able to hold less, so the patient feels full very quickly. A part of the small intestine is re-routed, or bypassed, and the pouch is connected with a small opening (anastomosis) to the small intestine, which slows the progression of food through the GI tract.

On average, and depending on the individual's motivation, after 6 months at least 60% of excess body weight is lost and after 12 months at least 75% of excess weight is lost.

Anyone with a BMI of 40 or greater or who is 100 pounds or more overweight is a candidate for gastric bypass surgery. Individuals with a BMI of 35-40 are also eligible for surgery if they have two or more co-morbidities (diseases associated with obesity). Click here for more information.