Surgery for obesity & metabolic diseases
Surgery for obesity & metabolic diseases
Patients usually lose a significant amount of their excess weight.
Such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, and fatty liver disease.
This includes increased mobility, better self-esteem, reduced depression and anxiety, among others.
Including heart attacks and strokes.
The gastric sleeve involves the surgical removal of 70% of the left portion of the stomach, leaving behind a small pouch which resembles the shape of a coat’s sleeve.
The significant change in the size of the stomach allows patients to feel full and satisfied with just small and healthy portions of food. This results in fewer calories consumed daily, and over time can produce dramatic, yet safe, weight loss results.
The reason this procedure has become extremely popular is because the gastric sleeve success stories are abundant around the world and the downsides are scarce. If you would like to watch some examples of actual patients you can see our gastric sleeve before and after gallery.
Dr. Rosales has a good deal of experience with this procedure after participating in over 10,000 of these, Obesity Free offers you the great advantage of choosing out of three different locations at Monterrey, Piedras Negras and Laredo which lets us cover anyone’s needs and preferences regarding geographical location and budget.
During gastric sleeve procedure, the left portion of the stomach is separated from its natural attachments and the stomach is cut and sealed with a special stapling device, and reinforced with sutures. At his Monterrey, Piedras Negras and Laredo facilities, Dr. Rosales uses a special medical grade FDA-approved stapling and cutting device, known as Endo GIA, which is made by Covidien Autosuture™ in the U.S. This device is proven safe and effective, and is the only one used by Dr. Rosales in his practice.
The operating time varies from one patient to another and mainly form one weight loss surgeon or bariatric clinic to another, experience plays an important role in this specific topic. An hour is the average time in which Dr. Rosales performs this procedure.
One of the main parameters used globally to determine if a patient is a candidate for weight loss surgery, in this case, the Gastric Sleeve, is the patient’s BMI or Body Mass Index, you can get more details on this on our Am I a Candidate section.
In summary, any patient with a BMI over 35 or 30 with obesity related diseases is a candidate for gastric sleeve surgery, despite this, a thorough evaluation of the specific situation of the patient should be performed.
So any patient who has struggled for years with obesity and has developed diseases related to obesity or has the genetic predisposition to develop them, should strongly consider a definitive and effective weight loss treatment such as the gastric sleeve.
The best time for making this life-changing decision is before the co-morbidities related to obesity appear, it has been demonstrated that patients having weight loss surgery reduce tremendously the chances of developing them.
If unfortunately you already have diabetes, high blood pressure, or any other obesity related disease it is still time for you to consider surgery, since it can actually cure your diseases making you medication free or at least reducing the amount of medication you will need.
– Anyone who is looking for significant and sustained weight loss without all the risks and side effects of a malabsorption procedure.
– Any person who does not want to have the expense of permanently performing monthly or periodically tests to evaluate nutritional status.
– Anyone who has concerns about developing the common side effects of any malabsorption procedure such as gastric bypass: intestinal obstruction, marginal ulcers, anemia, osteoporosis, protein, vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
– Those who are considering a gastric band but are concerned about the presence of foreign material inside the body and do not want to undergo periodic adjustments until they reach their goal weight.
– Anyone who wants to have weight loss surgery but their medical condition is complex and spending many hours in the operating room is contraindicated.
– ºPatients who have had a bad experience with the gastric band, situations such as band slippage, erosion, port site infection, etc.
Once this is clarified, preparation for gastric sleeve surgery may vary from one bariatric group to another but in the vast majority of cases it is mandatory that the patient undergoes a few steps before surgery.
The importance of this preoperative preparation has two main objectives:
– Put you in the best possible condition for the day of your surgery.
– Prepare yourself both physically and mentally for the postoperative period.
The idea of both points is to make things “simpler” for your surgeon during the surgery, during the immediate and intermediate recovery period as well as to achieve the smoothest transition and recovery possible for you. These simple steps will reduce the chances of complications and therefore allow your experience with the procedure to be positive and enjoyable.
If you decide to have the surgery with Dr. Rosales and with Obesity Free, you will receive a complete preoperative guide and orientation that details each of the steps to follow before undergoing gastric sleeve surgery.
The following are typical events that may occur before gastric sleeve surgery; However, since each patient is unique, what will actually occur may be slightly different:
– Depending on your body mass index, Dr. Rosales will let you know if a preoperative diet is necessary to reduce the size of your liver. Every obese person develops a condition known as “fatty liver.” A diet before surgery can technically facilitate the procedure and thus reduce the risks of complications during surgery, leading to a faster and smoother recovery.
