Sleeve gastrectomy is a weight-loss surgical procedure your Port Chester bariatric surgeon performs laparoscopically. It involves removing a significant part of your stomach – 80%, leaving a small pouch resembling a banana. It is one of the bariatric procedures used for obese individuals who can’t lose enough weight through diet and exercise. This surgical process aims to limit the amount of food your stomach contains, meaning that you can only eat small portions of food. It also prompts hormonal changes, which help you lose weight, relieving conditions such as hypertension. Here is more you need to know about sleeve gastrectomy.
When would I need a sleeve gastrectomy?
Your specialist may recommend sleeve gastrectomy if your health condition (obesity) puts you at risk of life-threatening problems such as stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, sleep apnea, and high cholesterol. It usually is not the first line of treatment, but an option after exercise and dietary changes fail to prove futile. The following are reasons why sleeve gastrectomy may be an option for you.
- You have extreme obesity, meaning your body mass index is 40 and above.
- You are obese, and your health is at stake due to weight-related problems such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
While surgery can help you lose significant weight, your doctor will require you to make some permanent changes, including eating healthy. You also need to participate in follow-up plans after surgery for monitoring and ensuring your body responds well to surgery.
How do I prepare for surgery?
As with any surgery, an initial consultation is necessary to understand what the procedure involves and establish whether you are a good candidate. Sleeve gastrectomy is associated with several risks, and you get to learn about them during a discussion with your doctor. The following are the possible short and long-term problems after surgery. Short term risks include:
- Reaction to anesthesia
- Excessive bleeding
- Infection
- Leaking of the stomach contents from the stapled area
Examples of the long term complications you may experience include:
- Malnutrition
- Hernia
- Gastrointestinal obstruction
- Hypoglycemia
- Vomiting
Patients need to start a workout routine several weeks before surgery and stop smoking or using any tobacco products. Your doctor may also require you not to eat right before the procedure, and all this information necessitates an initial consultation.
What does the procedure entail?
An anesthesiologist sedates you before surgery to ensure you are unconscious during the procedure. General anesthesia makes you unaware of your surroundings, and you will feel groggy afterward.
The following process varies depending on your surgeon’s practice. Your specialist may use one of the two approaches – traditional surgery or laparoscopic. The latter is minimally invasive and involves inserting small instruments through tiny cuts in your abdomen.
The surgeon removes a large part of your stomach using a stapler, leaving a banana-like pouch. The whole process may take one to two hours, depending on the surgical approach your specialist uses. You will then proceed to the recovery room, where the medical staff monitors you for some time.
If you would like to learn more about sleeve gastrectomy, book a consultation today with your doctor at AMI Surgery.