Mini Gastric Bypass

Gastric bypass is an extremely effective excess weight loss procedure that helps resolve morbid obesity and its associated complications. However, the risk of complications is 7% and the technical procedure is quite demanding. That’s why Dr. Robert Rutledge developed the mini gastric bypass surgery in 1997. The procedure has been simplified and the risk of complications has been reduced to 2.9%.

What is Mini Gastric Bypass?

Mini gastric bypass is a bariatric surgery method that aims to resize the stomach and reduce nutrient absorption. Within a short time after the surgery patient’s satisfaction increase noticeably simply because of the results caused by bypassing the 6 feet intestine during the procedure.

It also has an appetite-suppressing effect, which allows bariatric patients to lose a lot of weight. It combines the positive aspects of sleeve gastrectomy and roux-en-y gastric bypass surgical procedures. Therefore, it is one of the most effective treatments and healthy ways of losing weight, if applied to the right obese patients.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Mini Gastric Bypass Surgery?

The first requirement for the application of mini gastric bypass surgery is the patients’ BMI ratio. If you want to benefit from this procedure, you must have a BMI higher than 30 and less than 40.

If you are in this range, your weight-related health problems will also begin to heal with this bariatric procedure. But if you’re over 40, you should go on a diet first to lower your BMI. Then you can be a good candidate for mini-gastric bypass.

There are other conditions that might make you a good candidate for mini-gastric bypass:

• If you have eating disorders such as uncontrolled overeating, binge eating, such as bulimia,
• Being addicted to too much sugary food,
• If you constantly consume high-calorie sweets and cannot avoid harmful foods such as fruit juice and carbonated drinks.
• This procedure will be applied if you have serious problems with controlling your appetite.

Recovery Process After Mini Gastric Bypass Surgery

Recovery begins quickly after laparoscopic procedures. After the completion of the procedure, patients with obesity are kept under observation in the hospital for 2-3 nights. If you do not encounter any complications, you will be discharged after this period.

After returning home, there is a serious diet program that you must follow. You should also pay attention to your doctor’s recommendations. You must follow the nutrition program designed for you. You should not consume any food other than these foods.

After your surgery, you should rest for at least 1 week so that your wounds heal and you can gradually return to your daily life. In the first week after the surgery, you should walk for an average of 20 minutes per day. It is not recommended to take completely actual actions before 1 month.

Life After Mini Gastric Bypass

Benefits of Mini Gastric Bypass Surgery

Mini gastric bypass, which is an effective method, offers you many benefits.

• In people with type 2 diabetes and overweight people, diseases caused by weight gain are eliminated.
• Recovery and return to normal life occur within a short period.
• As in other bariatric surgery procedures, the patient does not experience any loss in swallowing ability. In addition, it does not encounter any pain during swallowing.
• It is possible for the patient to consume a sufficient amount of food.
• The incidence of reflux or heartburn, which is frequently seen after bariatric surgery, is 3% on average.
• The effect of this surgery is permanent.
• The results of this method, prove to be reliable.
• Researches show high patient satisfaction.
• After the operation, the internal hernia disappears.
• This procedure is much easier than gastric bypass and the risks are quite low.

Disadvantages of Mini Gastric Bypass Surgery

Like any other major weight loss surgery, laparoscopic mini-gastric bypass surgery also has its own disadvantages.

• Stomach leakage.
• After this surgery, patients should pay extra attention to their diet.
• There is a potential risk of ulcers weeks after surgery.
• Especially among younger patients, there is a long-term risk of bile outflows from the small intestine.

Nutrition After Mini Gastric Bypass Surgery

Diet rules you need to follow after mini-gastric bypass surgery:

• You should start with liquids first, then move on to purees and soft foods, and gradually, you’ll be allowed to consume solids.
• You have to be quite patient and consistent during the diet. In particular, you should follow the rules set by your dietitian.
• In order to avoid malnutrition, your B12, vitamin D, iron, calcium, and folate deficiency should be followed up. In cases where any deficiency is inspected, using supplements is necessary.
• Dumping syndrome is one of the most dangerous conditions you can encounter. Therefore, it is extremely important to avoid all foods and drinks containing sugar.
• You need to leave behind your habits such as alcohol and cigarettes. These habits both negatively affect your health and slow down your recovery rate in the first years. Alcohol, on the other hand, will not be suitable for your diet because it contains high calories.
• You should go for a check-up every 6 to 12months to test your adequacy while continuing your diet.
• You should use multivitamins as recommended by your doctor and according to your test results.
• You should follow a protein-rich diet. Since protein is difficult to digest, it will keep you full and nutritious.

