Question 1

What Are the Negative Effects of Gastric Bypass Surgery?

Accepted Answer

Some bariatric surgery risks include:

Acid reflux
Anesthesia-related risks
Chronic nausea and vomiting
Dilation of esophagus
Inability to eat certain foods
Infection
Obstruction of stomach
Weight gain or failure to lose weight

Bariatric Surgery Long-Term Risks

Bariatric surgery carries some long-term risks for patients, including:

Dumping syndrome, a condition that can lead to symptoms like nausea and dizziness
Low blood sugar
Malnutrition
Vomiting
Ulcers
Bowel obstruction
Hernias

Overview of Bariatric Surgery Risks and Complications by Procedure

Risks and side effects vary by bariatric procedure. Therefore, the following list is not all-inclusive but briefly outlines the risks of gastric bypass and gastric sleeve.

Your bariatric surgeon will make sure you understand the risks and complications of your specific procedure.

Risks of Gastric Bypass:

Breakage
Dumping syndrome
Gallstones (risk increases with rapid or
substantial weight loss)
Hernia
Internal bleeding or profuse bleeding of the
surgical wound
Leakage
Perforation of stomach or intestines
Pouch/anastomotic obstruction or bowel obstruction
Protein or calorie malnutrition
Pulmonary and cardiac problems
Skin separation
Spleen or another organ injury
Stomach or intestine ulceration
Stricture
Vitamin or iron deficiency

Question 2

What Can You Never Eat Again After Gastric Bypass?

Accepted Answer

Beverages to Avoid After Bariatric Surgery

Some drinks may irritate your healing stomach and should be avoided after bariatric surgery, including:

Caffeine for at least 3 months after surgery
Carbonated beverages for at least 3 months after surgery
Alcoholic drinks for at least 6 months after surgery

Even after your stomach heals, you may find that there are certain beverages that you can't tolerate, and they may need to be removed from your diet indefinitely.

Foods to Avoid After Bariatric Surgery

You may also experience food intolerances that you didn't have before surgery. They may include the following:

Red meat that's tough or dry
Greasy, high-fat foods
Heavily seasoned or spicy foods
Sugar alcohols, such as erythritol, glycerol, mannitol, sorbitol and xylitol
Foods reheated in the microwave

Question 3

How Painful Is Gastric Bypass?

Accepted Answer

Pain is a subjective matter. However, whether you have gastric bypass, gastric sleeve or Lap-Band surgery, there will be a pain, and it can be significant.

It would be nice to say gastric bypass surgery produces an 8 out of 10 on the pain scale. Gastric sleeve surgery produces 7 out of 10 on the pain scale, and Lap-Band surgery is a 5 out of 10. However, we can't do that because there are just too many differences in the way people feel and rate pain.

Most weight-loss surgeries are performed laparoscopically, so this article pertains specifically to laparoscopic surgery. With an open procedure, there is considerably more pain, and a longer hospital stay.

Anecdotally, laparoscopic gastric bypass and gastric sleeve surgery (sleeve gastrectomy) produce a similar amount of pain. Typically, more pain is experienced at the incision site that the surgeon removed the stomach from. This is usually the upper left quadrant (under your rib cage on your left side).

This makes sense because the incision needs to be widened and often stretched to remove the stomach during a gastric sleeve procedure. Muscle fibres tear and are often bruised as a result.

During gastric bypass surgery, the anastomosis (the connection of the intestines to the new stomach) is often made with a circular stapler. These staplers are large and typically require enlarging the incision in the upper left quadrant. In addition, the insertion and removal of this stapler can stretch the muscle and sometimes cause bruising.

Because of the larger incisions with gastric bypass and gastric sleeve surgery, these two procedures may lead to slightly more pain than Lap-Band surgery.

Overall, pain is not a huge concern after surgery. It can be managed well with pain medication. Most patients are off all pain medications in a few days and back to work within a week. With that said, bending over, getting up from a seated position and twisting your torso can cause sharp pain for a few weeks after surgery. This goes away with time.

The key point to remember about pain is that there are very few, if any, patients that would not have the surgery again if they could go back in time. So while you can expect some pain, rest assured, it will be worth it in the long run. Our article about gastric sleeve recovery goes into detail on pain and recovery.

The Cost of Gastric Bypass Surgery

The Results of Gastric Sleeve Surgery

What Should You Avoid After Bariatric Surgery?

Vitamin Patches for Weight Loss

Good Diet With Bariatric Portion Plate

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