Learn About Your Stomach

When most people think of weight loss stomach surgery, they’re usually thinking of the procedure medical personnel call the “Roux en Y gastric bypass.”

Roux en Y gastric bypass, or weight loss stomach surgery, is a popular procedure that has actually been around since the 1960’s and is the choice of people who have decided to have weight loss stomach surgery. Dr. Edward Mason and Dr Chikashi Ito developed Roux en Y after observing patients who had part of their stomach removed or were suffering from ulcers sometimes experienced significant weight loss. Dr. Mason has often been referred to as “The Father of Bariatric Surgery.”
Why does Roux en Y work?

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery helps the patient accomplish weight through two different processes.

It limits the amount of food the patient wants to eat. Part of the stomach is removed, making the stomach smaller. As the volume of the stomach becomes smaller, the patient feels “full” sooner, after eating only a small portion of food.

Roux en Y also reduces the amount of food passing through the digestive system, thus reducing the number of calories absorbed by the body. A portion of the small intestine is divided in the Roux en Y, which reduces the size of the small intestine by 15-20 percent. Less food is therefore absorbed, along with fewer calories. The section of the small intestine that has been bypassed is then connected to the lower intestine. This allows food in the lower intestine to mix with important digestive juices as it passes through.
What are the risks of Roux en Y gastric bypass surgery?

Roux-en-Y surgery has some risks, but they’re relatively low because the procedure has been done hundreds of thousands of times since it was developed more than 40 years ago. most patients consider the risks acceptable because  they know they can lose about 70 percent of their excess weight.

Today, more and more bariatric surgeons are performing Roux en Y surgery laparoscopically. In other words, they’re using a tube-like surgical instrument with a tiny camera attached, inserted through small incisions in the abdomen. Laparoscopic surgery is much less invasive than the traditional, open form that involves cutting a large incision in the abdomen.
Recovery from Roux en Y surgery

A patient can expect to stay in the hospital 2-3 days when a Roux en Y procedure is performed laparoscopically, and about 5 days if the procedure is done in the more traditional “open” way. Most patients return to normal activity in 3-5 weeks.
 
Approximately 150,000 Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgeries are currently being performed in the United States annually..

Roux en Y has become so common that most insurance companies will authorize it almost routinely. This is not always true of other types of gastric bypass surgery.

Related article: LapBand stomach surgery.

Stomach surgery for weight loss has come a long way since the mid-1960’s when doctors realized that altering the shape of the stomach and intestines surgically could be effective for weight loss in morbidly obese persons.

Since then, a number of stomach surgery procedures have been developed.  They’re grouped into two general types, and they may be used separately or in combination.

Restrictive stomach surgery. This type of surgery reduces the size of the stomach in order to limit the amount of food the patient eats. This type of stomach surgery is the least common type of stomach surgery for weight loss.

Malabsorptive stomach surgery. This type of stomach surgery limits the amount of intestine that food passes through. The digestive tract therefore less of the food that is eaten.  as a result, the body has fewer calories to store.
 
There are also several kinds of stomach surgery used by doctors

Laparoscopic stomach surgery. This type of stomach surgery uses a tube with a telescopic lens and a video camera. The tube is inserted into the abdomen through a small incision, and the lens allows the surgeon to see what he or she is doing. Surgery is performed with special, minimally invasive instruments.

Open stomach surgery. This is surgery that’s done “the old fashioned way,” by opening the abdomen with a large incision. This involves a longer recovery time than surgery that’s done laparoscopically.

Stomach surgery is also categorized by the manner in which the stomach and intestines are altered to accomplish the patient’s weight loss goal. Here are quick descriptions of the most common types:

LAP-BAND® is actually a registered brand name for the Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band procedure. “Lap band stomach surgery” as it is more commonly known is a restrictive procedure in which an adjustable band is placed around the stomach.  This reduces the size of the stomach.  It also reduces the patient’s appetite.

Vertical Banded Gastroplasty or VBG also creates a smaller stomach pouch. In VBG however, staples are used to close off a section of the stomach, and a band is placed to limit the amount of food that leaves the stomach pouch. The patient eats less, because there’s less room in the stomach.

Biliopancreatic Diversion, or BPD, is a malabsorptive procedure. First, the surgeon creates a creates a smaller stomach pouch and then diverts digestive juices in the small intestine. The small intestine nearest the stomach is where most of the calories are normally absorbed by the body. In this procedure, the beginning of the small intestine is bypassed. It is reattached to a section of the intestine farther down the digestive tract.

There’s a variation of this procedure known as a “Duodenal Switch.” A larger stomach “sleeve” is put in place, leaving the beginning of the duodenum attached.

