Found this interesting article...
Gastric Bypass Weight Loss Surgery information in Phoenix Arizona (AZ) this explains the differences that each surgery has... it would appear I have a proximal bypass
and this article.... (its no longer 'just' a bypass!!!)
Many people wonder what exactly the differences between proximal and distal gastric bypasses are. The answer to this perplexing is about as complex as the length of a person's intestines. There are actually 4 classifications associated with a gastric bypass. It is in these 4 classifications that the terms distal and primal gastric bypass is more clearly understood. For starters, one can look at the intestines by its 25 foot of length and then dissect this length into section which becomes our classifications for a gastric bypass surgery.
The closest cut for the gastric bypass is the proximal, in which the bypass allows only a small amount of calorie and nutrient absorption into the body. Followed by the proximal cut you then have the medial gastric bypass which allows a moderate amount of calorie and nutrient absorption into the body. After the Medial then comes the distal gastric bypass cut in which there is a significant allowance of nutrient and calorie absorption. Finally you have a special cut which is known as the biliopancreatic diversion or duodenal switch. In this final specialized cut the patient will be able to absorb a significant amount of nutrients and calories while at the same time they will also be able to eat more food.
When talking about the proximal cut in the gastric bypass surgery, what we are talking about is that the intestines will be cut less than 100 centimeters away from the stomach where the surgeon will then slice the two ends into a "Y" shape before attaching the end that was left exposed to the newly made pouch. With the Medial cut, the same "Y" shape will still be made except that the cu itself will be between 100 and 150 centimeters away from the stomach. With the distal and the biliopancreatic diversion the cut will be made more than 150 centimeters away from the stomach before making the "Y" shape bypass.
When talking about the choice of cuts, what is actually being talked about is the amount of malabsorption that will be allowed after the procedure has been completed. Malabsorption in reality is a complication of the intestinal tract which is actually caused by the surgeon as a means to assist the process of loosing the weight. Not including the process of a gastric bypass, the body's malabsorption may also be caused by things like intolerance to milk products. It is the same concept and theory the surgeon will use, but rather than just focusing on milk alone, this process prevents the body from being able to absorb a large portion of the nutrients and calories you may ingest. The definition of the prefix mal means that there is damage or it is abnormal meaning that the process of the bypass is to purposely damage the body's ability to absorb nutrients and calories as a means to help lose weight.
