When you are trying to decide if weight-loss surgery is the best option for you, it’s not easy. You have to make the decision on what’s best for your family, what your doctor prefers, what procedures are covered by your insurance and most importantly, you.
When thinking about weight-loss surgery, most people just think of gastric bypass surgery. This is the one that they’ve heard about in the news and it’s relatively quick and easy. But this is just one type of weight-loss surgery and may not be the right one to fit your needs. Let’s take a look at some other options:
1) Restrictive & Malabsorptive – Restrictive surgery actually shrinks your stomach and slows down digestion. This allows you to eat less and, in turn, lose weight. Malabsorptive/restrictive surgeries physically remove parts of your digestive track, which makes it harder to absorb calories. This type of surgery also restricts the size of your stomach.
2) Adjustable Gastric Banding – This surgery will entails using an inflatable band to squeeze your stomach into two sections; a smaller upper pouch and a larger lower section. This slows down the emptying of the smaller pouch. It limits what you can take in during a meal.
3) Sleeve Gastrectomy – About ¾ of your stomach is removed in this surgery. What is left behind is a narrow tube that connects to your intestines. This is usually step one in a weight-loss surgery series. Gastric bypass usually follows it, but in some cases is not needed.
4) Gastric Bypass Surgery – This is the most common type of weight-loss surgery. During this procedure, your stomach is separated into two parts, sealing off the upper section from the lower section. The upper stomach is then directly connected to the lower section of the small intestine. This is essentially a shortcut for the food to travel, bypassing a section of the stomach and small intestine. Fewer calories are absorbed into the body as a result.
5) Biliopancreatic Diversion – In a sense, this is a more extreme version of gastric bypass. As much as 70% of your stomach is removed and even more of your small intestine is bypassed.
The most ideal weight-loss surgery depends on your current health and body type and should be recommended by your doctor. Your best bet is to go to a medical center that specializes in weight-loss surgeries. Risks to these procedures are greatly decreased when being performed by an expert in this field with plenty of experience.
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