Chances are you know someone who’s had bariatric surgery to lose weight. Hopefully he or she had a positive experience and is living a new life. Seen as a last-resort option for those who’ve tried and failed multiple times to lose weight through diet and exercise, weight loss surgery can have great results not only for weight loss but also for disease prevention. While considered to be a safe option (more people die from knee replacement surgery complications), weight loss surgery isn’t without risk.
There are three types of weight loss procedures: sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, and adjustable gastric banding. Before making the decision to undergo one of these surgeries, be informed of the potential pros and cons. It’s important to note that all surgery and anesthesia involve some sort of risk, whether an allergic reaction, blood clots, blood loss, infection, heart attack, or stroke.
Sleeve Gastrectomy
During a sleeve gastrectomy procedure, a surgeon removes most of your stomach and makes a smaller stomach, about the size of a banana. Having a smaller stomach means you can’t eat as much food as before. Just a small amount of food will make you feel full faster.
Before undergoing this surgery, you must be prepared to make some drastic lifestyle changes. You can’t just assume that the surgery will do the weight loss for you. After surgery, you must eat small portions of healthy foods and get regular exercise. Not doing these two things increases your risk of complications and lessens your amount of potential weight loss.
Unlike some other options, sleeve gastrectomy is a permanent surgery. Once the surgery is complete, you can never get your old stomach size back. If results aren’t as desired, you may have to have a second type of surgery done. Weight loss with this surgery may not be as drastic and may be slower than with gastric bypass.
Besides the basic risks associated with surgery and anesthesia, sleeve gastrectomy has a few unique risks. These include heartburn, stomach ulcers, gastritis, injury to surrounding organs, leaking from the stomach staples, scarring, poor nutrition, and vomiting from overeating.
Gastric Bypass
The most common type of bariatric surgery and the one with the most drastic weight loss potential is gastric bypass surgery. In this procedure, your stomach is divided into a small top pouch and a larger bottom section. Then your small intestine is attached to the small top pouch, bypassing the rest of your stomach. Since the small pouch is the size of a walnut and holds only an ounce of food, you will not be able to eat much without feeling full. Your body will also absorb much fewer calories.
You can expect quick weight loss with gastric bypass, but it’s not a quick fix. Watching what you eat and exercising are still required for successful weight loss and reducing your risk of complications. During the first year, you should lose about 10 to 20 pounds a month and lose up to half your extra weight in two years.
Following this procedure, many people deal with vitamin deficiencies and frequent nausea and diarrhea. Staying in constant contact with a physician and dietitian ensures you are meeting your dietary needs and still losing weight.
Adjustable Gastric Banding
Also known as lap-band surgery, adjustable gastric banding is a third option for weight loss surgery. As with gastric bypass, a small pouch is made at the top of your stomach. Unlike gastric bypass, the stomach is not bypassed. Rather, food slowly leaves the top pouch and enters the bottom portion of your stomach. The band can be adjusted later on so more or less food can pass through.
Again, be prepared for big lifestyle changes. Lap band surgery involves risks. The band may erode or slip out of place. Additionally, you may suffer heartburn, stomach ulcers, gastritis, injury to surrounding organs, infection, scarring, nutritional deficiencies, vomiting, or the inability to later adjust the band.
You can expect to lose about one-third to half of your extra weight over three years with lap band surgery.
Do you qualify?
To qualify for weight loss surgery you must be considered morbidly obese or obese and suffer from a serious health issue brought on by your weight.
