Gastric Bypass Surgery in Tijuana

Gastric bypass surgery can help you lose a significant amount of weight, approximately 85% of your excess weight, and establish positive long-term dietary habits.

By rerouting the stomach, this procedure limits calorie absorption, resulting in rapid weight loss. Dr. Liza María Pompa González and our team at LIMARP® in Tijuana, Mexico, use the latest technology to ensure that your treatment is as safe and successful as possible.

This procedure is beneficial for obese patients that also have diabetes and whose efforts to lose weight with diet and exercise alone have proved unsuccessful. Considered as the gold standard, gastric bypass surgery is one of the most commonly performed bariatric surgeries and it can help you establish a healthy lifestyle and restore your confidence.

What is Gastric Bypass Surgery?

Gastric bypass surgery, also known as Roux-en-Y, consists of a twofold method for the reduction of weight. The surgeon reduces the patient’s stomach and connects it to a distal part of the intestine. A smaller stomach is able to hold less food and that which is consumed does not pass through the first part of the small intestine, resulting in reduced calorie absorption. In other words, this surgical procedure creates two different mechanisms that enable weight loss: the reduction of the stomach’s size plus a shortcut passage for the digestive system through the smaller intestine. In this sense, the Roux-en-Y is a restrictive and malabsorptive procedure, since it restricts food intake and also modifies the absorptive capacity of the digestive system.

The gastric bypass is the second most popular bariatric surgical procedure in the world, after the gastric sleeve surgery. According to the latest global registry of the International Federation for the Surgery or Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO), out of all the weight loss surgeries that are practiced around the world, at least 31% account for the Roux-en-Y. Most of them are performed with laparoscopic techniques. In fact, open Roux-en-Y procedures are very rare and almost deemed unnecessary due to the great advances that the medical community has achieved with laparoscopic technology and education.

Recovery for this type of intervention is relatively fast. Patients can expect a 2 days post-operative stay in the hospital’s recovery room. Rest after surgery is mandatory, and most patients return to their daily-life routine after 1 month. During this time, patients have to follow a very specific and strict diet that goes through different phases, starting from an only liquids diet, transiting to pureed foods, then to soft solids and so on, with a progressive increase in calories.

A Roux-en-Y usually achieves more drastic weight loss than a sleeve gastrectomy due to the fact that it combines a restrictive and a malabsorptive intervention. With a Roux-en-Y, patients start experiencing weight loss as soon as 3 months after surgery, and they can expect to lose more than 70% of their excess weight during their first post-operation year. Excess weight represents the difference between a person’s ideal weight and his or her initial weight before surgery. According to the latest IFCO report, people who undergo a gastric bypass usually lose between 27 and 37% of their body weight one year after surgery. Total weight lost with this procedure will depend on many factors. One of them is the genetic and biologic nature of each individual patient, as not everyone will react the same to the malabsorptive properties of the procedure. Other very important factor is the compromise the patient maintains with a healthy diet and lifestyle, and their amount of physical activity.

One of the most effective types of bariatric treatment available at LIMARP International Center of Excellence for Obesity in Tijuana, MX, is gastric bypass surgery. This procedure not only changes the size of the stomach, but also changes how your digestive system absorbs food. It can produce significant results for patients suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes.

Watch More Videos

Who is a candidate for Gastric Bypass?

This surgery is ideal for patients who have at least three or four metabolic conditions and a BMI higher than 40. The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass can highly benefit patients with morbid obesity who suffer from conditions such as diabetes, sleep apnea, and hypertension, since this procedure has shown to have a great impact on ameliorating their symptoms and, in some cases, it can lead to their total resolution.

Patients interested in receiving a gastric bypass should be aware of the possible outcomes and benefits of this surgery, and they should also take notice that these benefits are not accomplished by themselves. In order to avoid any weight regain, and to obtain the best possible results that this procedure has to offer, a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass candidate must be willing to commit to drastically change his or her eating habits and to engage with simple routinely exercises. Don’t worry, at LIMARP, we are committed with your goals just as you are. Our integral treatments include education, guidance and continuous follow-up provided by our bariatric nutritionist, psychologist and fitness expert.

Bariatric surgery in Tijuana, Mexico

Tijuana is the number one place for medical tourism in Mexico. This border city receives almost 2 million tourists who visit to receive medical treatments in a yearly basis. At the city of Tijuana, one can obtain great quality care at affordable prices, nothing compared to those in the North American medical market. Tijuana, Mexico, is also home to LIMARP International Center of Excellence for Obesity.

At LIMARP, we offer integrative bariatric programs that adapt to every patient’s needs, with nutritionist guidance, psychological consultation, personalized fitness routines and long-term to lifetime follow-up. We have performed thousands of successful weight loss surgeries on patients from all over the world. Our state-of-the-art facility in Tijuana has been certified as a Center of Excellence for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery by the Surgical Review Corporation, and as a COVID-19 safe medical center by national and international authorities.

If you are visiting from Canada or the United States, you might be interested in our all-inclusive packages, which offer a two-night stay at the Grand Hotel Tijuana, additional to the two-night stay at one of our private recovery rooms in the clinic. Our recovery rooms feature breathtaking panoramic views to the Tijuana’s Country Club golf course. We also offer transportation from the airport to the hotel and back.

One of the most effective types of bariatric treatment available at LIMARP International Center of Excellence for Obesity in Tijuana, Mexico, is gastric bypass surgery. If you’re interested in weight loss surgery, contact our clinic. Our team of experts will gladly assist you. During your initial consultation, Dr. Liza María Pompa will perform a thorough examination to ensure that you are a candidate for this procedure.

