Types of Weight Loss Surgery

The internet is a daunting place when it comes to any type of research.  You can spend hours lost in a Google search, six pages deep and even fewer answers than when you started.  This can be especially true when you’re looking for a few quick medical answers. As always, we recommend consulting with a doctor and never relying 100% on the internet, but we won’t deny that this where so many of our patients begin their search.

Today, we’re narrowing the search.  As you research weight loss surgery, you’ll find a variety of different opinions, testimonials and versions of the same story.  As we learned last week, the benefits of weight loss surgery outweigh the risks long term. With that knowledge, you can move forward to the next phase of research: what type of weight loss surgery is best for me?  Your research will most likely lead you to one of the following three surgeries and we’ve got the quick scoop on each one:

Laparoscopic Banding:

1. The band is placed around the upper portion of the stomach to create a small pouch for food. When tightened it gives the sensation of feeling satiated when the pouch is full.
2. What we and others have found after placing thousands of bands is that they create numerous problems. When tightened they can cause dilation of your esophagus or symptoms like reflux. Many patients fail to lose weight or have other problems.

Sleeve Gastrectomy:

1. Sleeve Gastrectomy is the surgery that I specialize in. Using a stapler, we create a small sleeve of stomach removing the portion of the stomach that stretches. A smaller stomach is created without altering the normal flow of food. Frequently, we remove bands and convert the stomach to a sleeve.
2. Failure to lose weight is not often seen in sleeve patients.
3. Long term surgical complications are rarely, if ever, seen.

Gastric Bypass:

1. This operation creates both a small stomach and a new pathway for food.
2. While weight loss tends to be quite good, metabolic complications can occur. 

You’ve just dipped your toe in the giant ocean that is weight loss surgery.  We’re sure you’ve got more questions now, and we’d love to walk through them with you.  Please feel free to contact us and set up a consultation, as we’d be happy to complete a more in-depth comparison of these surgeries with you!