How sleeve gastrectomy will help in reducing weight?
As a portion of your stomach has been cut out, you can feel fullness even after having a smaller amount of food as the capacity of your stomach has been reduced by almost 1/10th of the previous one. Your eating pattern will be changed after having this surgery which indirectly helps you to reduce your weight.
Who is a good candidate for a sleeve gastrectomy surgical procedure?
- The person who is having a BMI of at least 40 or above it.
- If some people are too heavy for undergoing gastric bypass procedure.
- If you are considering a weight-loss surgical procedure as a permanent solution.
How much time will it take to undergo such a procedure?
It will take almost 1 hour for a sleeve gastrectomy surgical procedure.
What is the procedure for doing this Sleeve Gastrectomy surgical procedure?
- A small cut is placed in the upper side of your belly and a laparoscopic unit is inserted through the incision. A laparoscopic unit consists of a camera attached to the surgical unit. Other surgical instruments are inserted through the additional cuts surrounding the main incision. In this way, the procedure has been performed in a conservative approach or in a minimally invasive way.
- The 3/4th of the stomach is removed and finally reattached to form the sleeve. This is considered the permanent solution for weight loss.
- The whole procedure will be done under general anesthesia so that the patient won’t feel any pain during the procedure.
- The narrow sleeve portion can be made by stapling the stomach vertically and by removing the larger curved outer portion of the stomach.
How much time do you have to stay after the surgery is being done?
You might have to stay in hospital for 2-3 days after the surgical procedure.
How to prepare for a sleeve gastrectomy surgical procedure?
- You have to start doing physical activities and maintain a proper diet before you will go for the surgical procedure.
- If you are a vigorous smoker, you should stop taking tobacco in any form before undergoing surgery.
- You should plan for the recovery and appoint any help at home for household chores if you need any.
- You have to limit your eating, drinking and watch your diet a few days before the surgery.
What are the precautions you should take before undergoing sleeve gastrectomy surgery?
- Consult all your queries related to the procedure with your surgeons and clear your doubts.
- Make sure you inform all your past and present medical history to your doctor.
- If you are prone to some allergic reactions or you are taking any herbal supplements, you need to mention that too.
- If you are under any medications especially on blood thinners like aspirin or some NSAIDs like ibuprofen, naproxen you should inform your doc and stop or adjust the dosage of those medications before surgery according to your physician’s advice.
- If you are anemic, you should start having iron supplements before you go for surgery.
- Women on OCP(Oral contraceptive pill) should stop taking pills at least before one month of surgery.
After getting confirmation from the lab reports and medical examination that you are undergoing sleeve gastrectomy surgery, your surgeon or medical personnel will guide you and your family about the Dos and Don’ts before surgery.
What are the tests you should go for before undergoing a sleeve gastrectomy surgical procedure?
Before this cosmetic surgery, your surgeon will evaluate all the following points
- Complete blood count (CBC)
- Lipid profile(cholesterol test)
- General body weight
- Urine test
- MRI scan
- X-ray
- Echocardiography
What is the diet you should follow after the surgery?
You can’t follow your previous diet chart right after the surgery and you have to limit the amount of food you are taking after the surgery. You have to maintain the postoperative diet chart provided by your surgeon and stick to it until full recovery.
- On the very first day right after the surgery, you can take clear liquids.
- After the surgery for 4 weeks, you have to take pureed foods along with a protein shake.
- You can start having soft solid food after the 1st month of surgery and during this time you should chew every food properly so that it can easily get digested.
- Always avoid high-calorie soda and high carbs food products.
- Don’t drink while eating as it may tend to overfill your stomach easily and it can get stretched.
- You can have any liquid or water half an hour after finishing your meal.
- Always take vitamins, minerals, and supplements prescribed by your doctor to avoid any kind of nutrition deficiency during this time.
Why was the sleeve gastrectomy surgery done in the first place?
To avoid all the ailments related to being overweight or to eliminate all the risk factors for various life-threatening diseases, sleeve gastrectomy can be done when none of the other nonsurgical options are working out.
- High blood pressure
- Increased cholesterol level.
- Type 2 diabetes
- OSA( Obstructive Sleep Apnoea)
- Chances of stroke or cancer
- Heart diseases
- fertility-related issues
What are various risk factors you might face right after the surgery?
During the recovery period, one should follow all the instructions your doc has advised.
