This was asked before..

I had asked the difference between distal and proximal, well I found the answer on http://www.thinnerself.com/files/links_page.htm just now and thought I'd share what it said... Proximal - A proximal RNY patient has less than 150 cm of intestine bypassed. Most RNY's are proximal. The Proximal patient still has a mal-absorption of food and sugar, though to a lesser extent than a Distal patient. The result is still weight loss, though it may be considered that the patient has less of a worry about mal-absorption of nutrition. Distal - This refers to the amount of stomach bypassed. A distal RNY means that over 150 cm of intestine is bypassed - the section that processes sugar. Thus the distal RNY patient does not process sugar and has a greater mal-absorption of food and nutrients. The result is a more rapid weight loss, but a need for closer watch of nutritional intake. An RNY patient may refer to their surgery as a "Distal RNY Fobi" procedure, or a "Distal RNY". Distal RNY is usually reserved for patients with a weight exceeding 400 to 450 lbs. Hope that helps!!! Huggles Rachel