What Is a Sleeve Gastrectomy?
Sleeve gastrectomy, also known as vertical sleeve gastrectomy, is a surgical weight-loss procedure. During this procedure, about 80% of the stomach is removed and the remaining stomach forms a narrow tube called a sleeve. This way, less food will make you feel more full when eating.
The Sleeve Gastrectomy procedure is available as part of our Weight Loss & Bariatric Programme, that includes an optional 6 month support package post surgery, to ensure you have the best opportunity to reach your weight loss goals.
Why Is the Surgery Done?
Sleeve gastrectomy is usually done to treat morbid obesity by restricting the amount of food you can eat. Typically, the procedure is applied in order to reduce the risk of potentially life-threatening weight-related health problems.
Who Is the Surgery Recommended?
Sleeve gastrectomy normally only recommended for people suffering from morbid obesity that have tried other weight loss methods unsuccessfully. The following conditions are required to qualify for the procedure:
- BMI 40 or higher.
- Obesity-associated serious health problems
- No history of gastrointestinal diseases.
- Commit to healthy lifestyle changes.
Benefits and Potential Results
This procedure can be a very effective long-term way to lose weight, depending on how much you change your lifestyle habits. Sleeve gastrectomy can result in losing 20 to 40 kilos of excess weight within the first two years.
Additionally, it may also improve or even reverse some health conditions related to being overweight, including:
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Hyperlipidemia
- Heart diseases
- Sleep apnea
- Osteoarticular diseases
- Infertility
Risks
Since the sleeve gastrectomy involves major surgery, there are some possible risks related to this procedure.
Some of the risks associated with the surgical procedure itself include:
- Bleeding
- Blood clots
- Breathing problems
- Gastrointestinal leaks
Long-term post surgery complications include:
- Malnutrition
- Nausea or vomiting
- Gastroesophageal reflux
- Bowel obstruction
Before Surgery
In order to be selected as a valid candidate for the procedure, your doctor might require some lab tests. Also, you need to inform them about your regular medication (blood-thinning, hypertension or diabetes medication) since there will be some restrictions on which you can take, as well as what you can eat and drink before the procedure.
During Surgery
Sleeve gastrectomy is now typically performed using a minimally-invasive laparoscopic technique. The procedure involves the following steps:
- After making several small incisions in your abdomen, the surgeon will insert the laparoscopic instruments.
- The doctor will cut vertically your stomach, removing and curving part of it to create a narrow sleeve.
- As a result you will feel full sooner during your meals.
You will be sleeping under general anesthesia and monitored closely for any complication. The whole procedure will take a few hours.
After Surgery
Immediately after the procedure, you won’t be allowed to eat or drink for about 8 hours. After that, your diet will include only sugar-free liquids for the next week, progressing gradually to pureed food and finally to regular food around four weeks after surgery. You are likely to be at the hospital for at least 2-4 days. Your doctor will recommend certain vitamin and mineral supplements after your surgery. You will require a vitamin B-12 injection once a month for life.
Should you have any further inquiries or require additional information, please feel free to reach out to our team at 0566855872
Faqs
الأسئلة الأكثر شيوعا
A sleeve gastrectomy involves surgically decreasing your stomach size by about 75%. Following surgery your stomach becomes as narrow as a tube, thus diminishing your appetite, and only allowing a modest amount of food to be consumed and cause satiety to set in almost immediately. Moreover, by decreasing your stomach size, you create less of the “hunger hormone,” which is responsible for hunger pangs.
Constipation may occur as a result of a gastric sleeve, particularly evident within the initial three months following surgery. This happens because of reduced food (fiber) and water consumption, adverse reactions to prescribed pain medication or iron supplements, and physical inactivity. Nonetheless, there are several highly efficient treatments for constipation, and you should be given further information about these after your procedure.
Yes, it could. After a gastric sleeve procedure, your stomach volume is lowered to about 100ml, and it is natural for your stomach to expand a little bit after a while. However, if you fail to nourish yourself in compliance with your doctor’s instructions, your stomach may expand beyond what is essential, and you could easily put the weight you lost back on.
Some surgeons will propose that you have this done in two phases, to lessen the risks associated with the surgery. Typically, the second phase which will involve either a duodenal switch or gastric bypass is done a year following the initial. Even then, several people have reported that a sleeve gastrectomy performed as a single operation yielded good outcomes regarding weight loss.
Even though the normal age demographic for gastric sleeve surgery includes 18-65, this is not the primary determinant for surgery under certain circumstances. No matter your age, book a consultation with your doctor and get to know your options.
Each person goes through a different healing process. You may be discharged either 2 or 3 days after surgery. The healing process for your surgical indecisions should take about 4 to 7 weeks. It takes a bit longer, perhaps 6 to 9 weeks, to heal the stapler line that holds the remaining portion of the stomach in place throughout recovery. If you have a steadfast commitment to your nutritional plan and prescribed guidelines, you should be able to return to your regular activities after 2 weeks but avoid those that involve heavy lifting or put you under stress.
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