What is gastric sleeve surgery and how is it performed?

The fastest way to lose weight is to go for surgery. Gastric sleeve surgery is one of the methods that can be used to achieve results and lose weight in a short period of time. In this method, a part of the stomach is removed by the surgeon. After this surgery, the person will feel full after eating a small amount of food, and as a result, he will be able to maintain the weight he has lost. It is better for a person to use a multivitamin after gastric sleeve to strengthen and compensate for the possible lack of nutrients in his body. In this article, we will provide you with more explanations about the gastric sleeve operation.

What is gastric sleeve surgery?

Sleeve gastrectomy or gastric sleeve is a type of weight loss surgery in which a large part of the stomach is removed so that the person feels full after eating a little food and does not want to eat more food. When the stomach gets smaller, a person will feel less hungry because the smaller stomach produces lower levels of the hormone ghrelin. This hormone is responsible for hunger.

There are many non-surgical options for weight loss. For example, you can diet and increase physical activity. But these methods will not work as quickly as gastric sleeve surgery for weight loss. If you are on a diet and exercise, it is not bad to use L-carnitine tablets to help burn more fat in your body.

Is gastric sleeve operation effective?

Gastric sleeve surgery helps to lose weight in 2 ways:

• After this operation, the stomach will shrink significantly, so the person does not feel hungry all the time and does not go to eat food. In this case, the person consumes fewer calories.
• The part of the stomach that produces the hormone ghrelin (related to hunger) is removed, and as a result, the person becomes less hungry.

• Estimates suggest that you can expect to lose at least 50% of your excess weight within 18 to 24 months after gastric sleeve surgery.

Some people lose 60-70% of their previous weight. Of course, even after the gastric sleeve, you must adhere to the diet and exercise program recommended by the surgeon. By observing these things and changing the lifestyle, it is likely that a person who has done a gastric sleeve will be successful in losing weight and stabilizing his weight.

For whom is gastric sleeve surgery suitable?

Gastric sleeve is recommended by most experts in cases where trying to lose weight with diet, exercise and diet pills have not been effective. In order to determine whether gastric sleeve is suitable for a person or not, other things should be considered. For example, how much is a person’s BMI (body mass index) and whether he has health problems related to obesity such as diabetes, blood lipids, etc. or not. In most cases, gastric sleeve surgery is performed if the person is overweight but not obese.

Care after gastric sleeve operation

Before doing the gastric sleeve, certain changes in lifestyle should be applied to make the weight loss process go better. In this case, the doctor will undoubtedly provide the necessary explanations. Also, after the gastric sleeve, it is necessary to make changes in the diet. Pay attention to the following points:

• 2 weeks before surgery: protein intake should be increased and carbohydrate intake should be decreased. Also, sugar should be removed from the diet.
• 2 days before and the first week after the operation: only liquids should be consumed; Except for caffeinated beverages.
• During the next 3 weeks: you can add pureed foods to your diet.

It usually takes about 1 month after the surgery for the person to be able to eat the usual foods according to the previous routine. But very soon you will find that you cannot eat as before because you will feel full very soon.

Restricted diet and small meals may cause nutritional deficiencies after sleeve surgery. This is why multivitamins are recommended. In some cases, if recommended by the doctor, it may be necessary to take other supplements such as calcium, iron, B12, etc.

Important points after gastric sleeve surgery

In addition to diet, pay attention to the following:

• Do not use painkillers arbitrarily.
• As soon as you feel sleepy, go to sleep and rest.
• Do not lift heavy objects.
• Do not do heavy physical activities.
• Talk to your doctor about when you can have sex.
• Take care of the wounds on your stomach so they don’t get damaged.
• Avoid driving for a while.
• Place a pillow on your stomach when you sneeze or cough.
• Do not use a straw when drinking as it may cause more air to enter your stomach.
• If you have diarrhea or constipation, be sure to consult a doctor.
• Also, avoid drinking alcohol.
• Start postoperative mobility by walking.
• Chew your food slowly.

Because non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, aspirin, etc naproxen They may reduce the natural and protective lining of the stomach, you should not use it arbitrarily after this procedure.

What are the side effects of gastric sleeve?

Any type of surgery can be associated with complications. The complications that we mention here are likely to occur in less than 1% of cases after gastric sleeve:

• Bleeding
• infection
• Reaction to the anesthetic
• Stomach leakage (the presence of a small hole in the new stomach bag and the exit of digestive juice from the stomach into the abdomen)

After this procedure, some people may have long-term complications:

• Scar tissue after the operation can cause narrowing of the stomach, which can slow or block the movement of food in the stomach and cause nausea, vomiting and difficulty in eating.
• Lack of vitamins and minerals: When you eat less, it becomes a little difficult to get all the nutrients you need. Sometimes multivitamins are recommended for life for people who have had this procedure.
• Gastroesophageal reflux: Some people who had reflux problems before the operation feel worse after the operation. Sometimes, a person may not have had stomach reflux before and get it after the sleeve. This problem can often be solved with medication.
• Gallstones: Rapid weight loss can increase the risk of gallstones. This action causes more fat to be processed through the liver, and because of this, cholesterol stones accumulate in the gallbladder. In this case, the person feels pain after eating. Fixing this problem may require surgery.

final word

In gastric sleeve surgery, a part of the stomach is removed, and in this case, as the stomach shrinks, the person can no longer eat as much as before. Along with other changes in lifestyle, such as increasing physical activity and having a healthy diet, it is very likely that a person will succeed in losing weight after this procedure and will not be fat anymore. If you are a candidate for this procedure, you have tried other weight loss methods such as diet, exercise, and taking diet pills before and did not get results.