Bowel obstruction is another serious complication that can follow gastric bypass surgery. M often, it is caused by an internal hernia at the incisions. Bowel obstructions occur in 4%-5% of gastric bypass surgery patients.
The common symptoms of bowel obstruction are severe abdominal pain and distention, or feeling swollen in the abdominal area. Interestingly, bowel obstruction, as a complication of gastric bypass surgery, can happen long after the surgery has taken place.
The best way to treat bowel obstruction is laporoscopic surgery, especially if the bowel obstruction was caused by a hernia. In those cases the surgeon will repair the hernia, and in doing so the obstruction will be removed.