How LAP-BAND Works:
Customized Weight-Loss through Adjustable Gastric Banding
Once in place, the LAP-BAND reduces the size of your stomach to between 15 and 30 ccs (about the size of an egg) while a normal stomach has a capacity of more than 1000 ccs. Because of a port in the LAP-BAND that is embedded in the abdominal wall just below the skin, LAP-BAND surgery is the only weight-loss procedure that lets doctors adjust the amount of restriction. The result? Each patient can benefit from a customized weight-loss treatment. By gradually restricting the amount of food a patient can consume, the adjustable LAP-BAND enables a safer recovery and healthier long-term weight loss.
To schedule your surgery, call Laurie Wolf at 770-656-0080 or 1-866-65-GROUP
$4,500.00 plus airfare
Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy
The Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG), or Sleeve Gastrectomy, is a type of restrictive weight loss surgery. Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy surgery causes weight loss by restricting the amount of food that is able to be consumed before feeling full. The Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy isolates a small section of the stomach for processing food, limiting the post-surgical meal sizes to approximately one ounce. The surgery is typically performed on patients who are too heavy to have other types of weight loss surgeries with the expectation that a second surgery will be performed once weight has been lost. The patient who undergoes this procedure must make radical changes in his or her food intake and lifestyle in order for the procedure to have a successful long-term outcome. Because the stomach has the ability to stretch to accommodate food, the stomach can expand greatly from the one-ounce capacity the surgery allows for. Meals should be small — less than half a cup — and drinking fluids with meals can fill the pouch and prevent the intake of solid food at that time.
The Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Procedure
The surgery is typically performed in a hospital or a surgery center and with general anesthesia. Surgeries are performed laparoscopically, which allows the surgeon to work using long instruments placed in the body via incisions a few centimeters long. In some cases, the surgery will be performed “open” with the larger traditional incision, or a surgery that begins laparoscopically may be converted to the open procedure when the surgeon determines it is necessary.
The surgery begins with multiple half-inch long incisions in the area of the stomach. The instruments are inserted through these incisions, and the surgeon begins by removing up to 85% of the stomach. The sides of the stomach are then joined by staples, leaving the stomach smaller and tubular in shape, but retaining the sphincter muscles at the top and the bottom of the stomach.
Once the surgeon determines that the staples are holding the stomach closed and no areas are leaking, the instruments are withdrawn and the incisions are closed, typically absorbable sutures and sterile tape.
Typical Outcomes After Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy
This procedure is considered a starting point for people who are so obese that they are not candidates for gastric bypass surgeries like Roux-en-Y or biliopancreatic diversion. For patients who are too heavy for gastric bypass and unable to lose enough weight to become a candidate, this surgery provides an opportunity to lose enough weight to have a more radical surgery done once their body size will allow it.
For patients with less weight to lose, this procedure does not produce the same levels of weight loss as other types of surgery. Many patients who intend to have this procedure as their only weight loss procedure have difficulty maintaining the tiny portions required to keep the stomach pouch size small. If the patient begins to consume larger quantities of food, the pouch stretches and weight loss can stop or, in some cases, weight gain begins.
Total weight loss is less than most types of surgery, and the procedure is not reversible because the area of the stomach is removed rather than stapled to prevent food from entering. The risk of malnutrition that faces many bariatric (weight loss) surgery patients is not present with this surgery, as the body continues to absorb nutrients as it did prior to surgery. This surgery is currently being studied as a stand-alone surgery for patients with lower BMIs but still remains investigational.
Gastric Bypass
A restrictive procedure is one that limits the amount of food that can be eaten at any one time. In a gastric bypass surgical procedure, this is done by making a brand new smaller stomach that forces smaller meal portions.
A malabsorptive procedure is one that reduces the amount of food absorbed by the digestive technique. In a gastric bypass surgical procedure, this is done by bypassing the upper portion of the small intestine. Since the food passes through less of the intestines where digestion takes place, food is only partially digested, and there is less absorption of nutrients and calories.
In Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the stomach is separated into two, and the small intestine is cut in the middle. At the top of the stomach where the food enters from the esophagus, a brand new smaller stomach pouch is created using surgical staples to separate it from the remaining lower portion of the stomach. Then, the lower portion of the small intestine is attached to the new stomach. The length of either section of the intestine can be made longer or shorter to affect the levels of absorption. When a shorter length of intestines is bypassed, it’s called a proximal RNY gastric bypass. When more of the intestines is bypassed, it’s known as a distal RNY gastric bypass.
Gastric bypass surgical procedures were initially performed using open surgical procedure techniques, but most bariatric surgeons now perform the surgical procedure using minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques (inserting special surgical instruments into the abdomen through little incisions). With the laparoscopic surgical procedure, healing and recovery usually occur faster than with open surgical procedure.
Combination Restrictive and Malabsorptive Procedure
The gastric bypass surgical procedure uses both a restrictive and malabsorptive approach to weight loss.
Patient Criteria for Gastric Bypass Surgery
A gastric bypass surgical procedure is only recommended for morbidly and severely overweight individuals (at least 100 pounds overweight for men and 80 pounds overweight for women) who are willing to make the necessary lifelong changes in diet, nutrition, and exercise and have failed to lose weight under a medically supervised diet and exercise program. Because the procedure drastically alters the body, it should only be thought about as a last resort treatment for obesity. Patients who require to lose weight should discuss their weight loss options with their doctor, who is in the best position to evaluate the patient’s health and make a recommendation for gastric bypass surgical procedure.
Advantages to Gastric Bypass Surgery
More hasty weight loss following the surgical procedure than with purely restrictive methods.
A smaller stomach limits the amount of food that can be eaten at any one time.
Intestinal rerouting limits the amount of calories absorbed by the body.
The intake of sweets is controlled because of the Dumping Syndrome.
Resolves and/or improves some obesity-related medical conditions as weight loss occurs.
Disadvantages to Gastric Bypass Surgery
Complex operation, surgical procedure risks include infection, leaks, and blood clots.
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can lead to metabolic bone illness and anemia.
Patients may experience ulcers, bowel obstruction, or reflux Dumping Syndrome.
Dumping Syndrome, which may cause nausea, diarrhea, and weakness, occurs when sweets enter the bloodstream quickly. A gastric bypass surgical procedure may cause dumping syndrome because the digestive technique has been altered and foods enter the intestines more quickly. Dumping syndrome controls the intake of sweets and high calorie foods. It’s thought of as both an advantage and disadvantage of a gastric bypass surgical procedure.
Life After Gastric Bypass Surgery
Although a gastric bypass surgical procedure will help a person lose weight, achieving lasting weight loss and better health depends on a person’s dedication to eating healthy and exercising on a regular basis. A person’s diet will alter to smaller portions and will be focused on healthy proteins and nutrient rich vegetables. Physical activity is important not only because it burns calories but because it helps protect and preserve muscle tissue in the course of hasty weight loss. Nutritional supplements are necessary in order to provide the body with the vitamins and minerals it needs to survive. Periodic follow-up tests are necessary to monitor for nutritional deficiencies and the long-term effects of weight loss surgical procedure. Nutritional counseling and support groups will also play an important role in helping an individual fine-tune the changes and life after a gastric bypass surgical procedure