What You Should Know About Weight Loss Surgery

At some point, many people consider weight loss surgery. As with any type of surgery, there are certain risks and concerns. You should make sure that you fully understand the potential dangers and the possible benefits of undergoing a surgery designed to help you lose weight.

You should only consider getting surgery if you are obese, understand the risks, and are ready to make changes to your diet after the surgery. You will need to make changes to your daily lifestyle, after the surgery is completed.

Talk to Your Doctor

When you start considering surgery for weight loss, you are going need to schedule a doctor’s appointment. They should explain the different types of surgery and risks involved. They will also let you know if you are a suitable candidate for surgery.

Types of Weight Loss Surgery

There are four main types of weight loss surgery. Each of these surgeries involves making some type of change to your small intestine or stomach. The four types of surgery include:

•    Gastric Bypass
•    Adjustable Gastric Band
•    Gastric Sleeve
•    Duodenal Switch

Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric bypass is one of the more common types of surgery. With this type of surgery, only a small part of your stomach is left available for the digestive process. This small part of the stomach is referred to as the pouch. When you consume food, the food will pass from the pouch straight to your small intestine. This pouch cannot hold much food, so you are unable to eat as much.

Adjustable Gastric Band

Another common type of surgery is the adjustable gastric band. A surgeon will place a small band around your stomach. The band has a balloon, in order to control the tightness of the band. By adjusting the band, the amount of food that your stomach can hold can be adjusted.

Gastric Sleeve

The gastric sleeve requires the removal of most of the stomach. This leaves a small section along the upper part of the stomach, referred to as the gastric sleeve. Using this surgery can also limit a hormone called ghrelin, which could suppress your appetite.

Duodenal Switch

The duodenal switch is a fairly complicated surgery where most of the stomach is removed. A gastric sleeve is used to bypass the majority of your small intestine. This limits how much you can eat. This will also limit your body’s ability to absorb nutrients, potentially limiting your intake of vitamins and minerals.

Finding the Right Surgeon

If you decide to go through with one of these surgeries, you will need to find a qualified surgeon. Your physician should be able to provide you with some recommendations. When you begin searching for the right surgeon, make sure that they are certified by the American Board of Surgery and are a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Find out what their success rate is and how many different weight loss surgeries they have performed. Ask if you can find out what their rate of complications are and what side effects could occur.

You may need to lose some weight before you undergo surgery. Depending on the surgeon that you find, you may need to lose anywhere from 15 to 30 pounds. Most people are also required to quit smoking, if they are a smoker, since this could lead to complications.

Any time that you undergo surgery, there is a potential risk of complications – this is no different with weight loss surgery. You need to ensure that you understand the entire process and all of the risks. Talk with your doctor to learn more about the surgery for weight loss and find out if you are a suitable candidate.