– Blood tests, chest x-rays and ECG (Electrocardiogram) will also be done before surgery.
– Preoperative consultations with specialists, such as cardiologist, endocrinologist, pulmonologist, etc. They may be needed depending on your specific health status; We will let you know if you need these evaluations before surgery. (Routine evaluations will be provided by us, at no extra cost).
Finally, in fact we encourage you to write down each and every one of your questions and Dr. Rosales will personally answer them, for him there is no worse question than the one that is not asked.
As explained previously this procedure has gained tremendous popularity in the last decade and the main reason is that the gastric sleeve results and benefits surpass the ones obtained with less invasive procedures such as the gastric plication or gastric balloon (quitar lo que esta en azul si afecta), giving very similar results in weight loss to much more aggressive ones such as gastric bypass without the need of close follow up.
This procedure allows patients to enjoy a healthy, balanced diet with controlled portions without much sacrifice since the patient develops fullness sensation sooner when eating and for longer periods of time.
Another great advantage of the gastric sleeve when compared to other weight loss procedures is that it is practically maintenance free.
There is no need for monthly or periodic lab tests to measure vitamins, minerals or hemoglobin levels. Remember, since it does not cause any malabsorption of nutrients it does not lead to any nutritional deficiencies.
We list here the main differences, benefits and advantages of Gastric Sleeve.
– It is a less invasive bariatric procedure and therefore has a lower morbidity rate.
– It does not involve the placement of a foreign device (foreign body) such as the gastric band or the bariclip.
– It does not involve any “detour” or “reconnection” of the intestine or stomach. – Since there is no bypass, there is usually no dumping syndrome (gastric emptying).
– It is the only procedure that consists of removing the portion of the stomach that produces the appetite hormone “ghrelin,” effectively reducing hunger “attacks.”
– The feeling of fullness and satisfaction is achieved with only small portions of food.
– Does not limit or restrict the type of foods you will be able to eat. You can eat anything in small, healthy portions.
– Less food intake and lack of appetite lead to gradual and dramatic weight loss without going over a figure close to your ideal weight!
– Weight loss will not be drastic in a very short period of time, letting your body and skin adapt to a constant and healthy weight loss pattern.
– Adjusts to the needs of each person. Although “adjustments” are neither possible nor necessary, the sleeve is considered a “smart” procedure, leading patients to or very close to their ideal weight.
– It is maintenance free!
– There is no need for uncomfortable preoperative bowel or colon cleansing procedures.
All the conditions or symptoms mentioned here improve or disappear with weight loss.
The results of the gastric sleeve can vary from one patient to another depending on how committed they are to the lifestyle changes that the surgery represents. On average, you should expect a loss of around 70% of excess weight in one period. of time between 12 and 18 months after surgery.
Again, these numbers are approximate, many patients under adequate monitoring and guidance such as those provided by Obesity Free manage to reach their goal weight.
What we can anticipate for you is that the recovery is not at all difficult compared to other major procedures such as laparoscopic gallbladder surgery or cesarean section, the level of discomfort is generally very tolerable and can be perfectly managed during the postoperative period if you surgeon has enough experience in this procedure. Gastric sleeve recovery time can vary, but here we show you the typical recovery based on our patients’ experience.
– After surgery, you may feel some pain in your shoulder and/or the upper left area of your abdomen. It is also common to wake up with a feeling of «pressure» in the lower chest or upper abdomen.
– The activity depends on how you feel. Usually, that same day, a few hours after surgery, you will be able to stand up only to walk, in fact walking is recommended; This will help you recover even faster!
– The oral route is started the morning after your surgery.
– 48 hours after your procedure, you will be able to return home, once Dr. Rosales makes sure you are in optimal condition to leave the hospital.
– You will probably be able to return to normal activities of daily living within a week. If your job does not require strenuous physical activity, you will be able to return to work within seven days or even less.
– You will notice the restriction immediately, so get ready to start losing weight and enjoy your new life!
Lost weight: 34 kgs
"In my experience regarding the operation I imagined that the recovery would be more complicated, but it really went very well"
Lost weight: 57 kgs
“I suffered from hypertension, now I am free of medications.
I continue to enjoy my life and activities as I used to before.“
Lost weight: 29.5 kgs
“When I decided to go to the consultation with Dr. Rosales, he opened my eyes to the fact that this was only going to be a tool that should encourage me to turn my life around.”