During your free informational seminar (offered live on Zoom as well as an on-demand version you can watch at any time), you’ll learn about the different approaches to weight-loss surgery. You and your bariatric surgeon will work together to determine the right procedure for you. Our bariatric surgery team is one of the most experienced in the region.
Explore Weight-Loss Surgery Options at Temple Health
Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery
The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure surgically reduces your stomach size and reroutes the small intestines. Bypass surgery reduces how much you can eat and how many calories you absorb.
After creating a small pouch from your stomach so that food goes into the pouch, doctors then connect the pouch to your small intestine. This sends food past a large part of your stomach.
Gastric Sleeve
Gastric sleeve — also called sleeve gastrectomy — surgically removes a large portion of your stomach without the use of bypass. Reduction in size and removal of the part of the stomach that produces an appetite-stimulating hormone results in a smaller appetite.
Gastric sleeve is a minimally invasive procedure, meaning that there’s a minimized use of surgical incisions. This leads to a faster recovery time and a reduced chance of many complications.
Benefits and Risks
Both Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and gastric sleeve are effective treatments for obesity. Within the first 1-2 years following bariatric surgery, you can expect to lose 40 to 70% of excess weight.
In addition to significant long-term weight loss, other benefits of bariatric surgery include:
- Reversal of Type 2 diabetes
- Improvement in chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and urinary incontinence
- Relief from arthritis-related pain and inflammation
- Improved heart health
As with any surgery, there are certain risks. Depending on the type of bariatric procedure you have, you may experience:
- Leaking of the incision or incisional hernia
- Infection
- Gallstones
- GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease
- Dumping syndrome
- DVT (deep vein thrombosis
- Nutritional deficiencies
If you notice anything unusual or have side effects in the weeks and months following your bariatric surgery, be sure to consult with your doctor.
Benefits and Risks: Gastric Bypass vs. Gastric Sleeve
Both gastric bypass and gastric sleeve surgery offer patients a way to effectively and safely lose weight. When choosing between gastric bypass or gastric sleeve surgery, you may want to consider the following:
- In general, both procedures have similar long-term weight-loss outcomes, although you may experience slower weight loss with the sleeve procedure.
- Both surgeries limit and reduce the amount of food you can eat. However, some gastric bypass procedures reduce the number of calories your body can absorb. The gastric sleeve procedure decreases the amount of an appetite-increasing hormone your body produces.
- Gastric bypass requires a large incision in the abdomen and may result in a longer healing time when compared to gastric sleeve surgery.
- People who have had gastric bypass surgery are more at risk of developing dumping syndrome compared to those who have had a gastric sleeve procedure.
This is not an exhaustive list of the benefits and risks of each procedure. Speak with your doctor for more information and to determine which surgery is right for you.
Open vs. Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery
For many patients, minimally invasive surgery is an option. The surgeon makes a few small incisions then inserts a small camera (laparoscope) and robotic surgical instruments through the incisions to perform the procedure. This approach generally results in less pain and faster recovery. Gastric sleeve is a laparoscopic bariatric procedure.
In some cases, an open procedure may actually be safer. In an open bariatric procedure, such as gastric bypass, the surgeon makes a large incision in your belly. You may have a longer healing time after open bariatric surgery, but can expect the same long-term health benefits and weight-loss results if you follow your diet, nutrition and exercise plan.
Depending on your procedure, you may expect to stay in the hospital 1-4 days. Temple Health bariatric surgeons have performed hundreds of minimally invasive and open bariatric procedures.
Download our bariatric surgery checklist >
Post-Surgery Instructions
Following your diet and nutrition plan in the weeks and months before your bariatric surgery will set you up for optimal healing after your procedure.
In the hours after surgery, you’ll begin sipping 1-2 clear fluids per hour to keep you hydrated and also to help stimulate your body’s motility. By the end of the first week, you’ll be drinking 48-64 ounces of clear liquid per day.
You’ll continue to take in more liquids and eventually food over the next few weeks to months in the following phases:
- Week 1: Clear liquids
- Weeks 2-3: Liquid diet
- Weeks 4-6: Pureed diet
- Weeks 6-8: Soft diet
- Week 9: Stabilization and regular foods
The exact timeline you follow will likely depend on which procedure you have. For more details on post-surgery information, including a week-by-week guide and list of beverages and foods to enjoy and avoid, read about the specific procedures:
Are You a Candidate for Weight-Loss Surgery?
Weight-loss surgery may be an option for you if you meet the following criteria:
- Your BMI (body mass index) is over 40.
- You have a BMI of 35 or more, plus two or more medical problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, arthritis or heart disease.
Our BMI calculator will let you easily calculate your BMI:
