Gastric bypass surgery makes the stomach smaller and allows food to bypass part of the small intestine. You will feel full more quickly than when your stomach was its original size, which reduces the amount of food you eat and thus the calories consumed. Bypassing part of the intestine also results in fewer calories being absorbed. This leads to weight loss.


The most common gastric bypass surgery is a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

In normal digestion, food passes through the stomach and enters the small intestine, where most of the nutrients and calories are absorbed. It then passes into the large intestine (colon), and the remaining waste is eventually excreted.

In a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the stomach is made smaller by creating a small pouch at the top of the stomach using surgical staples or a plastic band. The smaller stomach is connected directly to the middle portion of the small intestine (jejunum), bypassing the rest of the stomach and the upper portion of the small intestine (duodenum). This procedure can be done by making a large incision in the abdomen (an open procedure) or by making a small incision and using small instruments and a camera to guide the surgery (laparoscopic approach).

GASTRIC BYPASS - ROUX-EN-Y (RNY) ANIMATION VIDEO

After Gastric bypass surgery

1. You can eat only a few ounces of food at a time. Your new stomach will only hold a tiny amount of food.
2. You must eat very slowly and chew your food to mush. Otherwise, you may vomit often and have pain.
3. You won't be able to drink for 30 minutes before you eat, during your meal, and for 30 minutes after you eat. There won't be room in your stomach for both drinks and solid food.
4. You will need to take vitamins and supplements.
5. You may have to avoid foods that contain simple sugars-like candy, juices, ice cream, condiments, and soft drinks. Simple sugars may cause a problem called dumping syndrome. This happens because food moves too quickly through the stomach and intestines. It can cause shaking, sweating, dizziness, rapid heart rate, and often severe diarrhea.