Sleeve Stomach Surgery

Doctors perform sleeve stomach surgery also called a gastric sleeve or sleeve gastrectomy, to help people lose weight. This surgery has become more common . Surgeons make small cuts to take out a big part of the stomach leaving a smaller stomach shaped like a sleeve. Making the stomach smaller helps very overweight people eat less food. This leads to weight loss over time and can make people healthier overall.

This guide covers all aspects of sleeve stomach surgery. You’ll learn how it works, its advantages, and the risks you need to think about. Whether you’re planning to get this surgery or just want to know more, this article gives you the facts to make a smart choice.

How Sleeve Stomach Surgery Works

Doctors do sleeve stomach surgery through tiny cuts in your belly. They use special tools and a camera for this operation. The surgeon takes out most of your stomach 80% to 85%. What’s left is a thin, tube-shaped part called the gastric sleeve.

This stomach size reduction has two main goals:

1. Less Hunger: Removing a big part of the stomach cuts down on ghrelin, a hormone that makes you hungry. This helps control your appetite, so you can eat smaller amounts and lose weight more .
2. Feeling Full Faster: With a smaller stomach, you’ll get full quicker. This means you’ll eat fewer calories and drop pounds.

The sleeve stomach operation is permanent because doctors can’t put back the part of the stomach they take out. This makes it different from other weight loss surgeries, like gastric bypass where they change how your digestive system works.

Sleeve Stomach Surgery: What’s Good About It

Getting your stomach made smaller through surgery can help people who are very overweight and have health problems because of it. Here’s what’s good about this type of surgery:

1. Big and Long-Lasting Weight Loss: Research shows sleeve stomach surgery helps people drop 50% to 60% of their extra weight in the first year. Most people keep this weight off for many years after.
2. Better Health for Obesity-Related Problems: Sleeve stomach surgery can help fix or control many health issues linked to obesity. These include type 2 diabetes high blood pressure high cholesterol, and sleep apnea.
3. Enhanced Quality of Life: Sleeve stomach surgery has an impact on people’s lives. It helps them lose a lot of weight and get healthier. This leads to better mobility less physical pain, and more confidence.
4. Lower Risk of Complications: Sleeve stomach surgery is safer than other weight loss surgeries. It’s less likely to cause problems like not getting enough nutrients or dumping syndrome. Dumping syndrome can happen after gastric bypass surgery.
5. Shorter Recovery Time: Sleeve stomach surgery doesn’t involve as much cutting as other weight loss surgeries. This means patients often spend less time in the hospital and get back to normal faster.

What Happens to Your Stomach After Gastric Sleeve Surgery

Once you’ve had the sleeve stomach operation, you’ll notice several changes to your stomach’s size and how it works:

1. Reduced Stomach Size: The surgeon will cut out a big part of your stomach leaving a smaller, sleeve-shaped part behind. This smaller stomach is the main reason why you lose weight after this operation.
2. Changed Hormone Production: When the surgeon removes part of your stomach, it leads to less ghrelin production. Ghrelin is the hormone that makes you feel hungry. This change in hormones helps to lessen your appetite and makes you feel full more .
3. Faster Gastric Emptying: The smaller stomach and changed anatomy can make food move through your digestive system more . This has an impact on how soon you feel full and how many calories you eat.
4. Changed Nutrient Absorption: The sleeve stomach surgery doesn’t change how you absorb nutrients. But, the smaller stomach and different digestive process might affect how well you absorb some vitamins and minerals. You might need to take supplements or have your healthcare team keep a close eye on you.

Can Your Stomach Get Bigger After Gastric Sleeve? Clearing Up Common Myths

People often think wrong about the sleeve stomach surgery. They believe you can “stretch” or grow your stomach over time, which leads to putting weight back on. But this isn’t quite right.

It’s true that your stomach might get a bit bigger if you overeat or eat lots of high-calorie foods. But the big changes the surgery makes to your body stay forever. The part of your stomach that gets taken out can’t grow back, and the new sleeve-shaped stomach can get so big.

Keep in mind that the long-term success of the sleeve stomach procedure has a strong link to your lifestyle choices and how well you follow the recommended diet and exercise guidelines. To keep the weight off after this procedure, you need to eat a healthy diet, control your portions, and exercise .

Risks and Side Effects of Sleeve Stomach Surgery

Like all surgeries, sleeve stomach surgery comes with some risks and potential side effects. While doctors consider this procedure safe, you should know about these possible complications:

1. Leaks: A few patients might have a leak from where the staples are or where the stomach connects to the esophagus. This can turn into a big problem so you’d need to see a doctor right away.
2. Bleeding: Blood loss can happen while you’re on the operating table or after you’re done. If this occurs, you might need extra treatment or even blood from someone else.
3. Infection: Just like with any operation, you could get an infection where they cut you open or inside your belly. If this happens, you might need antibiotics or other treatments to get better.
4. Nutritional Deficiencies: Your smaller stomach and changes in nutrient absorption can put you at risk for shortages of certain vitamins and minerals. You might lack iron, calcium, and vitamin B12. You’ll need regular check-ups and may have to take supplements.
5. Gallstone Formation: Losing weight after sleeve stomach surgery can make you more likely to develop gallstones. This might mean you need extra treatment or another operation.
6. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): Sometimes, the sleeve stomach procedure can make GERD worse or cause it to start. GERD happens when stomach contents flow back into the food pipe.

You need to talk about these risks and side effects with your doctors. This helps you make a smart choice and understand why careful follow-up care matters so much.