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass. There are two important parts to the procedure, which is now the most popular type of weight loss stomach surgery performed in the U.S.

The stomach is stapled or banded to create a smaller pouch, restricting the amount of food it can hold. The pouch is attached to a section of the intestine. Part of the intestine, after this surgery, appears to be roughly Y-shaped. The patient loses weight because food bypasses the duodenum as well as part of the jejunum (middle section of the small intestine).

Also see gastric bypass surgery.

Gastric Bypass Diet

Before you even have stomach surgery, your doctor will probably recommend some dietary changes.  Be prepared for this.

Immediately after your surgery, Your digestive system will have to adjust to major changes in your organs.  Your eating habits and patterns change drastically, and the change will have a huge impact on your everyday life. You’ll need about 9-11 weeks before you can really start processing solid foods again.

The kind of food you eat needs to be full of nutrients with as few wasted calories as possible.

All along you should food that high in protein, but low in sugar and fat.

In general, you should also stay away from fruit juices or fruit drinks. Also avoid alcoholic beverages, including beer. Milk shakes and soda should be off limits, as should any carbonated beverage.

Don’t eat meal substitutes.

Certain foods might cause some distress.  They make even make you make you vomit or feel uncomfortable. It will be hard to tell why this is happening at first, so it will be a good idea to avoid those foods for a while, and then decide if you want to try them again.

Foods that are likely to cause problems or discomfort include certain kinds of meat (tough meat especially), chili and any kind of spicy food, fried foods, membranes from oranges and grapefruit, fruit and vegetable skins and seeds, and fibrous vegetables. 

Remember, your stomach won’t be big enough to handle food and liquids at the same time.

Your doctor will probably also recommend supplements because your digestive system may no longer process certain nutrients.

Weight loss stomach surgery succeeds in four out of five cases. The major reason it doesn’t work is because one patient in five fails to follow changes in diet, eating habits, and lifestyle. Exercise is also important.

Also see gastric bypass stomach surgery and LapBand surgery

A new article has been added to the human stomach section of Health Information Articles, the parent websiite of this blog.

The articles covers the basics of acid reflux or heart burn, and tells of the differences between heartburn, which is fairly common and temproarary, and gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, which is more serious.

There’s also an article on how to prevent acid reflux or heartburn.

People in Alaska should boil fresh Alaska peas before eating them, according to the Alaska Division of Health and Human Services, due to a possible stomach illness.

An outbreak of campylobacter appears to be linked to eating uncooked peas which have been grown and produced by Mat-Valley Peas in Palmer.

Symptoms of the stomach illness develop two to five days after exposure. These symptoms include

• abdominal pain,
• diarrhea,
• fever,
• nausea,
• vomiting
• general weakness.

Most people recover without treatment.

Health officials recommend that anyone who has eaten fresh Alaska peas and is experiencing symptoms should drink plenty of fluids and contact their doctor.

What causes belching?

Belching, of course, is also known as burping or eructation. Belching is actually a way for the body to do itself a favor by expelling unneeded stomach gas through the mouth.

For instance, we all know how important it is for a baby to burp during feeding.  It’s a way of releasing stomach gas and therefore avoiding the discomfort of gas in the stomach.

The air, or stomach gas, that’s expelled during belching, occurs for a number of different reasons.

The most common is swallowed air. The act of swallowing air is also known as aerophagia.

Gas collects in the stomach when we swallow air while eating, chewing gum, sipping drinks, smoking etc.  People under duress tend to breath faster, and they often draw that breath through their mouth. People with loose dentures also tend to swallow air when they eat.

People frequently belch after they because air collects in the stomach before and during the meal. As food fills the stomach, it displaces the stomach gas that’s already there in the form of a belch.

Swallowing the air isn’t the only way to create the stomach gas that results in belching.  There are a number of different foods that tend to create gas and cause more belching and flatulence. To learn more, click on causes of stomach gas.

Belching after a meal, especially a big meal, may be normal. It occurs as a result of air being swallowed while eating. In addition, a lot of swallowed air accumulates in stomach in between meals. The food once it reaches the stomach, displaces the air already present there.

Sometimes people think belching indicates that they’re having a problem with digestion.  This is not usually the case. Belching is a normal and natural process the body uses to relieve or prevent discomfort from the buildup of stomach gas and other types of gas.

To avoid belching, avoid foods that produce gas in the stomach, and try to control aerophagia, or the amount of air you swallow.

In addition, stay to stay as calm and relaxed as you can in today’s hectic, 24/7 world.

