What Is A Gastric Sleeve?
Sleeve gastrectomy (or sleeve gastrectomy) is a procedure designed to aid in weight loss in obese patients. It functions by shrinking your stomach by up to 75%, leaving a tiny, banana-shaped “sheath.” This limits how much food can fit in your stomach, which causes you to feel full more quickly. As a result, eating smaller meals makes you feel satisfied, making it a useful method for regulating portion size.
As more people struggle to lose weight with diet and exercise alone, gastric sleeve surgery is becoming a more common medical option. When a gastric tube is used in conjunction with a balanced diet and regular exercise, patients can anticipate losing up to 70% of their extra body weight.
Your stomach will remain smaller indefinitely after having a gastric sleeve gastrectomy because it is an irreversible procedure. You will be able to keep off the weight for a very long period with this. Because it permanently alters the size of your stomach, gastric sleeve surgery is typically only performed as a last resort for obese people.
Are You Eligible For Gastric Sleeve?
Only extremely obese people who have repeatedly failed to reduce weight by changing their lifestyle are advised to have gastric sleeve surgery. A gastric sleeve may consequently be the best option for you if you’ve had trouble losing weight despite dietary and exercise improvements.
You must typically meet the following criteria to be a candidate for gastric sleeve surgery:
- A BMI that is over 40
- A BMI that is between 35 and 40 with an obesity-related medical condition that could improve if you lost weight, such as diabetes or high blood pressure
Additionally, you will need to demonstrate your commitment to changing your lifestyle permanently once the procedure is complete. Additionally, you must be in good enough health and shape to undergo the surgery under general anesthesia.
Please keep in mind that different clinics have different eligibility requirements for gastric sleeve surgery. However, a reference from your doctor is not required.
You should schedule a consultation with a surgeon at the clinic of your choosing to determine if you are a good candidate for the procedure. We can connect you with the top weight loss centers in your area by having you complete the form at the top of this page.
Gastric Sleeve Surgery Procedure
Although undergoing gastric sleeve surgery can be frightening, it is a procedure that transforms lives and is performed safely thousands of times each. An outline of what to anticipate before, during, and after your gastric sleeve procedure is given below:
Before:
- A consultation with a surgeon and a nutritionist is required initially. In order to establish your suitability for gastric sleeve surgery, they will perform certain medical tests, ask you questions about your health and lifestyle, and interview you. You might also need to get your psychological health checked.
- You will be invited to a pre-operative examination a few weeks prior to the date of your gastric sleeve surgery, where you will undergo a number of health exams to ensure that you are in good enough health for the procedure. An ECG, x-rays, and blood tests are a few examples of this.
- You must give up smoking and drinking. By doing this, you will lower your likelihood of experiencing significant consequences from the procedure (e.g. blood clots and infection).
- You will be required to adhere to a strict healthy eating and exercise regimen for the two weeks prior to the sleeve gastrectomy. This will guarantee that you are in the greatest health possible for your procedure. Additionally, it will reduce the size of your liver, which will make it simpler for the surgeon to access your stomach during surgery.
- A few days prior to the procedure, you may be instructed to cease consuming caffeine and carbonated beverages. You must fast for at least six hours prior to the procedure in order for the sleeve gastrectomy to take place with your stomach empty.
During Gastric Sleeve
- You will be unconscious the entire while a sleeve gastrectomy procedure is being done because it is done under general anesthesia. It takes two to four hours to finish.
- Your doctor will create roughly 5 tiny incisions (cuts) in your abdomen using the keyhole technique. They will implant a variety of surgical tools into these incisions, including a tube with a tiny camera (a laparoscope).
- The remainder of your stomach, up to 75% of it, will be removed by your surgeon to make room for a much smaller banana-shaped pouch or sleeve. Staples will be used to close this.
- Your abdominal incisions will be stitched up, and you’ll be transferred to a recovery room until you wake up.
After Gastric Sleeve
- Although your abdomen is probably bruised and hurting, you will be given medicines to help you feel better. To confirm that the procedure was successful and your recovery is normal, your healthcare team will closely check your health (such as blood pressure).
- Small tubes or a catheter to empty your bladder may be introduced into your abdominal incisions in addition to small tubes to drain any extra fluid.
- To increase blood flow and lower the chance of blood clots, you’ll be urged to get up and move around as soon as you feel well enough to do so. Any pain you might be experiencing might also be lessened by doing this.
- Prior to being released from the hospital and permitted to return home, you will need to stay there for 3 to 5 days. You’ll be forced to follow a strict liquid diet during this time as your body adjusts to its new stomach.
