Gastric Sleeve Surgery in the Inland Empire
Learn how a sleeve gastrectomy can help you lose weight & improve your health
Gastric sleeve surgery, also called a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, is a popular bariatric surgery procedure that significantly reduces the size of stomach, so that it holds about one-tenth the amount of food it could previously. This effectively causes you to feel full much more quickly and for longer, helping you lose a lot of weight quickly.
Gastric sleeve surgery can be performed as a single operation for weight loss, or it can serve as a first-stage operation several months before gastric bypass, to help severely obese patients improve their health so that gastric bypass can be performed safely.
Benefits of gastric sleeve surgery
- Reduces stomach size to help you feel full after eating small amounts of food
- Patients lose an average of 50% to 80% of excess weight within the first year
- Quicker recovery compared to some other procedures
- Achieves similar goals and outcomes to gastric bypass with reduced risk of some possible complications
- Surgery is performed laparoscopically, reducing risk and minimizing scarring
- Can dramatically improve health conditions such as diabetes, joint problems, and sleep apnea
- Achieves lasting weight loss when accompanied by healthy lifestyle changes. Professional support and nutrition counseling are available to help gastric sleeve patients enjoy maximum success.
The sleeve gastrectomy procedure process
Sleeve gastrectomy is typically performed as an inpatient procedure, using general anesthesia. Our surgeons perform gastric sleeve surgery using a laparoscope, which allows them to complete the operation through several very small incisions in the abdomen. During sleeve gastrectomy surgery, about 80% of the stomach pouch is removed, and your surgeon creates a smaller stomach pouch using surgical staples. This “new” stomach takes the form of a sleeve, and is about the size of a banana. This process will effectively suppress hunger and bring about a gradual, but significant reduction in body weight.
Sleeve gastrectomy surgery takes about 2 hours to perform, and patients require a 1 to 3 day inpatient stay to monitor initial healing. While patients are encouraged to get up and walk around shortly after waking from surgery, most require 1 to 2 weeks away from work and 4 to 6 weeks away from more strenuous activities.
What results can I expect after gastric sleeve surgery?
Weight loss begins after surgery and becomes noticeable in the months that follow. Although each patient’s results will vary, patients typically undergo a 50% to 80% reduction in excess body weight within one year or so after surgery.
Additionally, health problems such as the following may be resolved or improved:
- Diabetes
- Sleep apnea
- Hypertension
- Degenerative joint disease
- Hyperlipidemia
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Are you a candidate for the gastric sleeve in Rancho Cucamonga?
If you’ve been deemed a high-risk patient for other bariatric surgery procedures, your surgeon may recommend the gastric sleeve. In general, patients considered good candidates for this procedure:
- Present a body mass index (BMI) of over 35. Estimate your BMI now »
- Have experienced past failures with traditional weight loss methods
- Have good mental health
- Are committed to making permanent diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes to keep weight off
- Are at least 18 years old
Bariatric surgery represents a major step toward changing your life and overall health. The choice to have bariatric surgery should not be made hastily, but after careful consideration of the risks and benefits involved.
What are the risks of a sleeve gastrectomy?
When performed by a qualified, experienced surgeon, sleeve gastrectomy has an extremely high survival rate (99.8%) and serious complications are rare. However, there are risks and side effects associated with any bariatric surgery. Possible risks and longer-term effects of gastric sleeve procedures include:
- General anesthesia risks
- Staple line leaks, bleeding, or strictures (these may require another procedure to correct)
- Nausea, vomiting or indigestion with certain foods
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Gallstone formation
- Sagging skin resulting from rapid weight loss
You can minimize your risk of complications from gastric sleeve surgery by choosing an experienced, qualified bariatric surgeon. Side effects can be minimized by following your surgeon’s instructions and nutrition specialists’ guidance for eating and activity following gastric sleeve surgery. Cosmetic body contouring surgery can be a good option to address sagging skin or other cosmetic side effects of dramatic weight loss.
Remember, successful weight loss requires a long-term commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Gastric sleeve surgery can help you make those changes by allowing you to achieve a healthy weight quickly.
Gastric sleeve vs Lap band surgery: which is right for me?
If you’ve been considering weight loss surgery, you’re likely already familiar with the more popular weight loss methods such as gastric bypass surgery, gastric sleeve surgery, gastric balloon, and lap band surgery. Lap band surgery in particular continues to be one of the most sought-after weight loss surgeries available today. While many lap band patients are thrilled with their results, some of our patients opt for a gastric sleeve procedure for a few benefits and advantages that gastric sleeve has over lap band surgery:
- Fewer follow-up visits. Gastric sleeve surgery doesn’t require as many post-op visits. Patients with a busy lifestyle may find that for this reason, the gastric sleeve procedure is a better fit for their schedule.
