All You Need to Know about Gastric Sleeve Surgery

Obesity has become a serious issue on the global level and medical professionals can’t stress enough the importance to eradicate this trend. With this conditions, other serious and life-threating ones follow, like cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure and diabetes. However, the causes of obesity are something that is not easily removed from people’s lives. Processed food is cheaper than the healthy one, and not to mention it takes less time to prepare or none if you order a delivery or buy a pre-packed meal. The fact that we spend most of the day standing or in sedentary position also doesn't help and only makes the calories pile up in your body and turn into fat. However, one thing was always very clear: it is easier to gain weight than to lose it, especially due to age or some underlying medical condition. That is why gastric sleeve surgery has become one of the most favorable solutions that will help people lose weight and change their lives. If you are among those who have a hard time to drop the pounds, here is what you need to know about the gastric sleeve surgery.

It was part of the gastric bypass surgery

Gastric sleeve surgery is an accepted standalone technique today but it wasn’t always the case. Firstly, this was the stage one of the gastric bypass surgery performed on individuals with BMI over 45. Since these patients are under the increased risk during surgical procedures their time under anesthesia had to be cut down. The regular gastric bypass surgery takes over two hours, while duodenal switch takes over four. Since this exposed patient to serious risk from complications, the surgeons started performing the procedure in two stages. The first surgery reduced the size of the patient’s stomach, and after a year a second one was used to bypass the intestines and reduce calories. But after a year, the surgeons noticed that patients lost a considerable amount of weight and didn't need to undergo the bypass, so gastric sleeve surgery became a standalone procedure.

What does this surgery do?

Gastric sleeve surgery is a procedure used to remove a portion of patient's stomach, more precisely around 80% of it. After the surgery, the patient will feel fuller after eating smaller quantities of food and less hungry, which will reduce their calorie intake. A staggering 75% of excess weight is lost because of this procedure, thus managing or curing certain conditions caused by obesity. rnDuring the procedure, the surgeon will use laparoscopic instruments to make incisions and remove the part of your stomach. It will leave a section called the sleeve that will connect small intestines with the esophagus. The patient's stomach is much smaller and that will cause to ingest less food. This procedure is safe for children and the elderly as well, and the scar is barely noticeable in the end.

Weight loss

After one year, the patients lost as much as 70% of their excess weight, with 30% in the first three months and 50% after six. However, to preserve the newly acquired body weight, patients need to respect a certain lifestyle. First of all, their dietary regime should stay the same as after the surgery since the stomach gets stretched over time if they overeat. rnSecondly, exercising should be an important part of a person's life not only to maintain a healthy weight but also to prevent skin from sagging. It is important to continue regular checks by the dietitian or nutritionist in order to create a proper diet.

Health benefits

Health benefits of the gastric sleeve surgery are noticeable and they lead to mitigation or elimination of certain conditioned tied to the obesity. Of course, the patient needs to come for follow-ups with their doctor in order to make sure that these conditions are under control.rnDiabetes, sleep apnea, asthma and cholesterol problems are only some that disappear after the gastric sleeve surgery and subsequent weight loss. However, in case they’re not completely cured, the improvements are considerable and have a positive effect on patient's quality of life.

Recovery

After the surgery, you will wake up groggy from anesthesia and barely feel any pain due to medications. After a day, you will start to experience pain although you will still be on pain medication and able to mitigate the discomfort. Several incisions on your abdomen will be dressed to heal and you may feel more pain in the lower left segment since that's where the surgeon removed the stomach. You are not allowed to eat anything except some ices to avoid dehydration. Don’t be alarmed because your throat is swollen since this is due to the breathing tube you had during surgery and is perfectly normal. Most likely, you won’t feel hungry since your hunger hormones are low, so just rest as much as possible and allow your body to heal. The surgeon will ask you to walk a little each day to reduce the pain and it will also help you feel better the next day. The pain will be present even after several days, but it's manageable and will slowly start to fade. Your surgeon will prescribe a certain diet mostly consisting of sugar-free juices, broth, protein shakes and fat-free milk. After one week, people can go back to work although if you feel tired still, don’t panic – it’s normal. Your body is adjusting and needs time to recover. If your surgeon gives you the green light, start going to the gym and exercising but only for half the time and half the speed than it would usually take.

In the end

Gastric sleeve surgery may scare you, but if you suffer from obesity and have tried most of the available solutions without result, then this procedure may be your only option. Technology today is advanced and although the procedure carries certain risks as all the surgeries do, it brings more benefits to your health than staying obese. If you have any questions or doubts, always consult your doctor and listen to their advice before and after the gastric sleeve surgery.