Useful rule

The use of surgery in weight loss is a practice that has continued to attract a lot of interest all over the world. The main reason is that surgical techniques have been refined over time and are associated with very few complications and failure rates. These procedures are broadly known as bariatric surgeries. Examples include lap-band and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. There are a number of things that you should know if you consider having any of these operations.

It is important to stress that weight loss surgery is a last resort option. One needs to try out other modalities of weight loss. Lifestyle changes are not only easy to implement but also result in very few complications if any. Ensure that you modify your diet so that it contains less calories and has more protein, vegetables of fruits. Reduce stress, get enough sleep and exercise regularly.

This surgery is also known as gastric banding. As suggested by the name, a silicon band is used. Fitting this band on the upper portion of the stomach significantly reduces the size of your stomach. As a matter of fact the remainder is just a small pouch whose capacity is about an ounce of food. This operation is done laparoscopically meaning that very small incisions (surgical cuts) are required to see it through.

When the size of your stomach is reduced to a small pouch, the amount of food that you can consume at meal time is significantly reduced. You will notice that you get early satiety. Within weeks or months, you will start to lose weight because most of what you eat is used in the provision of energy and very little is converted to fat.

One of the major advantages of this operation over any other of its type is the fact that it is easy to exert control over. This is enabled by a plastic tubing that runs from the silicon tube to an accessible area under the skin. By filling or emptying this tube with a liquid such as saline or sterile water the effective pressure of the ring can be controlled; filling the tube increases the pressure and emptying it reduces it.

Just like the lap band operation, gastric sleeve gastrectomy is a restrictive operation. This means it limits the amount of food that one can eat in one sitting. The stomach is cut along its length to leave just a small portion of the original. Generally, between 75 and 80% of the organ is removed. What is left is a tubular structure that can only hold a fraction of the food held previously. Weight loss is through reduced food consumption and reduced absorption of nutrients.

There are a number of complications associated with these operations. These include nausea, vomiting, infections, esophageal spasms and leakage of food contents (in the case of gastrectomy). Fortunately, these complications are quite rare and can be easily managed if encountered. This notwithstanding it is important that you have a discussion with your doctor to see whether your risk is higher or lower compared to the general population.

You should appreciate the fact that the results of the operation are bound to vary among patients. These differences exist because of patient and doctor factors. Patient factors may include the severity of the problem, genetic factors or the lifestyle after the operation. The doctor factors may include skill and type of technique used.