Question:
What is the average length of the intestine after RNY gastric bypass.

Mine is 10 12 feet long what would that made mine be, proximal or distal?    — [Anonymous] (posted on June 23, 2001)

June 23, 2001
I'd say you could be distal. There's about 20 to 22 feet of intestine before surgery. I only had 5 feet bypassed and I call that medial, but some call it proximal. You've obviously had double that amount bypassed. Different docs do differing amounts for varying reasons. Just make sure you take your supplements every day because you aren't going to absorb enough vitamins from your food. Do you take B12? How about extra iron if you are premenopause?
   — Cindy H.

June 24, 2001
You didn't say if that was the amount bypassed or the length of your common channel. Either way, that would be very distal, but it would be important to know which in order to set your supplements correctly to your type.
   — vitalady