The Gastric Bypass Surgery Pre-op Process

Have you been on a diet for the past ten years and you weigh more now than you did when you started your diet? Does this sound familiar? Have you lost 250 pounds, except it was the same 25 pounds 10 times over? Thousands of people are having gastric bypass surgery every year. Its popularity is growing everyday.

Are you considering gastric bypass surgery, but you don't know where to start? When I embarked on this journey, my first step was doing research on the internet. This will familiarize you with different procedures available and what kind of post-op side effects you can expect from each type of gastric bypass surgery. You will also want to read about post-op eating and exercise.

Being 100 pounds overweight and having a BMI (body mass index) of 40 is required for surgery. Doctors may make exceptions on the weight, if the patient has serious medical conditions (high blood pressure, diabetes or sleep happen).
If you meet this criterion, you will then begin the lengthy process of being pre-qualified for the procedure. Briefly things you will need to do are:

• Find a surgeon that is in your insurance network
• Get a referral to that surgeon from your PCP
• Get letters and fill out forms that prove the surgery is medically necessary

These are the events that I went through before my surgery:

• Found a surgeon with an excellent reputation that was covered by my insurance
• Filled out a packet of information including a detailed medical history and very detailed history of weight loss programs I had participated in, in the past 5 years
• Participated in a 6 month medically monitored weight loss program (they want to make sure you know how to eat healthy and exercise regularly)
• Got a referral letter from my PCP to my surgeon
• Had pre-op blood work and a physical exam done by PCP
• Had a consultation with a dietician
• Had a consultation with a psychiatrist
• Was prequalified by my insurance company
• Had a consultation with my surgeon
• Attended a class explaining eating after surgery

For me, this process took about a year, but I did not know exactly what I wanted to do when I originally started the process. It can probably be done in as little as 3 months. The biggest determining factor, in how long your pre-op qualifying takes, is what your insurance company requires from you. Be patient, this process is time consuming and at times frustrating., but I considered the results worth the time and frustration.

Lap Band Surgery

Lap band surgery is a type of gastric bypass surgery. Gastric bypass surgery is sometimes referred to as weight loss surgery or bariatric surgery. The major benefit that lap band surgery offers over the Roux-en-Y, the other type of gastric bypass surgery commonly performed, is that it is a much less invasive type of surgery. Your hospital stay and recovery period will be much shorter than the time required for a Roux-en-Y.

Before any type of gastric bypass surgery is performed you will be required to go through many pre-operative tests and screenings. In most cases you will be required to meet with a psychiatrist and may be required to attend pre-operative and post-operative nutrition classes.

The purpose of this surgery is to restrict the size of the stomach, creating a small pouch, allowing limited food intake. This is done by placing a band around the stomach and adjusting it to control the size of the stomach.

A tiny incision is made on the outside of the stomach and the band is placed around the upper part of the stomach through that incision. This procedure considerably reduces the size of the stomach, allowing you to feel full with less food intake.

General anesthesia is required for this operation and should take less than an hour to complete. The band can be inflated anytime after the procedure, allowing the the recipient to continue to lose weight until their goal weight is reached. Saline is injected into a port under the skin in the stomach wall. This procedure take about 15 minutes and is painless.

Some of the benefits of lap band surgery are no cutting being done on your stomach, the stomach size can be adjusted, the lap band can be removed and completely reversed and a short hospital stay and recovery period is all that is involved.

Gastric Bypass Surgery--Some Things to Consider

With more than one third of this country's population being considered obese, more people are turning to gastric bypass surgery for a way out. If you happen to be one of these people and think that lap band surgery or a roux-en-y might be an easy way out, think again. It can be your answer to living a longer and healthier life, but don't think it comes without certain risks and hard work.

The following are some things to consider when you are evaluating what your weight loss options are:

• This surgery will force you to change your eating habits. You will have problems, if you overeat, especially sugar.
• Gastric bypass surgery is a last resort, something that is used after many other options have failed.
• Bariatric Surgery is considered major surgery and is not quick and easy fix.
• This surgery costs in excess of $20,000, but most insurance companies are starting to pay for it, especially since Medicare has made the decision to pay for it.
• Most people will lose 100 pounds or more, but not everbody reaches their goal weight, although they will usually lose enough to be healthy.
• You must be 100 pounds overweight to be considered for surgery, unless you have serious medical issues, such as; high blood pressure, diabetes or sleep apnea.
• Some surgeons will operate on teenagers and some on people over 60.
  
  Studies show that an obese person that has had gastric bypass surgery will have maintained 60% of their weight loss 10 years later. Without the surgery most of these people would have probably not lost more that 10% of their total body weight. Success depends on the person's ability to make lifestyle changes.