How To Know Gastric Bypass Risks

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Gastric bypass surgery is a very serious operation, and doctors only agree to give a patient gastric bypass surgery after they have determined that the patient in question is a strong candidate for the surgery. To learn more about gastric bypass risks, please read on.

Things You Will Need

A desire to learn more about gastric bypass surgery and gastric bypass risks.

Step 1

Regarding gastric bypass risks, you should first be aware that nearly all gastric bypass surgery patients (yes, virtually 100%) experience a phenomenon known as "dumping" following their gastric bypass surgery. Dumping consists of a combination of different symptoms: cramps in the abdomen and/or chest, nausea and vomiting, and diarrhea. The intensity and duration of these dumping symptoms can vary considerably from patient to patient, which means that if you know someone who has undergone gastric bypass surgery and experienced the consequent dumping symptoms, their specific experience would likely not be exactly the same as yours.

Step 2

Another one of the more troubling gastric bypass risks has to do with the need for additional surgeries following the initial gastric bypass surgery. One out of five individuals who undergo gastric bypass surgery end up requiring additional surgeries, either to correct complications that arose during the initial surgery and/or to remove excess skin tissue following the patient's extreme weight loss.

Step 3

Regarding additional gastric bypass risks, nearly a third of gastric bypass patients experience some nutritional deficiencies which can in turn lead to bone loss and/or anemia. About one in ten get ulcers following their gastric bypass surgery. One in five patients develop a hernia. A small number (less than 2%) are bedridden or disabled. Other possible gastric bypass risks include blood clots, wound infections, bowel obstructions and stomach bleeding. There is even a slight risk (a .5 - 2% chance) of death following gastric bypass surgery.

If your medical team has determined that you are in fact a good candidate for gastric bypass surgery, they will discuss all of these possible gastric bypass risks with you in great detail so that you can make a well informed decision about whether or not you would like to proceed with the gastric bypass surgery.