How do you get approved for surgical weight loss?

If you are obese and changing your lifestyle hasn't made a difference in your weight loss, you might consider weight loss surgery. These procedures, often known as bariatric surgery, work by altering your appetite and stomach size.

You may be qualified for bariatric surgery if:

·         Your weight exceeds the recommended amount for your size and shape by at least 100 pounds.

·         Your body mass index (BMI) is forty or over. 

·         You have at least one weight-related medical issue, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, gallbladder disease, or sleep apnea, and your BMI is 35 or above.

·         You have a history of trying and failing to lose weight with conventional techniques like diet and exercise.

·         You don't struggle with drugs or alcohol.

·         A mental illness has not been diagnosed in you.

·         You're in good enough health to undergo the procedure.

Screening procedure for weight loss surgery

There will be a rigorous screening process before you get weight loss surgery. Your doctor will evaluate your mental and physical well-being as well as your readiness for long-term lifestyle adjustments.

Teens undergoing weight loss surgery

Most weight loss surgeries are performed on adults. But if they fit the aforementioned requirements, teenagers 14 years of age or older might be eligible.

A nutritional examination will be conducted to examine any dietary inadequacies or unhealthy eating habits. Testing for substance use disorders, depression, and eating disorders is likely to occur.

Types of Procedures for Losing Weight

A few distinct kinds of weight loss surgery each provide a different kind of weight loss assistance. Which one you have will depend on your unique needs regarding weight loss and wellness.

Surgery with restrictions:

These function by reducing the capacity of your stomach to hold food. You can't eat as much, and you'll feel content sooner if your stomach is smaller.

surgical malabsorptive:

This alters the way your body breaks down food, reducing the number of calories you take in. It accomplishes this by rerouting the path that food takes inside your digestive system. It is possible that a portion of your stomach will be removed.

Combination surgery:

The results of malabsorptive and restrictive operations are combined in this.

Adjustable Gastric Banding:

 Gastric banding is a type of restrictive weight loss surgery.

 How it works 

Your surgeon uses an inflatable, silicone band called a Lap-Band to squeeze the stomach into two sections: a smaller upper pouch and a larger lower section. The two sections stay connected by a very small channel, which slows down the emptying of the upper pouch. Most people can only eat a half-cup to a cup of food at one meal before feeling too full. The food also needs to be soft or well-chewed.

Benefits of stomach banding

Comparing this operation to gastric bypass and other weight loss procedures, it is less invasive, easier to do, and safer. It is not necessary for you to have surgery to separate your intestines or stomach. You recover more quickly, leave with a smaller scar, and if you'd want, have the band surgically removed.

You have a decreased risk of malnutrition than with other surgeries like gastric bypass because your digestive system remains unchanged.

Additionally, the band can be changed in the physician's office using a port inserted under your skin during surgery. In order to compress your stomach even more, your physician will add more saline solution injections to tighten the band. Your doctor extracts liquid with a needle to loosen it.

The aftereffects of gastric banding

You'll probably lose weight after gastric banding more gradually and with less drama than after other surgeries. Compared to the average of 60%–70% after 12 months with other weight loss surgeries, you can anticipate losing roughly 40%–50% of your excess weight after two years.

You also have up to a 50% chance of having complications, such as a blockage that stops you from being able to eat, or problems with the port. Side effects include nausea, vomiting, acid reflux, difficulty swallowing, and constipation. Changing your diet can help. You may also be more likely to regain some of the weight you lose over the years.

Risks of gastric banding

One of the most common side effects of gastric banding is vomiting after you eat too much too quickly. The band might slip out of place, become too loose, or leak. Your risk of needing more surgeries is about 35%. As with any operation, infection is a risk. Although unlikely, some complications can be life-threatening.

Gastrectomy with sleeves

This is another type of restrictive weight loss surgery, often known as vertical gastric sleeve (VSG) surgery. You can eat less after the procedure because the surgeon eliminates roughly 80% of your stomach. All that's left is a banana-sized, thin tube or sleeve that attaches to your intestines. This operation also reduces appetite by excising a portion of the stomach that produces hormones that stimulate hunger.

Sleeve gastrectomy advantages

One of the safest procedures for weight loss is a sleeve gastrectomy. Because it's typically performed laparoscopically—a minimally invasive technique using a tiny camera as a guide—you'll heal more quickly and with fewer incisions than with some other surgeries. In two years, you should be able to shed at least 60% of your extra weight. If necessary, you can have a second procedure, such as a gastric bypass, once you've lost weight and your health has improved (typically after 12 to 18 months).

A sleeve gastrectomy doesn't alter how your body absorbs food because it doesn't damage your intestines, so you won't likely experience vitamin deficiencies. And compared to other surgeries, you can eat a greater variety of foods.

Procedure for Gastric Bypass (Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass)

Restrictive and malabsorptive methods are combined in gastric bypass surgery.

Your surgeon separates the stomach during the procedure, closing off the upper and lower halves. The bottom portion of your small intestine is then immediately connected to your upper stomach by your doctor.

