Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy or Gastric Sleeve is a restrictive type of weight loss surgery that promotes weight loss by limiting the amount of food that can be consumed as well as reducing the sensation of hunger. The surgical procedure, which is generally performed laproscopically, permanently removes approximately 85% of the stomach leaving a small new stomach that is cylindrical in shape.
The surgeon inserts a tube into the stomach called a “Bougie” that is used as a guide when making the cuts and stapling the site. My surgeon used a size 36 bougie which is approximately the width of a sharpie pen. This gives you a good idea of about how big of a stomach you are left with after surgery.
Originally, Gastric Sleeve was designed as the first of a two part procedure to be followed up by either gastric bypass or duodenal switch surgery, at a later date. The purpose of the two-stage approach was to make weight loss surgery safer for people who were high risk such as a high BMI 60+ or other health issues. It was found that after the initial procedure some patients were able to obtain and maintain a healthy weight, reducing the need for the second surgical procedure.
Some of the advantages to a Gastric Sleeve as opposed to other weight loss procedures is that you are still left with a fully functional stomach, albeit a much smaller one. Because the new stomach continues to function normally, there are far fewer restrictions on the foods you can eat the portions will just be much much smaller. Another advantage is that the removal of a majority of the stomach also results in a drastic drop in Ghrelin, a hormone associated with stimulating hunger and which is mainly produced in the portion of the stomach that is removed. One of the most important advantages of Gastric Sleeve for me was that none of my intestines were moved about or rerouted. The only thing being done is the removal of a large portion of the stomach.
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