Otherwise, you might land up having
- Infections
- Reaction to anesthesia
- Bleeding
- Blood clot formation
- Leaking through the stomach
- Constipation
- Nausea, vomiting
- Breathing problems
What are the other long-term complications you might face after surgery?
- Hernia
- Hypoglycemia or reduced blood sugar
- Gastrointestinal reflux
- Malnutrition
- Vomiting
- Gastrointestinal obstruction
- Recurrent vomiting
- Malnutrition
though these kinds of complications are rare these days due to advanced technology and modified-conservative surgical procedures.
When can you start having your regular meal?
Two to three months after the surgery, you can start having your regular meal but in a limited quantity.
What are the FAQs you should ask your surgeon about after sleeve gastrectomy surgery?
- What are all the medications you have to take?
- Will there be any follow-up visits?
- When can you resume your work and regular lifestyle?
- When can you start doing exercises?
- How to do the postoperative wound management and when the stitches will be removed?
What are the instructions you need to follow after the sleeve gastrectomy surgery?
- Low fat, low salt diet as excessive salt intake can cause edema or fluid buildup inside the body after the surgery.
- 5 servings of food along with fresh fruits and vegetables
- Stay hydrated all the time. Increase water and fluid intake specifically just after the surgery.
- Take calcium and phosphorus enriched food like dairy products.
- Reduce eating outside as can make yourself prone to infection
- Be regular with your medications.
- Keep your blood pressure, diabetes always in check.
- Avoid having carbonated drinks at least for 7 days after the surgery.
- You have to attend all the follow-up visits to your doctor’s office.
- You should undergo lab testing and various bloodwork and after the evaluation of those test results, your doc will allow you to resume your daily lifestyle.
Can you feel any changes after undergoing sleeve gastrectomy surgery?
You might experience rapid weight loss around 3 -6 months after surgery. Due to rapid weight loss, you might feel
- Tiredness
- Bodyache
- Flu-like symptoms
- Cold
- Mood swings
- Hair thinning
What are the instructions you need to follow a day before surgery?
- Do not take any food or liquid 6 hours before surgery
- Avoid heavy meals for at least one day before the surgery, try to keep your bowel empty before undergoing surgery. This will reduce nausea before surgery.
- You should scrub with an antibiotic soap the night before and once in the morning before the surgery.
How to choose doctors if you want to go for a sleeve gastrectomy surgical procedure?
- You can go through the reviews of those who have already been through sleeve gastrectomy surgical procedures in multiple medical forums and if you are worried about some negative review, you can always consult with your doctor about the matter.
- Look for the experience of general surgeons and positive patient stories.
- You can also look for the success rate of sleeve gastrectomy surgery done by your surgeon.
Who are the best doctors for performing sleeve gastrectomy surgery?
Well-experienced and board-certified general laparoscopic surgeons and gastroenterologists along with endocrinologists can perform the procedure. And make sure to check the accreditation of the hospital from where you are getting your sleeve gastrectomy surgery done.
Why should you go for sleeve gastrectomy surgery in India?
Along with the high-quality lifestyle here in India, it is the best place to get well-experienced and skilled surgeons who are comfortable with the best and latest available technology. You will get personalized care from trained medical personnel. Hence it ensures shorter hospital stays and quicker recovery.
Any botched-up case of sleeve gastrectomy surgery in India?
To date no such cases have been reported as here in India, surgeons are way more skilled and experienced. But to avoid these kinds of cases, you should choose your surgeon carefully.
Do you feel that the cost is way out of your budget? Are you looking for insurance?
In India, the majority of health insurance coverage is for serious ailments. That’s why the chances of getting coverage for the procedure are higher. You can consult with your financial advisor related to the matter and explore the possibilities along with your surgeon. Though nowadays EMI facilities are available in some financial agencies. Even after that, you are feeling it’s difficult for you to avail yourself of the insurance, you can always ask your doctor to write one letter to your insurer describing the importance of this surgery on your health. If your insurance company provides coverage also, it will bear a partial amount of its budget. So make sure you read the details and go for it. Even if your insurance company bears it now, you might have to pay a higher premium for later.
Takeaway- the surgical outcome can be different for different persons but if you are willing to make any permanent changes in your body and want to lead a healthy lifestyle, you should always go for this procedure after having the consultation with your doc.
If you are still confused about the next step, you can always reach us.
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