Preparing for Sleeve Stomach Surgery

Getting ready for sleeve stomach surgery involves many steps to make sure you have the best results. Your doctors will help you through these steps:

1. Comprehensive Medical Evaluation: You’ll go through a complete health check-up. This includes physical exams, blood work, and maybe scans. The goal is to check your overall health and make sure you’re a good fit for the surgery.
2. Dietary and Lifestyle Changes: In the weeks or months before the surgery, you might need to follow a special diet. This could be a low-calorie or low-carb plan. The aim is to shrink your liver and make the surgery easier.
3. Psychological Evaluation: You may have to take a mental health assessment. This helps to check if you’re emotionally ready and able to make the big lifestyle changes you’ll need after the surgery for it to work well in the long run.
4. Insurance and Financing: Your healthcare team will help you understand the insurance and financing parts of the procedure. They’ll make sure you know about the coverage and any costs you’ll need to pay yourself.
5. Pre-operative Preparation: In the days before your surgery, you might need to follow some specific instructions. These could include not eating for a while changing how you take your medicines, and getting your home ready for when you come back after the procedure.

By getting ready for sleeve stomach surgery, you can boost your chances of a good result and an easy recovery.

Recovery and Post-operative Care

After sleeve stomach surgery, you’ll go through a recovery process that combines care in the hospital and ongoing checkups with your medical team. Here’s what to expect:

1. Hospital Stay: You’ll spend 1-2 nights in the hospital after the procedure. During this time, your healthcare team will keep an eye on your progress, handle any immediate concerns after surgery, and give you advice on what to do next for your recovery.
2. Diet Progression: In the first few weeks after surgery, you’ll follow a specific eating plan. You’ll start with clear liquids then move to pureed or soft foods, and finally transition to solid foods as your body gets used to the changes in your digestive system.
3. Physical Activity: Your healthcare team will suggest ways to increase your physical activity. You’ll begin with light exercises and build up to more intense workouts as your body heals.
4. Ongoing Monitoring: You’ll need to see your surgeon, dietitian, and other healthcare team members regularly. These check-ups help track your progress, solve any problems, and make sure you’re meeting your long-term health goals.
5. Nutritional Supplementation: To avoid lacking nutrients, you’ll have to take various vitamins and minerals. Your healthcare team will tell you to take things like multivitamins, calcium, and vitamin B12. This helps keep your body healthy after the surgery.

You can make the most of your sleeve stomach surgery and boost your odds of long-term success by following post-op care instructions to the letter and staying in close touch with your medical team.

Long-term Success and Lifestyle Changes After Sleeve Stomach Surgery

Your dedication to lasting lifestyle shifts plays a big role in the long-term success of the sleeve stomach procedure. The surgery gives you a powerful weight loss tool, but your ongoing work and sticking to healthy habits will be key to keeping the results.

Here are some main lifestyle changes you might need to embrace after your sleeve stomach surgery:

1. Balanced, Nutrient-dense Diet: To meet your nutritional needs and support your weight loss goals, you need to develop and stick to a healthy balanced diet. Focus on whole foods packed with nutrients.
2. Portion Control: Your reduced stomach size will limit how much you can eat at once. So, it’s key to learn and follow the right portion sizes.
3. Regular Physical Activity: Add regular exercise to your routine to keep the weight off and boost your overall health. This includes both cardio and strength training.
4. Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation: As we said before, you’ll need to take various supplements to avoid nutrient deficiencies. Your healthcare team will help you manage this.
5. Ongoing Medical Monitoring: You’ll need to see your healthcare team for check-ups and follow-ups. This allows them to keep an eye on your progress, tackle any problems, and tweak your treatment plan when needed.

By making these lifestyle adjustments and teaming up with your doctors, you can boost your odds of long-term success and keep the good results of the sleeve stomach surgery.

Other Options Besides Sleeve Stomach Surgery

The sleeve stomach surgery works well for many people who want to lose weight, but it might not fit everyone’s needs. You might want to look into these other weight loss surgeries:

1. Gastric Bypass: This surgery creates a tiny stomach pouch and changes the route of the small intestine. It skips part of the digestive system, which cuts down on calories eaten and absorbed.
2. Adjustable Gastric Banding: This operation puts a band you can adjust around the top of the stomach. It makes a smaller stomach pouch and limits how much food you can eat.
3. Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch: This tricky surgery does two things. It makes the stomach smaller and changes the path of the small intestine. The result? You eat less and your body absorbs fewer calories.
4. Non-surgical Weight Loss Interventions: Sometimes, doctors suggest alternatives to surgery for weight loss. These options include changing your lifestyle, taking medicine, or having procedures done through your mouth. These methods can help people lose weight without going under the knife.

You should talk about these options with your doctors to figure out the best plan for you, based on what you need how healthy you are, and what you prefer.

Is Sleeve Stomach Surgery Right for You?

Sleeve stomach surgery has become a top choice for people dealing with obesity and health issues related to it. This operation makes the stomach smaller and changes how it makes hormones that control hunger. As a result, it helps people lose a lot of weight and keep it off. This leads to better health overall and a better life.

Still, you need to know that sleeve stomach surgery isn’t a magic fix for everyone. To make it work in the long run, you’ll have to commit to big lifestyle changes. This means eating better working out , and following your doctor’s advice .

If you’re thinking about getting a sleeve stomach, it’s key to have a real talk with your doctor first. They can help you figure out if it’s right for you by looking at the good and bad sides. Your doctor can also walk you through what to do before and after the surgery, and how to recover, so you can get the best results possible.

At Global Medical Care, our healthcare team has the skills and know-how to give complete individualized care to people who want to lose weight. If you’d like to know more about the sleeve stomach procedure or check out other ways to shed pounds, we suggest you book a chat with one of our experts. We can work with you to come up with a plan that fits your needs and helps you reach your health and fitness goals.