For anyone combating obesity who is looking to take charge of their life and their health, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, also known as vertical sleeve gastrectomy or simply gastric sleeve, offers a wonderful solution.
It’s important to learn about the procedure so you fully understand what to expect before, during and after, along with the procedure’s benefits, and other valuable information to help you prepare.
Let’s start at the top, what is laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy surgery? It’s a common question, as this procedure is both newer and less understood than many of its counterparts.
With sleeve gastrectomy, your surgeon removes a large portion of your stomach, up to approximately 85 percent, utilizing a vertical separation from top to bottom. This directly limits how much food you’re able to eat, and how quickly you become satiated.
At Tristate New York Bariatric Group, we’re one of the first and only clinics to offer virtually scarless single incision laparoscopic sleeve (SILS) gastrectomy surgery. This innovative technique allows for the quickest possible recovery time, with a minimally invasive procedure which leaves behind little to any visible signs of the surgery.
The results and benefits of gastric sleeve are proven to be dramatic for weight loss. In one study, patients lost an average of 61.5% of their excess BMI after only one year. Another study of 42 obese patients saw mean BMI decrease by 15 points in between only nine and 15 months.
However you’d like to look at the numbers, you can depend upon rapid, successful weight loss, and an ability to keep off that weight down the road as well.
There are other benefits for your health as well. For instance, 80% of patients had type 2 diabetes resolved via gastric sleeve surgery, 63.9% had their hypertension remedied, and 93% no longer struggled with sleep apnea. That means that this procedure provides you with a range of health benefits which will improve the quality and even the length of your life.
A common question we receive is in relation to which is the superior choice, gastric sleeve versus gastric bypass. Gastric sleeve is actually a simpler procedure to perform. This offers you several key benefits.
There’s a lower risk of complications, as well as a speedier recovery time. Additionally, the GI track isn’t being changed. That means you don’t experience the likely vitamin deficiencies which result with gastric bypass. Yet, you’ll see the same weight loss, if not even greater results.
Gastric sleeve is performed with patients under anesthesia. With the aforementioned SILS technique, a single small entry point is created through your belly button. Utilizing stomach staples, the majority of the stomach is removed and the rest is sealed off. Upon completion of the procedure, the incision itself is closed with sutures.
The procedure itself can be completed in two hours or less, and in most cases, you’ll only need to spend one night in the hospital. Upon discharge, you’ll be provided with care instructions. Most people take a week or two off from work, however, with gastric sleeve, recovery is a much quicker road than with many other procedures.
How much your procedure costs depends on several factors, including whether or not your insurance covers your surgery. Today, most companies do provide coverage for obese individuals to receive bariatric surgery, although it’s important to understand their specific policies.
We’ll work with you and help guide you through this process. If you are unable to receive insurance coverage, we also provide a range of financing options to help make the cost of your procedure as manageable as possible. Above all else, we want to be able to improve the health and wellbeing of our patients and make our services available to many people as possible.
You can and will see fantastic results with laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy surgery performed by New York’s leading team, the Tristate New York Bariatric Group.
Call our office today at 800.633.8446 and we’ll be happy to provide you with the information you need to get started, and schedule an initial consultation appointment.
Gastric sleeve is a newer procedure than its counterparts, such as the aforementioned gastric bypass. That means that long-term studies are not available to the same degree as they are for other procedures. Yet, everything which has been seen with sleeve gastrectomy is that serious complications are quite rare. A few risks to consider include:
The most common risk is actually the development of acid reflux disease, or gastroesophageal reflux. Luckily, with the proper guidelines for managing your diet and lifestyle, this can typically be treated if it does occur.
There are several phases to any post-bariatric surgery diet plan. For two weeks, you’ll be restricted to liquids, before incorporating pureed and soft foods into your diet for the next weeks. After that, you’ll be able to begin incorporating additional foods, as well as small portions of meat and fish. After these three phases, you’ll be able to adjust with an ongoing nutritional plan which focuses both on portion size and meal frequency.
We provide all of our patients with detailed nutritional information and guidance so they are fully prepared for each phase. Through our online store, you’ll also be able to directly purchase the safe and healthy products we recommend.
At Tristate New York Bariatric Group, not only do we provide you with the nutritional guidance and information you need to adjust to your new diet, we also offer a comprehensive bariatric support program. This includes post-op appointments, access to mentors and support groups, and much more.
If you are ready to lose weight, you have many options at our Tristate Bariatric Group. We combine surgical expertise, patience, compassion, and the confidence to lead you through the journey to successful weight loss.
