Can someone explain to me...

What exactly is a mini gastric bypass?  I heard this term used on television the other day, but a difinetion wasn't given. 

Thanks,

Lana_

hi lana..check out www.clos.net hope that helps! ~katie

It is where the stomach is re-sected into a smaller pouch and then a new opening is made at the base of the new stomach and attached to the intestine usually 6 feet down.  The old stomach and intestine that is bypassed is left in place in case a revision or reversal is needed.  

Kim:  Wow you have lost all your weight already.  I am a fellow Oregoinian, living in Auburn, Wa.  I am thinking about going to Dr. Rutledge in Las Vegas for the MGB, but the weight loss surgeon I saw here in the Seattle area was very negative and said that it causes terrible bile reflux.  Did you have this, or do you know of others who have had problems?  What would you say is the most serious complication you have had?  I would love to hear back from you.

Alot of the time, other surgeon's are just misinformed.  The MGB does not cause bile reflux.  In fact, the connection from the stomach to the intestines is made at the bottom of the new pouch, far away from the top of the stomach where bile could back up.  It simply doesn't.  The bile flows into the stomach and down.  Some surgeon's are confusing the MGB with the old loop gastric bypass, which is not used anymore, where the connection was made at the top of the stomach.  The MGB surgery creates more of a tube rather than a small pouch at the top of the stomach like the old loop bypass.  I never had any reflux after surgery.  We are on Prilosec after surgery for months anyway, to keep any stomach acid irritations from forming in the stomach. Most serious complication?  Um, none.  I've had a couple of episodes of bad gas. Does that count?  Oh, I guess I could say I have a very small hernia forming under one of the lap incisions.  It is so small it probably won't need to be operated on.  I just don't even view anything I've experienced as a complication.  So far, so good!  Feel free to write me if I can answer anymore questions.