Weight Loss Surgery: Top Three Bariatric Weight Loss Surgeries

How Does Weight Loss Surgery Work?

During the last two decades as many people struggled with an ongoing battle of obesity, great strides in the medical field have developed many surgical solutions to the problem. There are several kinds of these metabolic and Bariatric weight loss surgeries. They range in very drastic and invasive procedure (like Gastric Bypass Surgery) for very non-invasive and reversible procedures (like Lap-Band Surgery). But all of them have something in common. They work in one of the following ways:

*Limit how much food your stomach can hold, so you eat less and lose weight.

*Stop your digestive system from absorbing some of the calories and nutrients in the foods you eat.

*Use both of the above methods.

The gastric "sleeve" and Lap-Band shrink your stomach's size. They are restrictive surgeries. Other operations, such as the duodenal switch, bypass part of the intestine, so you absorb less food. Doctors call these malabsorption surgeries.

Types of Weight Loss Surgery

As mentioned earlier, there are different types of procedures to choose from. Deciding on which procedure to choose will depend on your particular weight loss goals, physical condition and post- surgery aftercare preferences.

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

During this procedure, your surgeon will use surgical staples to create a small pouch to serve as your new stomach. This pouch will hold about 1 cup of food. The rest of your stomach will still be there, but the food won't go to it. Next, your surgeon will cut your small intestine beyond the stomach. They will then attach one end of it to the small stomach pouch and the other end lower down on the small intestine, making a "Y" shape. That's the bypass part of the procedure. The rest of your stomach is still there. It delivers chemicals from the pancreas to help digest food that comes from the small pouch. Doctors use the laparoscopic method for most gastric bypasses. But Gastric Bypass does have the highest percentage of complications of the three procedures. This procedure is not readily reversible once the surgery is performed.

Supplements for Low Nutrient Levels

After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass weight loss surgery, many people doesn't absorb vitamins A, D, E, K, B-12, iron, copper, calcium, and other nutrients as well as they used to. Supplements can help you get what your body needs and prevent conditions like anemia and osteoporosis. You'll need to take them for the rest of your life.

Dumping Syndrome

Gastric bypass surgery also may cause food and drinks to move too quickly through your small intestine. Symptoms include nausea, weakness, sweating, faintness, and, sometimes, diarrhea after you eat. You may also not be able to eat sweets without feeling very weak. To avoid these problems, follow your nutritionist's advice.

Mortality rate: 0.5 – 2% Total complications: 23% Major complications: 2.1%

Gastric "Sleeve"

In this operation, your surgeon will take out most of your stomach (5%) and create a tube-shaped stomach, or a gastric sleeve, that is still attached to your small intestine. After the surgery, your stomach will only be able to hold about 2-3 ounces. You'll feel fuller sooner because your stomach is smaller. You also won't be as hungry because most of the tissue that makes the "hunger hormone," called ghrelin, will be gone. This is not a reversible procedure.

*Mortality rate: 0.39%

*Total complications: 22%

*Major complications: 1.9%

Adjustable Gastric Banding (AGB or Lap-Band)

Your surgeon will wrap an inflatable ring around the top of your stomach, to create a small pouch with a narrow opening into the rest of the organ. Then they insert a port under your skin on the left side below your ribs. This will allow access to a saline fill that is added to the band to adjust the opening. This can be done many times as needed during the weight loss to further the bands elects’.

When the Lap-Band is properly adjusted it reduces hunger and gives you an early sensation of fullness. When you eat, food pushes the wall of the stomach and sends signals to the brain to curb your appetite. Although the Lap-Band is designed to stay in permanently even after desired weight has been achieved, of the three procedures mentioned this is the only surgery that can be completely reversed after the procedure has been performed. You can get the band re-adjusted or removed at any time and go back to a normal pre surgery state if a patient situation changes or desires to do so.

It also produces the least amount of complications of the other two procedures

*Mortality rate: 0.05%

*Total complications: 9%

*Major complications: 0.2%

After the Procedure

No matter the type of operation you have, your surgeon will close any incisions with surgical stitches, tape or staples. You'll stay in the hospital for a short time to make sure you're OK. You'll be prescribed pain medications if needed and your doctor will monitor you closely for any problems, like low blood sugar, dehydration, or blood clots.

Make Weight Management a Lifetime Goal

Surgery is just the first step on the road to success and sustained weight loss no matter which procedure you choose. The surgery itself, however, does not magically shed those extra pounds. The key to keeping your weight off is incorporating habits of sound nutrition, regular exercise, and reasonable expectations that you can stick to for a lifetime. These lifestyle changes are an investment in your future.

Change doesn’t happen just because you want it to. It happens because you plan to make change happen.

About The Company:-

This article is written by Dr. Pedro Kuri, who is a pioneer of the Lap-Band System (Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery) in Latin America and has performed 5,500+ procedures in over 12 years as a respected specialist in his field. He is the specialized surgeon for Lap band surgery in Tijuana, Mexico.

This article is written by Dr. Pedro Kuri, who is a pioneer of the a href=http://lapbandsurLap-Band System (Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery) in Latin America and has performed 5,500+ procedures in over 16 years.