Weight loss surgery risks

Weight loss surgery risks and complications

Gastric bypass surgery has many risks and complications that may arise during or after the surgery. Several long-term health effects following the surgery are known as well. To live healthily after surgery, you will have to commit to a new lifestyle including changes in the dietary regime.

Risks of Gastric Bypass Surgery

Most of the risks of a bariatric surgery are the risks of any abdominal surgery. The risks include heavy bleeding, infections, leakage of fluids from the sutures, rejection of material used for sutures, inflammation of stomach’s lining, block of the intestines because of adhesion and incisional hernia. About 10-20% of patients who undergo bariatric surgery need a follow up surgery to correct the complications.

Being obese, itself, poses several risks during the surgery. The presence of excess fatty tissues inside abdomen makes it hard to locate and see the organs. The surgeon needs to use long surgical instruments that are tough to handle. Almost each surgical maneuver is more difficult to perform in an obese individual. Excess fat may even impede with the healing.

Health Risks after the Bariatric Surgery

A patient might face several health risks and complications after the weight loss surgery. The most common complication to arise includes constipation, nausea or vomiting. The latter happens because of eating poorly chewed food. The malabsorptive surgeries may commonly lead to ‘dumping syndrome’ in which food traverses the small intestine rapidly leading to nausea, weakness, faintness sweating and diarrhea. About 30% of the patients may develop gallstones after the surgery because of a rapid weight loss. Many nutritional deficiencies such as anemia, metabolic bone disease, and osteoporosis may arise if dietary supplementation is lacking. If a woman who had the surgery were in her childbearing years, she should not get pregnancy for at least 18 months after the surgery. This is because nutritional deficiencies due to meager absorption of vitamins and minerals can cause severe birth defects.

Lifestyle Changes after the Surgery

The lifestyle changes are also an integral part of the whole recovery and weight loss. The major changes required after surgery include:

• Avoiding binge eating at all costs, also avoid foods with a high caloric, sugar and fat content.

• As you can eat only small portions of food, you need to eat regularly throughout the day.

• Taking the prescribed mineral and vitamin supplements

• Drinking enough water to prevent dehydration that may occur after the gastric surgery

• Getting regular blood tests to check your health status

• Avoiding medicines like Aspirin, Motrin, Ibuprofen, Aleve, Naproxen and Advil. Consult your caregiver for safer alternatives to these medicines.

Statistics of Complications and Health Problems after the Surgery

The figures about the surgery tell that about ten percent patients do not lose weight after the surgery while ten to fifteen percent patients face complications due to surgery. About two to three percent patients suffer from life-threatening complications and one percent of patient die due to the surgery.

Statistics of common complications of a weight loss surgery in the US: