What is weight loss surgery?
Weight loss or bariatric surgery is an intervention aimed to reduce the volume of the stomach and accelerate the food movement along the gastrointestinal tract reducing the amount of food you eat. Surgical intervention is the only weight loss method that gives a long-term and guaranteed result.
Who benefits the bariatric operation?
The operation is necessary for overweight people with the body mass index (BMI) over 40 kg/m². To calculate your BMI, you need to divide your weight in kilograms twice by your height in meters. For example, your weight is 150 kg and your height is 1.7 m — BMI = 150 / 1.72 = 51.9 kg/m².
Obesity surgery is also prescribed for people with concomitant diseases — hypertension, diabetes mellitus, joint damage. In this case, the operation is carried out with a BMI of 30-35 kg/m².
After calculating your body mass index, consult with a surgeon. Only a doctor can decide if you need this procedure, choose the most effective bariatric surgery method in your particular case, answer all your questions, and predict the results after the operation.
What are the types of weight loss operations?
Sleeve gastrectomy
During the surgery, 80% of the stomach is removed. Surgeons form a tube 2-2.5 cm in diameter. Thus, the volume of the stomach and the amount of food absorbed are reduced.
Gastric bypass
During this operation, surgeons form a stomach pocket with a volume of 15-30 ml. Food from the pocket gets to the small intestine directly. As a result, patients have a sense of fullness even when taking a small amount of food.
Gastric band
In this case, bariatric doctors put the upper part of the stomach in a silicone cuff or gastric band. It narrows the stomach cavity and regulates the speed of food movement through it.
Gastric balloon
During the procedure, surgeons place an empty silicone balloon into the stomach. Then specialists fill a balloon with the physiological saline to the required volume. The operation helps to simulate a sense of fullness in the stomach.
Stomach stapling
During this surgery, metabolic specialists decrease the stomach volume and form a smaller diameter gastric tube. A part of the stomach is not removed, and the gastric wall is sewn with a multi-row suture.
- duration of the surgery is 1-1,5 hours
- 60% of the weight loss after the procedure
- in-hospital stay is 2-3 days.
What are the contraindications?
Bariatric surgery is not performed for teenagers and people with alcohol or drug addiction. Other contraindications include:
- body mass index less than 30
- pregnancy
- Cushing's disease
- thyroid disorders
- peptic or esophageal ulcer
- inflammatory bowel disease
- coronary artery disease
- lung diseases
- active cancer treatment
- mental illness (psychosis, severe depression).
What is preoperative preparation for obesity surgery?
Before the operation, you should stick to some rules and follow the doctor’s recommendations. The most important among then are:
- Preoperative diet — a short-term (2-6 weeks) diet before the surgery will lower your body mass index and reduce the risk of complications. The preoperative diet usually consists of foods high in protein and low in carbohydrates, plenty of water.
- Quitting smoking — at least 6 weeks before undergoing general anesthesia, as smoking before the intervention increases the risk of postoperative complications (heart attack, stroke, thromboembolism, infection, pneumonia, and death).
- Physical activity — in the preoperative period improves well-being, general tone, lung, and heart capacity. In addition to your daily activities (work, shopping, and cleaning), try cycling, walking, or swimming for at least half an hour a day. The healthier you will be before the operation, the faster the recovery after the operations will be.
More about the presurgical program you can find here.
What is the process of weight loss treatment?
The operation plan mainly depends on the method of obesity surgery. Each of them differs in the technique of performing. Generally, the procedure takes about 3 hours.
The hospitalization is required. Usually, the patient stays in the hospital for 2-3 days:
- 1st day — the surgery
- 2nd day — stay in the intensive care unit
- 3rd day — stay in the inpatient department
- 4th day — discharge from the hospital.
What are the risks during the surgery?
Bariatric operation is a serious surgical intervention, so has some risks:
- bleeding
- wound infections
- intestinal or bowel obstruction
- internal hernias
- vomiting
- ulcers
- low blood sugar.
However, the operation is minimally invasive and the success rate of weight loss operation is 98%.
How long is the recovery period after the bariatric operation?
- In the first 2 days after the operation, the patient can consume only liquids.
- On the third day after the procedure, the person takes food in small portions 5-6 times a day. Gradually, the patient develops new nutritional habits.
- Getting out of bed is allowed on the second day after the weight loss surgery. Gradually, the physical activity increases and step-by-step the patient comes back to the common lifestyle.
- In two weeks a person can return to work if the activity is not associated with heavy physical exertion.
- Intense physical exertions are forbidden for two months.
- Then physical activity is required: walking at least three kilometers a day, swimming, cycling, or aerobics will help to overcome the difficulties during the recovery period and return to a full-fledged lifestyle faster.
Read more about the rehabilitation after the obesity procedure here.
How soon after weight loss surgery can you get pregnant?
If you are planning a pregnancy, postpone it for at least 18 months after the procedure. This is the time when your weight is reduced so pregnancy will be a big burden for the body.
After this period, pregnancy is usually safer than before the surgery — for both the mother and the baby. You should inform your gynecologist what type of intervention you had and if there were any complications after the procedure (blood clots, blood transfusion, etc.).
What results can you expect after obesity surgery?
During a year after the operation, a person loses up to 60-70% of excess weight. In rare cases, it takes about 1.5 years. It is important that losing weight is irreversible if the patient follows all doctor’s recommendations — the weight will go away and won’t come back. This is a major advantage of the surgical treatment of the overweight.
Besides, after the weight loss surgery, the patients also notice regress or get rid of other diseases associated with obesity — type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension (high blood pressure), cardiac pathology, hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), arthritis, infertility.
Do you need to take vitamin or mineral supplements?
Yes, usually you need to take vitamins and minerals. Supplements provide the patient with essential nutrients needed to maintain good health. A diet that must be kept after the surgery may not always provide the full range of nutrients.