What to Expect on the Day of Surgery

Prior to your procedure, Dr. Pompa and her multidisciplinary team will provide you with a list of pre-op instructions to follow, including a strict supervised diet to help prepare your body for surgery.

On the morning of your procedure, it is vital that you do not eat or drink anything, unless your doctor instructs you to take some type of medication before arriving to LIMARP. Once you are at our surgical facility, you will be taken to a private room where you will meet your surgical team. They will answer any last-minute questions and provide a hospital gown, head and foot coverings, and compression hose to wear. Foreign patients will have pre-surgical tests done. If necessary, our anesthesiologist can provide you with oral sedation beforehand to help you relax. You will then be taken to the surgical room and given general anesthesia. Once you are comfortably sedated, Dr. Pompa can begin the procedure.

How is the Gastric Bypass procedure done?

During the first part of the procedure, Dr. Pompa will carefully divide your stomach into two portions using laparoscopic technology. Once the smaller pouch is created, she will connect it to the lower part to the small intestine (jejunum). This small pouch will be able to hold only about a cup of food at a time, restricting your portions and allowing you to feel full faster; food will then travel to the intestine, preventing the absorption of sugars and fats in its first sections, and a mixture of nutrients takes place in the lower part of the intestine, where the second connection is made.

By creating a smaller stomach that bypasses the duodenum and reroutes food directly into the lower part of the small intestine, much of the food will not be processed, thus restricting the absorption of calories and nutrients.

Recovering from Gastric Bypass Surgery

Once the procedure is completed, you will be taken to a comfortable, private recovery room where Dr. Pompa will monitor you for the first few days before you return home. Because this procedure is considered major abdominal surgery, it is imperative that you follow your postsurgical at-home care instructions carefully to reduce your chances of developing complications.

As your stomach adjusts, you may experience discomfort, nausea, vomiting, constipation, fatigue, and even mild depression for a few weeks after your procedure. Resting, taking medications as directed, minimizing your daily activity, and following your post-op diet can help reduce any uncomfortable symptoms you may experience.

Since each patient responds differently to surgery, the rate of recovery varies from patient to patient, but in most cases, you can expect to return to work around two to three weeks after surgery. As your diet advances, in a few weeks you will be able to enjoy a wider variety of healthy foods, this will be a gradual process that lasts around three months. The key to recovery is maintaining a healthy diet and being patient with your body as it adjusts.

Are There Any Risks Involved?

For reasons that can range from the very anatomy of the procedure, to lack of proper supplementation or failure to follow post-surgical instructions, patients who undergo gastric bypass surgery may develop:

• Nutritional and vitamin deficiencies
• Stomach stretching caused by overeating
• Stomal stenosis (a narrowing between the stomach and small intestines)
• Gallstones
• Dumping syndrome (when a high sugar food digests too quickly from the stomach to the small intestine and causes an increase in insulin production, which results in a sudden drop in glucose levels)
• Prolonged digestive issues, such as nausea, diarrhea or constipation

Complications due to this procedure are very rare, and its mortality rate is less than 0.2%.

Working with qualified healthcare providers and following their instructions can greatly reduce these risks.

The most frequent long-term risk for this procedure is the development of nutritional and vitamin deficiencies, specially vitamin B12 deficiency. This can be very easily prevented, since bariatric surgeons and nutritionists prescribe dietary supplements and vitamins to weight loss surgery patients as part of their treatment, before and after surgery. Weight loss surgery candidates should be well aware that they might be needing dietary supplements and vitamins as a lifelong habit.

Due to the malabsorptive properties of the gastric bypass surgery, there is the possibility to develop intolerance or higher sensitivity to certain foods. Patients should acknowledge that their body has been through a major change and that, with it, their reactions to some meals might change too. For example, some studies report a higher intolerance to alcoholic beverages or a mild risk of developing alcohol dependency. As part of their new and healthier lifestyle, bariatric patients should avoid alcohol, sweets and fats, and prefer high-protein meals and nourishing treats.

Benefits of Gastric Bypass Surgery

At LIMARP® in Tijuana, we have performed thousands of successful weight loss surgeries on patients all over the world. We use the latest technology and offer specially developed amenities to deliver safe and effective care.

The Roux-en-Y has proven to be effective on ameliorating and even resolving obesity-related comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis, dyslipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea, asthma, varicose veins, even infertility.

Choosing to improve your health with gastric bypass surgery can provide many benefits, including:

• Remission of type 2 diabetes
• Relief from joint pain
• Resolution of sleep apnea
• Reduction in the risks related to hypertension and heart disease
• Healthier lifestyle
• Better quality of life
• Dramatic, long-term weight loss
• Enhanced self-confidence

A Roux-en-Y might be reversible if the patient faces long-term complications, although a reversal also implies risks as any surgical procedure would.

The outcomes and benefits to obtain from this surgery will depend on many factors, including compliance to prescriptions, medical and nutritionist recommendations, maintenance of a healthy lifestyle, and even genetic predisposition. But when you get treatment with LIMARP’s expert team, you are not alone. We provide long-term to lifelong follow-up, where we monitor your progress, we supervise your biometric records and we provide guidance and counselling according to your specific needs. At LIMARP, our main focus is your health and your long-lasting wellbeing, and our commitment is to help you reach your goals, because we take them as seriously as you do.

Achieve Healthy Weight Loss at our Clinic in Tijuana

If you are interested in learning more about how gastric bypass surgery can benefit you, or if you are interested in knowing which weight loss surgery might be right for you, contact us online or call our number (619) 270-8823 to schedule your consultation with Dr. Pompa. At LIMARP, Tijuana, our experienced team can design a customized treatment plan to help you lose weight and set you on track to start a new chapter of health in your life.