what is gastric sleeve surgery?

Gastric sleeve surgery is also called sleeve gastrectomy, tube gastrectomy, vertical sleeve, and gastric tube surgery.

This surgery helps people with massive or morbid obesity to lose weight. It also improves the metabolic health profile for people who have diabetes.

The surgery is performed under anaesthetic. The surgeon cuts away and removes part of the stomach. Staples reconnect the cut edges to create a very small stomach.

Removal of part of the stomach does impact on your nutritional health in both the short and long-term.

• You will need to have regular and comprehensive blood tests to check your nutritional well-being.
• You will also need to take vitamin and mineral supplements.

The capacity of the stomach depends on your surgeon's technique.

• It starts off barely holding a third of a cup when first created and settles at about half a cup after a few weeks. Over the first year, this tiny stomach does stretch and can hold one cup or more at any single time.

Straight after surgery, hunger and appetite disappear.

Dramatic health improvements are often seen even before weight loss starts. For this reason, the sleeve gastrectomy is also called metabolic surgery.

Most of the excess weight is lost during the first 6 to 9 months. By 12 months the rate of weight loss slows. That slow down may be partly explained by the fact the stomach has stretched and hold more. It could also be due to a return in appetite and hunger as hormonal regulation readjusts.

Unlike the gastric band, the gastric sleeve does not need life-long adjustments to keep it working well.

Check out the gastric sleeve topic buttons. Read the other topics under Surgery to lose weight.