How Much Weight Can Be Lost With Mini Gastric Bypass?

After anastomosis gastric bypass, you will lose about 75% to 85% of your excess weight. However, this amount is a value obtained by individuals in the first two years. People who have undergone this surgery have to follow a strict diet for the first 2 years. In the long term, it has been observed that people lose 70% to 75% of their excess body weight after surgery. These numbers have been achieved after following the 5-year results of bariatric patients.

If you want to lose weight quickly and achieve long-term results after the surgery, you must continue to follow a diet. In addition, after your wounds heal, you should pay attention to your physical activity. You must adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Postoperative Pain

Postoperative pain is usually not that severe to disrupt your comfort, but if there’s going to be any pain, it will certainly be within the first two weeks after the surgery. For this reason, your doctor will recommend you oral painkillers, which are effective to relieve your pain.

After the operation, you should get up and move every day, or at least walk around your room. Remember that you need to increase your activity as time passes and to follow your surgeon’s recommendations.

You may experience a decrease in energy in the first months due to receiving low calories. Motivate yourself to tolerate this situation and try to move as much as possible. It is normal to feel some pain while moving in the first weeks.

If you have intense pain, especially abdominal pain, you should definitely talk to your doctor about it. If there is a level that you cannot bear in your normal pain, painkillers given through the vein can be used.

Probable Complications After Mini Gastric Bypass Surgery

Mini gastric bypass surgery causes some changes in the stomach and intestines of patients. There are minor or vital complications that can be seen as a result.

Simple complications you may encounter would be ulcers, minor incision infections, and hernias in the areas that were affected by surgery.

Greater complications are staple line leakage, pulmonary embolism, and stenosis. These major complications usually begin to appear after the 3rd week.

The symptoms of these complications are tremors, vomiting, intense nausea, and loss of consciousness. If you have these conditions and they are getting worse, you should contact your doctor immediately.

Apart from these complications, intestinal leakage, gallstones, nausea, dumping syndrome, dehydration, indigestion, reactive hypoglycemia, nutritional deficiencies, stomal stenosis, and bleeding are likely.

How to Reduce the Risks of Mini Gastric Bypass Surgery

First of all, you should choose your doctor wisely so that you do not encounter complications. A specialist and experienced doctor is of vital importance to you because your doctor’s expertise directly affects the likelihood of complications such as leakage, infection, or other similar complications is the doctor.

Moreover, you should pay attention to your diet after surgery for obesity. You should avoid sugary food intake, fast food, and any type of unhealthy food. You have to leave your old eating habits behind. Also, remember to reduce the chances of dehydration by drinking a lot of water.

In order not to encounter a problem with your incisions, you should carefully clean your incision site. You should take care to keep this area dry. Otherwise, infection, swelling, or bleeding will be inevitable.

Smoking and consuming alcohol will also cause complications. Smoking slows down your recovery rate and causes you to experience leaks in the long term. Alcohol will likewise affect your recovery and bring about unwanted situations. Alcohol will also reduce water absorption in your body.

Benefits of Mini Gastric Bypass vs Gastric Bypass Surgery

There are certain differences between normal gastric bypass and mini-gastric bypass. The benefits that will help you choose a mini gastric bypass are as follows;

• Shorter surgical time.
• Less intestinal regulation
• Lower complication rate

Because the technique is easier, it is applied much more easily by bariatric surgeons. Thus, the complications that may occur due to the surgeon’s error are reduced.

Additional Adverse Side Effects of Mini Gastric Bypass Procedure

There is a possible risk in the mini gastric bypass procedure. This risk is severe acid reflux because, in this procedure, your small tube stomach is still connected to your intestines.

In this case, it will be possible for stomach acid to go to the intestines or go up and make you feel reflux in your throat. You should talk to your doctor and dietitian in detail to avoid reflux. You should stay away from acidic fruits and vegetables that will trigger reflux.

How Much Does the Mini Gastric Bypass Procedure Cost?

If you want to benefit from mini gastric bypass surgery, the procedure has different pricing depending on the procedure and the hospital. The cost of this procedure varies between 6600 TL and 12500 TL on average, but various situations will directly affect the price.

The more specialist your doctor is, the higher the price of this surgery will be. This cost amount is generally not covered by SGK.

However, in certain cases, surgery can be performed under insurance. For this, you should know your insurance policy and its type. Private insurances may have an extra policy. What your health status is and the diseases you have are also important in this regard.

If you cannot lose weight with diet, you can reach your ideal weight and live a healthy life with mini-gastric bypass. Please contact us in order not to delay your dreams.