Is Gastric Sleeve Surgery Right For You?

Gastric sleeve surgery, or a sleeve gastrectomy, is one of several types of weight loss surgery options for people seeking to lose typically 100 pounds or more.

Learn more about gastric sleeve surgery for weight loss and if bariatric surgery may be right for you.

What Is A Sleeve Gastrectomy?

A sleeve gastrectomy, also known as a vertical sleeve gastrectomy, involves removing 80 percent of the stomach and changing it from a football shape to a tube roughly the shape and size of a banana. A smaller stomach size will help you become full faster, create less of the "hunger hormone," and decrease the sensation of appetite.

The sleeve gastrectomy does not involve any "rerouting" or reconnecting of the intestines and is a simpler operation than the gastric bypass and the duodenal switch.

Is Gastric Sleeve Surgery Right For Me?

Patients who are eligible for gastric sleeve surgery typically have a body mass index, or BMI, of 40 or greater. A BMI of 40 translates to about 100 pounds over ideal body weight for men and 80 pounds over ideal body weight for women.

This was the case for Steve Johnson. His ideal retirement job is transporting high-end automobiles like Lamborghinis and Ferraris across the country. Weighing 395 pounds though, he was unable to fit into the cars or the enclosed trailers used to transport them. Steve also stopped going out dancing after a 2017 knee replacement, fearing his weight might damage the new knee. With all these concerns, Steve chose to undergo a sleeve gastrectomy procedure.

Surgery also may be an option for people with a BMI of 35 or greater who suffer from life-threating health problems such as diabetes, sleep apnea or obesity-related heart disease.

Benefits Of A Sleeve Gastrectomy Procedure

The sleeve gastrectomy offers the follow­ing advantages over other weight loss surgery procedures:

• The gastric sleeve does not require implanting a foreign object such as a silastic ring used in gastric banding or Lap-Band surgery.
• A sleeve gastrectomy can have a shorter surgery time compared with other weight loss surgery procedures.
• The gastric sleeve procedure decreases the size of the stomach and secretion of the hormone ghrelin, which is responsible for the feeling of fullness.
• For severely obese patients, gastric sleeve procedures can help decrease their weight enough to prepare for a staged procedure or other surgery later.

Steve was able to see these benefits with his results. Just 11 months after his gastric sleeve surgery, Steve has lost 163 pounds and is back on the dance floor and looking forward to his retirement job.

"When we were out the other night, I started doing things on the dance floor I hadn’t done in 10 years," said Steve. "My friend said, ‘You can move again!’"

Are There Risks Involved With A Sleeve Gastrectomy?

Like any surgical operation, the sleeve gastrectomy has possible complications, such as leakage, dilation of the sleeve (which allows for more food intake) and other usual complications associated with weight loss surgery. The surgery is not reversible, unlike with gastric bands, and it may worsen or cause acid reflux or heartburn.

Gastric Sleeve Recovery And Post-Op

Most patients can expect a hospital stay of one to three days after gastric sleeve.

Following your hospital stay, you will have routine visits with your physician, counselor and registered dietitians to help assess your health and support you throughout your weight loss journey.

Surgery is not a quick fix. Surgery gives you the physical tool to assist with weight loss. You must be committed to making the emotional and physical changes necessary after bariatric surgery, including eating healthfully and regular exercise, to maintain a healthy weight for the rest of your life and manage any other health conditions you may have.

It’s a small exchange for restored health.

"Bariatric surgery can offer people the opportunity to accomplish what they could not do on their own," said bariatric surgeon Gerald Cahill, MD, medical director of the Franciscan Health Center for Bariatric Surgery in Olympia Fields, Illinois,and Dyer, Indiana. "It can be a life-changing step that helps them reset the clock."