Gastric Bypass Surgery In Ireland

There are a lot of versions of the gastric bypass (or the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass) but they all do the same thing.

Gastric bypass (Roux-en-Y) is performed under a general anaesthetic, your surgeon creates a small stomach pouch so you feel full with much smaller portions, then reroutes part of your small intestine so food passes from this new pouch into a lower section of the bowel. In simple terms, it’s a combination of making the stomach smaller and changing the food pathway through the gut, which supports weight loss and health improvements.

The average excess weight loss after a gastric bypass is around 70%. In other words, if you were 100lbs overweight before surgery you can expect to lose around 70lbs. As with the sleeve gastrectomy there is a tendency towards weight re-gain over time, but even at 10-years most patients will keep at least 50% of their excess weight off.

Furthermore, weight loss with the gastric bypass seems to be greater and more durable than with either the gastric band or the sleeve gastrectomy.

Gastric Bypass cost depends on various factors like your current weight and targeted weight.

At Auralia we can help you spread the cost of the surgery up to 36 monthly payments.

Please contact us to get your procedure price!

CALORIC RESTRICTION
The small pouch restricts the amount of food that can be eaten during one sitting which means fewer calories are taken in.

HORMONAL CHANGES
Re-routing the food stream by bypassing part of the small bowel causes a change in ghrelin (hormone for appetite). This causes a reduction in appetite helping you eat less and lose weight faster.

REDUCTION IN CRAVINGS
Help reduce your interest in high-fat foods, alcohol and sweets which lowers your consumption of high-calorie food.

In order to be eligible for Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass surgery, your BMI should be over 30.

You will also need to complete a surgical, medical, psychological and dietary evaluation before you’re approved for a gastric bypass. If you have any questions about eligibility, feel free to get in contact with our team today.

Dumping syndrome is a condition that can develop after gastric bypass and also after sleeve gastrectomy. It occurs when sugars move from the stomach into the bowel too quickly.

Most people with dumping syndrome develop signs and symptoms, such as abdominal cramps and diarrhea, 10 to 30 minutes after eating. Other people have symptoms one to three hours after eating, and still others have both early and late symptoms. These include:
● Nausea
● Vomiting
● Abdominal cramps
● Diarrhea
● Flushing
● Dizziness, lightheadedness
● Rapid heart rate
Generally, you can help prevent dumping syndrome by changing your diet after surgery. Changes might include eating smaller meals and limiting high-sugar foods.

Although around 60-70% of gastric bypass patients develop some degree of dumping, in only around 5% it does become chronic and require specific treatment in the form of medication or (rarely) surgery.

Some patients even claim to like dumping because they regard it as a form of aversion therapy – to stay away from sweet things!

Although calories are generally absorbed as normal after a gastric bypass, vitamins and minerals are most certainly not. So, it is absolutely essential for you to take regular (daily) vitamins and minerals after bypass surgery. If you fail to do this, you are almost certain to run into serious health problems, such as anaemia, nerve damage and bone disease. Key micronutrients include Vitamin B12, B1 (thiamine) and D, calcium, iron and zinc. You will be given detailed information regarding vitamin and mineral supplements after surgery.

Gastric bypass is generally safe, but it is still major surgery and side effects can happen. Short-term risks include bleeding, infection, blood clots, and (more rarely) a leak from the new connections. 
Longer-term problems can include dumping syndrome, bowel obstruction, ulcers, hernias, gallstones, low blood sugar, vomiting, and malnutrition. Because absorption changes, you’ll need lifelong vitamin/mineral supplements and follow-up to reduce deficiency risk.

Most people with a desk-based job are back to work in about 2 weeks, but if your job involves lifting, long shifts, or physical work, you may need longer. Some surgeons advise planning for up to 4 to 6 weeks to feel fully back to normal, depending on how you recover and what your work requires.

It’s normal to feel pain and discomfort for a week or two, especially around the small incision sites, and some people also get temporary shoulder-tip discomfort from the gas used during keyhole surgery. Pain should gradually improve with the medication you’re given, and you should contact your team urgently if pain is worsening, severe, or comes with symptoms like fever.

You’ll follow a step-by-step diet while your stomach heals, starting with fluids, then moving to runny or puréed foods, then soft foods, and finally a gradual return to a normal healthy texture. A typical plan is 2 weeks fluids, weeks 3 to 4 runny or purée, weeks 5 to 8 soft, then week 8 onwards balanced meals in small portions, focusing on hydration and protein and not rushing stages.

Yes, some weight regain can happen over time, and it’s usually linked to things like grazing, high-calorie liquids, reduced activity, or drifting away from follow-up support. The best protection is sticking with your scheduled reviews, getting help early if habits slip, and treating the surgery as a long-term programme rather than a one-off event.

Roux-en-Y Gastric bypass is generally considered a permanent procedure, but in rare cases it can be revised or reversed, usually because of significant medical problems that cannot be managed another way. A reversal is typically more complex than the original surgery and carries meaningful risks, so it is not done routinely.

Yes, many people have healthy pregnancies after gastric bypass surgery, but most guidance recommends waiting 12 to 18 months (until weight is more stable) before trying to conceive. Once pregnant, you’ll usually need closer monitoring of nutrition and supplements, because absorption changes after bypass can increase the risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

A standard Roux-en-Y gastric bypass creates a small pouch and reroutes the intestine using a “Y” configuration with two connections. A mini (one-anastomosis) gastric bypass creates a long narrow pouch and connects it to the intestine with one connection, which is why it’s called “one anastomosis”. Mini bypass can be very effective, but it may worsen reflux in some patients and can carry a slightly higher risk of malnutrition

Yes, gastric bypass (Roux-en-Y) can be covered in Ireland, either through private health insurance or the public system, but it depends on eligibility.

With private health insurance, some plans will cover gastric bypass when it’s medically indicated, but you usually need pre-approval, you must meet the insurer’s clinical criteria, and the procedure may need to be done in an approved hospital or programme.

Through the public system (HSE), Gastric Bypass can be provided for eligible patients, typically via a GP referral to a bariatric surgery centre. The HSE generally considers referral if you can commit to long-term follow-up and meet eligibility conditions. Waiting lists can apply.