- You’ll need to make arrangements for a different kind of transportation because you won’t be able to drive after you leave the hospital. You will receive a set of aftercare instructions from your surgeon that will provide guidance on what to do once you get home.
Recovery After Gastric Sleeve Surgery
You must get lots of rest after having a gastric sleeve since you need time to heal. Although everyone recovers at a different pace, most people can return to their regular activities two weeks after surgery.
Most patients experience some abdominal pain for up to 4 weeks following surgery, especially when moving around. To help you with this discomfort, you will be given medicines to ingest.
Even though you’ll be exhausted, you must progressively increase the amount of time you spend working out each day. Start out with some mild walking and work your way up to some light running and aerobics. However, you should wait at least six months after your sleeve gastrectomy before beginning a hard exercise regimen.
After your gastric sleeve procedure, you’ll be put on a strict diet to help your body get used to your new stomach and prevent any unfavorable side effects (e.g. vomiting). You must first just take liquids, then puréed foods, and finally solid foods. By week six, most people start eating solid foods once more. You’ll have to show up to sessions with your dietician, who will keep a careful eye on your diet and give you recommendations for what to eat.
You might anticipate losing up to 70% of your excess body weight with a gastric sleeve in the first year. Even though it could take some time before you notice any weight reduction, maintaining a balanced diet and doing regular exercise will help you lose weight.
Gastric Sleeve Side Effects
Gastric sleeve surgery carries a slight risk of side effects, just like any other procedure. Even though these are frequently experienced, you shouldn’t be concerned because the majority of gastric sleeve surgery side effects are easily managed with over-the-counter medications.
Following gastric sleeve surgery, individuals frequently encounter the following side effects:
- Discomfort or pain in the abdomen
- Bruising or swelling around the surgical incisions
- Nausea and vomiting
- Indigestion and heartburn
There is a very minimal chance that having a gastric sleeve operation will lead to more severe consequences. Before the procedure, your surgeon will go over these in greater detail with you.
Potentially more severe issues include:
Nutritional deficits: Following gastric sleeve surgery, around 12% of individuals experience nutritional deficiencies. This happens when your body cannot properly utilize the nutrients in the food you eat. Numerous health issues may result from this. Constipation, tiredness, and lightheadedness are signs to watch out for. Long-term dietary supplement use can be used to correct nutritional insufficiency.
Gallstones are cholesterol-containing solid masses that develop in the gallbladder. They may result in heartburn, stomach pain, bloating, nausea, and vomiting. Often, there is no need to treat gallstones. However, you will need to have your gallbladder surgically removed if they are causing chronic pain or other health issues (like jaundice).
Gastric Leakage: This is when your stomach’s contents leak out. This typically occurs at the staple line where your stomach was sliced after gastric sleeve surgery and sewn shut. If untreated, gastric leakage might result in a dangerous infection. To resecure the staple line and stop the leak, surgery is necessary.
Stricture: Only around 4% of people who have a sleeve gastrectomy experience a stricture. It describes the condition in which the stomach’s entrance becomes irritated and/or obstructed. This prevents your stomach from receiving some or all of the food you ingest. Food intolerance, nausea, and vomiting are all signs of strictures, as are difficulties swallowing. Depending on how long you’ve had a stricture, surgery may be an option for treatment.
Unfortunately, even if you adhere to your surgeon’s postoperative advice, some of these issues can still happen following a sleeve gastrectomy.
Following your procedure, you should speak with a medical practitioner right away if you develop any unsettling symptoms.
6 Benefits Of Gastric Sleeve Surgery
There are many benefits of having gastric sleeve surgery, including:
- It has been demonstrated to keep weight off for a very long time.
- After undergoing gastric sleeve surgery, patients can anticipate losing up to 70% of their excess body weight in just one year.
- Because the stomach is much reduced, smaller meals will feel more gratifying.
- Obesity-related disorders, like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, can be improved or even cured by it.
- Since it is a minimally invasive surgery, your hospital stay and recuperation period will be brief.
- It promotes making better lifestyle decisions, such getting more exercise and eating a much more wholesome diet.
Gastric Sleeve Cost In UK
You may be planning to get Gastric sleeve treatment for UK Get slim. However, costs are highly variable and high. Therefore, patients need to visit a different country to receive gastric sleeve treatment. Instead of paying the UK gastric sleeve prices, you can both get cheaper treatment and get very successful results with Turkeye gastric sleeve treatment. As Slimmer and Fitter Turkey, we guarantee extremely successful results. If you’re still wondering about UK gastric sleeve prices, you should know that the best price you can find is from €12.000.
