How a Gastric Sleeve Could Help with Weight Loss
If you are obese and have struggled to lose weight with non-invasive methods, such as exercise, dieting and lifestyle changes, you may need to consider weight loss surgery. With all of the weight loss surgeries currently available, you may struggle to know which one is right for you. While our surgeons will be the best people to consult regarding your specific needs, we encourage you to consider the newer gastric sleeve procedure.
This procedure has only been recognized as an appropriate procedure for weight loss by insurance companies since 2010. Before then, longer and more intense operations were used to reduce the size of the stomach or reduce the length of the digestive tract overall. However, obese patients usually do more poorly than their normal weight peers do under anesthesia, and a shorter procedure was desired by surgeons to decrease risks.
As surgeons began breaking up the duodenal switch into two parts, a new procedure was born. When their patients came back a year later for the second half of the duodenal switch, the patients had lost so much weight that they did not require the second half of the procedure. Research studies followed this up to determine if this shorter, less problematic gastric sleeve procedure was appropriate for weight loss surgery. Results from patient satisfaction surveys and scientific research overwhelmingly agreed that gastric sleeve surgery was truly beneficial.
Of course, you will certainly have to change your eating habits following surgery by decreasing portion sizes, chewing carefully, restricting liquids and taking certain supplements to ensure that your body is still getting all of the nutrients that it needs to stay healthy. But the beauty of the gastric sleeve procedure is that it truly works for most people.
Gastric sleeve surgeries are not for everyone. They are not a good option for those who have small amounts of weight to lose. Our team at Surgical Associates of South Florida can determine if this procedure is right for you. Contact us today to schedule a consultation at our office in Miami!
