In this week’s article, Streamline Director and Leading Bariatric Surgeon, Mr Shaw Somers, discusses the importance of speaking to a specialist in regards to which weight loss procedure is right for you.
How do I know which weight loss procedure is right for me?
Streamlines Shaw Somers states ‘I’ve often heard it said that patients should choose their own weight loss procedure, read the information, and you make the choice. I’m not sure I believe that in all circumstances, there are some people who can read the information and come up with a reasoned good choice, which is right for them. But you can’t expect everybody to make that choice correctly and expect the patient to carry that pressure of a decision, I think it’s quite unfair.
That’s where a consultation with a specialist from Streamline will help you come up with the right choice. We’re trained to understand how to assimilate all the different aspects of your diet, your lifestyle, your medical history, and put that together with a plan and the knowledge of what the procedures will do for the individual.
I know what results a patient can expect with a bypass depending on their medical history and their lifestyle. I know what a sleeve gastrectomy can and can’t do depending on a patient’s lifestyle and medical history. So that’s why you see a specialist, and that is why specialists can help you decide which of the choices is going to be right for you. Rather than expecting you to trawl the internet and figure it out for yourself.’
What are the different types of bariatric surgery?
Gastric Band
A Gastric Band is an adjustable plastic ring, known as a Lap-Band, that is placed around the top of the stomach, with a very small pouch of the stomach above it. The band is connected to an access port that is placed under the skin of the abdominal wall. This is used to adjust the gastric band.
The Gastric Band is the least invasive and safest weight loss procedures that has been widely used for over 35 years. Often a Gastric Band surgery can be carried out as a day-case.
Once the Gastric Band has healed in place, the tightness can be adjusted. Saline is injected into the access port to adjust the pressure being applied by the Gastric Band. By increasing the pressure on the upper stomach it creates a feeling of fullness resulting in a reduction of appetite and weight loss.
Gastric Sleeve
The Gastric Sleeve (also known as a Sleeve Gastrectomy) is an operation which removes about 80% of the stomach. Transforming your stomach from an expandable food reservoir the size of a large grapefruit to a narrow tube the size of a small banana.
The Gastric Sleeve reduces your stomach size, limiting the amount you can eat. It also changes the way your stomach senses and regulates appetite, so you’ll feel full more quickly. Unlike a diet, there isn’t a constant fight against hunger.
Gastric Bypass
A gastric Bypass works by creating a narrow pouch from the upper stomach, which is then connected to your small bowel. The food then bypasses the majority of your stomach.
There are several variations of bypass, for example, you may have heard about the Mini Gastric or Loop Bypass. Unlike the traditional Gastric Bypass, that has two joins between the stomach and the bowel, with a Mini (single anastomosis) Gastric Bypass the pouch is joined directly to a loop of small intestine.
After a Gastric Bypass it is difficult to eat quickly or eat too much, reducing portion sizes and requiring you to eat more slowly. There is an additional hormonal effect, that makes you feel less hungry and more easily satisfied with a small portion of food.
To enquire with Streamline about the weight loss procedures we offer, please call 0333 016 3030 or fill in the online enquiry form below.