What the Heck is MGB? (Cliff Notes Version)

Some of you may already know what MGB stands for and some may not have a clue. For those that do please do not hesitate to add comments of anything I might not cover. Also some of what I am going to state is fact and some is opinion.

MGB stands for Mini Gastric Bypass and some refer to it as the Omega Loop. I want to address one thing right off the bat. No just because the word "Mini" is in the title it is in no way an indication of how much you will lose. In fact the results are impressive but I will touch on that in a little while.

In laymen's terms and my words (remember the opinion statement) the MGB takes the best of a couple surgeries and tweaks them just a little and makes them better (again opinion). Really when you look at the MGB procedure you will see the surgeon performs part of a Gastric Sleeve and part of the RNY gastric bypass.

The real beauty of the MGB is that it is 100% reversible and revisable. Unlike the Gastric Sleeve nothing is removed. The portion of the stomach that is separated stays in place and continues to live and create digestive fluid to aid in the break down of food.  Secondly similar to the RNY the surgeon bypass anywhere from 3 to 8 feet of the small intestine. It is my understanding this is a much longer bypass than the RNY but to be totally honest I cannot say because I never fully researched the RNY. This longer bypass allows for greater malabsorption which sounds like a bad thing but basically the food passes through your system faster so you do not absorb as much as you normally would without the bypass.

Now before all you Gastric Sleeve and RNY vets fill up the comment section. I have nothing against either procedure and think both are wonderful options. I just chose a different route but I promise it will not be all milk and honey for me and the MGB. I was simply pointing out how the MGB "stole" from the Gastric Sleeve and RNY.

What really sold me on the MGB is these few short "benefits" and a few others:

1. Short procedure - Usually less then 1 hour
2. Short recovery time - Usually back to work within a few days.
3. Short hospital stay - Typically overnight
4. Effective weight loss - I have heard as high as 85% of excess weight.
5. No foreign material left inside - aka Lap-Band
6. 100% reversible or revisable - I hope I don't need either but its nice to know its an option.

Now to be completely forthcoming the MGB is not a walk in the park either. Here are just a few issues with the MGB:

1. It is not a widely performed procedure in the US and finding a doctor is not easy. I got lucky and had a doctor a short 1.5 hour drive from where I live.
2. The longer bypass can lead to vitamin deficiencies. So I will be required to take a vitamin daily for the rest of my life.
3. Dumping syndrome - As you RNY vets can attest to this will not be a fun experience.
4. Bile Reflux - Yummy! Can lead to serious health problems so guess what else I get to take for a while? Yep Prilosec and Pepto for at least 3 months.

So there you have it. MGB in a short and sweet answer. I will include a link that has a lot more information as well as a link to my surgeon.

Mini Gastric Bypass Resource

My doc - David Hargroder