- Reduces hunger. The gastric sleeve procedure involves surgically removing a part of the stomach that produces a hunger hormone called grehlin. Patients who undergo this procedure find that they are often less hungry between meals, as well as feel full more quickly.
- Doesn’t require a foreign implant. Unlike Lap Band surgery, which requires placing an adjustable gastric band around the stomach, the gastric sleeve procedure has no need to place any foreign object around the stomach or intestines.
Read more: 3 Reasons Why Gastric Sleeve is Better than Lap Band Weight Loss Surgery
- Key Benefits
- Glossary
- Facilitates substantial weight loss by reducing stomach size and limiting food intake
- Improves obesity-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and high cholesterol
- Reduces hunger sensations, helping patients feel full with less food
- Doesn’t require the insertion of foreign objects into the body
- Doesn’t involve rerouting the intestines
- Bariatric Surgery: Surgical procedures on the stomach or intestines to induce weight loss; includes sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, and gastric banding.
- Body Mass Index (BMI): A calculation that uses height and weight to define obesity, with a BMI of 40 or more, or 35 or more with obesity-related conditions, typically qualifying for surgery.
- Gastric Band (Lap-Band): A type of weight loss surgery where an adjustable band is placed around the upper part of the stomach to create a small pouch, limiting food intake.
- Gastric Bypass (Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass): A weight loss surgery that alters the digestive process by creating a small stomach pouch and rerouting the small intestine, resulting in significant weight loss and malabsorption.
- Gastric Sleeve Surgery (Sleeve Gastrectomy): A procedure that removes about 80% of the stomach, leaving a tube-shaped “sleeve,” limiting the amount of food that can be consumed.
- Ghrelin: The “hunger hormone” produced by the stomach; sleeve gastrectomy reduces ghrelin production, leading to decreased appetite.
- Laparoscopic Surgery: A minimally invasive technique that uses small incisions and cameras, common in bariatric procedures for less post-operative pain and quicker recovery.
- Malabsorption: Reduced nutrient absorption by the intestines, a feature of some weight loss surgeries like gastric bypass, but not typically associated with sleeve gastrectomy.
- Morbid Obesity: Extreme obesity posing serious health risks; weight loss surgery is often considered when other methods have failed.
- Nutritional Deficiencies: Risks following bariatric surgery, necessitating lifelong supplementation and monitoring, especially after procedures that induce malabsorption.
- Obesity-Related Conditions: Health issues associated with obesity that can improve after weight loss surgery, including diabetes, hypertension, and sleep apnea.
- Postoperative Care: The care and instructions followed after surgery, critical for recovery and the success of weight loss efforts, varying by surgery type.
- Satiety: The feeling of fullness post-eating; bariatric surgeries aim to achieve early satiety to reduce overall food intake.
- Semaglutide: A injectable weight loss medication approved for weight loss and diabetes management that mimics an intestinal hormone to reduce appetite; not directly related to gastric sleeve but part of broader weight management strategies, and is a non-surgical alternative.
- Staple Line: In sleeve gastrectomy, the line created along the stomach’s edge by surgical staples. Its integrity is crucial for preventing leaks and promoting healing.
- Weight Loss Plateau: A common phase of slowed or halted weight loss after initial rapid loss, addressable through dietary and lifestyle adjustments.
- Duodenal Switch: A complex weight-loss surgery that combines aspects of sleeve gastrectomy and intestinal bypass, resulting in significant weight loss and malabsorption.
Learn more about your weight loss options during a consultation
Your first step towards shedding those stubborn, unwanted pounds for good is booking a consultation with one of our surgeons. At Surgical Arts of Inland Empire, our kind, qualified, and talented weight loss surgeons Dr. Bobby Bhasker Rao and Dr. Irene Tower proudly serve patients in Rancho Cucamonga, Victorville, and the Inland Empire areas. During your consultation, Dr. Bobby or Dr. Tower will sit down with you one-on-one, learn about your experience with diet and exercise, ask about your medical history, hear about your weight loss goals, and discuss which procedure might be the best fit for you to help you get the results you seek.
Schedule your consultation with us today
To learn more about how gastric sleeve surgery or one of our other weight loss procedures can improve your quality of life, contact us online or call our Rancho Cucamonga office at (909) 579-3111 today to schedule a private consultation. Our surgical team as well as our caring, compassionate staff are here to help answer any questions you have about your weight loss procedure options. From your initial consultation, through your procedure process, and beyond—we are here for you throughout the entirety of your weight loss journey.
