General :: Orberaa :: Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass
General
What should I bring with me when I come for a scheduled office appointment?
Apart from medicare and your insurance information
- A referral from your General Practitioner or family doctor is desirable
- All pertinent reports and test results from your primary care or referring physician
- A list of all medications that you are currently taking
- A list of any known drug allergies and the symptoms you may have from taking these medicines
Are my medical records kept private and confidential?
Your medical file is handled with the utmost respect for your privacy. Our staff are bound by strict confidentiality requirements as a condition of employment regarding your medical records. Ordinarily we will not release the contents of your medical file without your consent
Do I need a referral to make an appointment?
A medical referral is desirable to ensure that you are seeing the appropriate specialist. It is however essential, if your treatment comes under the medicare guidelines for treatment of psychological problems.
Not all health insurances will rebate for neuropsychological assessments and therefore check with your health insurance before making an appointment.
To be eligible for medicare rebate you require a referral from a GP or a referring physician. The current medicare rebate is $110 per 50 minute consultation for upto 12 visits per year.
How can my family doctor help me to obtain specialist medical care?
Before seeing any medical specialist, it is always preferable to talk to your own family doctor, who can discuss your condition with you and advise on whether any specialist care is appropriate. If it is, he or she can help you to choose the specialist best suited to your needs. Your family doctor can help the specialist to care for you better by providing relevant information about your health. Communicating with the specialist will also enable your family doctor to care for you better during and after your specialist treatment.
Orberaa
How does the gastric balloon work?
Intragastric balloon is a non-surgical weight-loss procedure which involves the insertion of a specialised balloon inside the stomach to occupy space and limit the food carrying capacity of the stomach. This makes you feel full sooner and limits your intake to smaller portions.
Is the gastric balloon suitable for everyone?
No, the gastric balloon is indicated in patients with a BMI of 30-40 kg/m2, who is not able to lose weight with exercise and diet and for one who is willing to participate in a medically-supervised lifestyle and behaviour modification program.
How long should the gastric balloon stay inside the stomach?
The balloon is temporarily left in the stomach for about 6 months, following which it is removed.
How is the gastric balloon removed?
The removal of the gastric balloon is performed under sedation.
How is the recovery after the procedure?
Following the procedure, your throat might feel a little sore and you may experience some cramps and nausea as your stomach adjusts to the balloon. You will be able to leave the hospital soon after.
Do I need a special diet following the procedure?
You will be put on a liquid or soft diet for a few weeks. This is followed by 6 months of supervised diet and behaviour-modification that will be taken care of by a multidisciplinary team of nutritionists, gastroenterologists and medical weight loss physicians. This helps you to continue eating healthy and staying active, which will greatly influence results.
Are there any side effects or complications associated with the gastric balloon?
The gastric balloon procedure is generally safe but as with any procedure, complications may occur and can include oesophageal or gastric ulcers or perforation and deflation of the balloon which can lead to blockage.
Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass
What is gastric bypass surgery?
Gastric bypass surgery is a restrictive/malabsorptive surgical procedure. It is restrictive in the sense that it "restricts" how much food the stomach can hold and is "malabsorptive" in that it affects how food and calories are absorbed into the bloodstream. This combination surgery has the highest success rate for amount of weight lost.
How is the surgery performed?
The surgeon makes the stomach smaller by creating a small stomach pouch by stapling along the upper part of the stomach. A new opening from this pouch is created as well. The small intestine is then cut into two sections. The lower section of intestine is attached to the opening in the stomach pouch creating what is referred to as the "roux limb". The upper section of the small intestine which carries digestive juices from the remaining portion of the stomach is attached at the distal end of the roux limb. The roux limb enables food to bypass the lower stomach, duodenum, and a portion of the small intestine.
How much weight will I lose?
Studies have shown that gastric bypass patients can lose up to 90 percent of their excess body weight. 75% of patients will lose 75-80% of their excess body weight after surgery.
What can I expect after the surgery when I eat?
You will only be able to eat a few ounces of food at a time. You will not be able to drink and eat at the same time as your new stomach will not be able to hold both. You will also have to concentrate on eating slower and chewing your food thoroughly. You will also have to avoid certain sugary foods as these can lead to "dumping syndrome".
What is dumping syndrome?
Dumping syndrome happens when the food you eat passes too quickly through your new GI tract causing diarrhoea, shakes, sweats, and other unpleasant symptoms. Dumping syndrome can be avoided by not eating sugary foods such as candy, juices, sodas, and other foods high in simple sugars.
What are the advantages of gastric bypass surgery?
Advantages of gastric bypass surgery includes:
- Quick and dramatic weight loss
- Continued weight loss for 18-24 months' post-surgery
- Many patients maintain a weight loss of 60-70% of excess weight 10 years' post-op
- Improved health problems associated with severe obesity such as diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, asthma and sleep apnoea.
- Many patients are able to stop taking medications for diabetes and hypertension as a result of the weight loss.
- Improved mobility and quality of life and self-esteem.
What are the disadvantages of gastric bypass surgery?
Disadvantages of gastric bypass surgery include:
- Major surgery with serious risks
- Malnourishment and anaemia may occur requiring lifelong vitamin and mineral supplementation.
- Requires permanent lifelong changes to patient's diet and lifestyle
- Increased risk of gallstones due to rapid weight loss
- Dumping syndrome: nausea, reflux, diarrhoea can occur after ingesting high sugar foods