In essence, the surgeon makes a passageway for your food that avoids a portion of the small intestine and stomach. If you bypass these sections of the digestive system, your body will absorb less nutrition and calories.

benefits of having a gastric bypass

You often lose weight quickly and dramatically. You should anticipate losing at least 70% of your extra body weight. Conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis, infertility, heart disease, cancer, stroke, sleep apnea, and heartburn that are impacted by obesity frequently improve quickly as a result of the fast weight loss.

Moreover, gastric bypass has positive long-term outcomes. For 20 years, people can maintain a 50% weight loss on average.

Consequences of the gastric bypass procedure

You will not be able to absorb food in the same manner after the surgery. This increases your chance of consuming insufficient amounts of nutrients, which can result in vitamin and mineral deficits. Anemia and osteoporosis may result from iron and calcium deficiency. You'll have to be very careful with your food and take vitamins for the rest of your life.

Another complication of gastric bypass is dumping syndrome, in which food spills from the stomach into the intestines too quickly before it's been thoroughly digested. A gastric bypass patient experiences some dumping in about 85% of cases. Among the symptoms are diarrhea, bloating, pain, sweating, weakness, and nausea. Eating sugary or high-carb foods frequently causes dumpeding. Adjusting your diet often helps.

It is more difficult to reverse gastric bypass than adjustable gastric banding. It can, however, occasionally be undone or changed into a sleeve gastrectomy.

Gastric bypass surgery risks

Gastric bypass is riskier due to its complexity. It carries the same dangers as most abdominal surgeries: blood clots, heavy bleeding, infection, and respiratory issues. Gallstones could also result from the quick weight loss. Bowel blockage, ulcers, hernias, hypoglycemia, stomach perforation, vomiting, and malnourishment are additional dangers.

Pancreas-to biliary Diversion

During biliopancreatic diversion (BPD), the majority of your small intestine is bypassed after your surgeon removes 80% of your stomach. Compared to other weight loss operations, it is less prevalent. Usually, it is only advised if you have serious health issues related to your weight or a very high BMI.

These days, biliopancreatic diversion with a duodenal switch, or BPD/DS, is a more popular variation of this procedure. This procedure preserves the pylorus valve, which regulates the exit of food from your stomach. Malnutrition is less likely with this than with a typical biliopancreatic diversion because it can help control your digestion.

Benefits of diverting pancreatic juice

More weight can be lost even more quickly and significantly with biliopancreatic diversion than with a gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy. It's regarded as one of the best operations for weight loss. Because it reduces stomach size, you eat less. Additionally, this process modifies your gut hormones to decrease appetite, increase feelings of fullness, and enhance blood sugar regulation.

The drawbacks of biliopancreatic diversion

Compared to gastric bypass, biliopancreatic diversion is less prevalent. You run a far higher chance of not receiving enough nutrients, which is one of the reasons. Numerous dangers associated with gastric bypass surgery also apply to this procedure, such as dumping syndrome and vitamin and mineral shortages. The functioning of the duodenal switch may reduce some of these dangers. Consistent diarrhea is a typical side effect.

Biliopancreatic diversion's risks

Among the riskiest and most intricate weight-loss operations is this one. Similar to gastric bypass, there is a considerable chance of hernias, which will require additional surgery to fix. However, when your doctor does minimally invasive procedures (like a laparoscopy), this risk is reduced.

Devices for Losing Weight

In technical terms, weight loss operations such as vagal blockage and gastric balloons are not considered. However, to assist you in losing weight, your doctor may implant or insert one of these devices into your body.

System of intragastric and gastric balloons

A form of restrictive surgery called an intragastric balloon involves inserting a deflated balloon through your mouth into your stomach. Then, a saline solution is added to it, which lessens appetite and gives a feeling of fullness. If you have liver failure, intestinal disease, or have undergone prior weight loss surgery, the intragastric balloon won't be effective for you.

Advantages: No actual surgery is required, and there is no need for a hospital stay. The balloon is a temporary installation that lasts for half a year. During that time, you can shed roughly 10% of your excess body weight.

Consequences: For a few days following the balloon implantation, you can experience nausea, vomiting, and stomachaches.

Risks: Twelve deaths that may have resulted from intragastric balloons (due to intestinal blockages or stomach or esophageal perforations, for example) were reported by the FDA in 2018. Additionally, the FDA received some complaints of pancreatitis brought on by the balloon pressing on nearby organs and spontaneous balloon overinflation (either with air or fluid).

Which Surgery Is Best for Losing Weight?

The best weight reduction surgery for you will depend on your body type and overall health.

Simpler operations might not be feasible, for example, if you have undergone prior abdominal surgery or if you are extremely fat. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each procedure with your physician.

Visit a hospital that specializes in weight loss surgery if at all possible. Surgical errors are reduced when performed by skilled professionals. Make sure your surgeon has performed the necessary operation many times before.

Takeaways

You might be a candidate for weight reduction surgery if you need to drop a lot of weight and have tried other medical and lifestyle options without success. These procedures have dangers and side effects to take into account, but they can help you lose a lot of weight rapidly and keep it off. Consult your physician for more details and assistance in determining which weight loss procedure is best for you.