“Stomach gas” is often used as a comprehensive term covering the different kinds of gas the human body produces.

The gas that produces flatulence, however, happens a long way down the digestive tract from the stomach. Nonethess, what happens–or rather, what doesn’t happen–in the stomach often starts the digestive process that results in flatulence.

There are certain foods that are not broken down efficiently by the stomach and small intestine. These are primarily sugars and polysaccharides. These substances pass through the stomach and small intestine undigested. They then proceed to the large intestine and the colon, where intestinal bacteria go to work on them. The interaction of these bacteria with the undigesteed food produces gases, much in the same way yeast produces carbon dioxide during the leavening of bread.

While this is happening, hydrogen and methane are being produced because the bacteria release minute vapors containing hydrogen sulfide (which largely accounts for the unpleasant odor of flatulence). Trace gases known as skatole and indole are also present.

Certain foods are known to produce an unusual amount of gas because they contain a lot of indigestible carbohydrates. As you might expect, certain kinds of beans are well known for this.

Swallowed air is not usually processed by the digestive system into the kinds of gas that occur in flatulence.

We don’t know who did the study, but medical sources we found reported that the average adult passes gas about a dozen times a day.

There are two causes for stomach bloating:

• eating too much food
• eating food the stomach has trouble digesting

Even if you’re good about eating reasonable amounts of food, you could still get a bloated stomach when you don’t expect it by eating food that,  as the saying goes, “doesn’t agree with you.”

When this happens, you generally have a choice of three remedies: time, antacids, certain herbs.

Time is usually the least favorite option. If you wait a couple of hours, your digestive system will cope with whatever food (or combination of foods) is causing your bloating.
Antacids

Antacids are often effective because they’re designed to undo some of the bad chemistry that’s causing the bloating. Antacids neutralize certain acids by using, in most cases, salts of calcium, magnesium, sodium or aluminum.

However, this amounts to tampering with the digestive process, and doing so can result in some side effects like constipation, diarrhea, stomach pains, headaches, dizziness,  and fatigue. There can also be long term side effects, including kidney and heart problems.
Herbs

Certain herbs are believed to be helpful in relieving stomach bloating and similar digestive discomforts. They include 

• mint extracts, especially peppermint herbal tea (without sweeteners or sugar),
• camphor (in small doses),
• clove oil.

Some health food experts recommend a combination of 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger pulp and 1 teaspoon of lime juice. However, DO NOT try this remedy if you are allergic to ginger, limes, lemons, or cider vinegar. Peel the skin off fresh ginger root, grate the remaining to make a pulp. Then mix the pulp with lime juice. Take the mixture right after eating.

Prevention

Avoid sweets and fatty foods, which are major causes of stomach discomfort.

Avoid using a lot of salt. Be especially wary of processed and fast foods, which tend to contain a lot of salt. Salt, or sodium, is a major cause of bloating.

Eat foods containing potassium, which works to decrease the sodium level in the body. High potassium foods include asparagus, cabbage,
cauliflower and mushrooms

If possible, avoid taking  antibiotics, which cause stomach bloating because they destroy harmless bacteria in the digestive system. These bacteria are good for digestion, and anything that’s good for digestion will help relieve bloating. Taking a B-complex vitamin at the same time you’re taking antibiotics will help.

Oral contraceptive pills also cause a bloated feeling in the abdomen.

Stomach bloating may be a symptom of a gall bladder problem. Check with your doctor of you ‘re experience stomach bloating several times a week. Your doctor may recommend a totally fat free diet.

The viruses that cause stomach or gastrointestinal illness, commonly known as stomach flu or stomach virus, are highly infectious and easily transmitted.

The steps for avoiding a stomach ache or other discomfort from stomach illness include:

1) Wash your hands thoroughly and often. Use soap, water and a clean, disposable cloth, if possible, for drying your hands.
 
2) Stay home when you are ill.

Also see stomach bloating, sour stomach and stomach gas.

According to a study by Brazilian doctors, placing a balloon inside the stomach does not produce more weight loss than a diet in obese people.  The ballon is intended to to create a feeling of fullness in the stomach without the presence of food

The doctors now believe, however, that placing such a balloon in the stomach raises the incidence of stomach ulcers and inflammation.

The study ran over twelve to twenty-four weeks. Patients with gastric or stomach balloons lost no more weight than people who simply went on a diet. Stomach balloon patients gained weight after the balloon was removed, while the diet group tended to continue losing weight.

In addition, balloon patients were five times more likely than diet patients to develop stomach ulcers and 10 times more likely to experience stomach erosion or inflammation.