Gastric Bypass Surgery: A Case Study

Obesity is a common and complex disorder that involves having an excessive amount of body fat. It is determined based on Body Mass Index (a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese) and as a result can increase the risk of health problems. In some cases, diet and exercise can help an individual lower their BMI, but sometimes, more medical attention is needed. In that case, gastric bypass surgery may be considered. Gastric bypass surgery is a surgical procedure in which the stomach is reduced after being divided into two pouches, a small upper pouch and a lower “remnant” pouch. The small intestine is then arranged and connected to both pouches. In previous years, gastric bypass was thought to only help someone lose weight, but according to the article by Bijal P. Trivedi, it can help reverse Type 2 diabetes. …show more content…
Because of her obesity, she developed Type 2 diabetes which led to many complications such as arthritic knee pain, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and high blood sugar. In an attempt to lower the effects of the diabetes, and remedy the insulin resistance, Rubio was going to have to lose weight. But because conventional methods such as diet and exercise weren’t working, her only option was to have gastric bypass surgery. A month after the surgery was completed, Rubio lost 23 pounds and stabilized her glucose levels (because of her calorie-infused diet, Rubio’s elevated glucose levels meant that her body was neglecting the insulin it needed, a common function of Type 2 diabetes). As a result of the gastric bypass surgery, Rubio was able to drastically decreased her BMI and temporarily improve, if not cure, her