by Jael Gardiner

Created on: December 01, 2010

Obesity is an epidemic that isn't going to vanish on it's own. People across America are struggling with complications of obesity such as diabetes, heart disease and sleep apnea. As waistlines continue to balloon it becomes much more difficult for an obese person to lose the weight on his or her own. One option available medically is gastric bypass surgery. This can be a dangerous option and some people don't know the true implications associated with having this surgery.

It literally makes the stomach smaller so that less food can fit inside. The surgery can be done laparoscopically,which means that there is no direct incision into the stomach and it is a less invasive surgery. People who have this surgery are often back to regular activities within a month or so, but eating can still be extremely uncomfortable. It can be excruciatingly painful to eat to quickly and may cause vomiting if a person tries to eat without slowly and thoroughly chewing food. People will probably need to take vitamins and will not be able to eat nearly as much as they used to be able to.

This is a way to quickly lose weight, however sometimes the results are not long term. Slowly the stomach can stretch back out to the size that it was before and people can gain the weight back if they aren't careful. The surgery can be dangerous and sometimes results in infections or any other complications just as any other surgery can have complications. In people who are extremely large they may have to lose weight before they are even small enough to have the surgery.

Eating foods that are unhealthy like simple sugars in sodas, candies and foods like that a problem called dumping syndrome can occur before the food goes through the system to quickly once the intestines have been bypasses. It can cause dizziness are diarrhea and may be an incentive to not eat any of these foods.

While sometimes gastric bypass may seem like the only option, it can cause problems and the results may not always last. However if the complications of obesity outweigh the possible dangers of the surgery it may still be the best option. Sometimes a person is so obese that there is just no way for the to really live without losing weight and he or she just can't do it alone. When done right with the patient following all of the rules and really make a life change gastric bypass is a great option.

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