When a person considers surgery to help them with their weight loss, gastric sleeve and gastric bypass are two of the most common options that they are given to choose from. While they may sound very similar in nature, each of these surgical choices carries its own risks and rewards.
Procedure
Each procedure requires a hospital of at least 48 hours and neither of them can be reversed once they have been finished. This is where the similarities end, for the most part. Each operation is performed with the objective of reducing the amount of food that a person can store in their stomach. However, the methods used are quite different.
The most pivotal difference between gastric sleeve and gastric bypass is the nature of each procedure. When gastric bypass is performed, the doctor attaches a tiny pouch to the patient’s intestines. This is done so that the person can then bypass the stomach, hence the name of the surgery.
Having a Gastric Sleeve
Gastric sleeve procedures are much more drastic in nature. During a gastric sleeve surgery, the surgeon will remove a significant portion of the patient’s stomach. The reason why it is called a gastric sleeve surgery is because the patient’s stomach takes on a tube shaped appearance upon completion.
There is also an increased risk of dumping syndrome, unlike gastric bypass, which carries almost no risk of dumping syndrome or any other unpleasant side effects. The results of each procedure also vary.
Having Gastric Bypass Surgery
A person who undergoes gastric bypass surgery should expect to lose at least 60 percent of their excess body weight within the first year following surgery and can expect to lose up to 80 percent of their excess weight overall. The process could take up to 18 months, however.
Patients who decide to undergo a gastric sleeve procedure instead should expect to lose a great deal of their excess weight, although the process does take place at a much slower, steadier pace. Gastric sleeve patients can reasonably expect to lose at least half of their excess weight within the first year and up to 80 percent overall.
Whether a patient chooses gastric bypass or a gastric sleeve procedure, it is important to follow your physician’s instructions every step of the way. This means adhering to your post-surgery dietary instructions to the letter. There will also be pre surgical instructions for each procedure that must be followed.
While gastric sleeve and gastric bypass procedures are somewhat similar in nature, the physician performing each surgery uses a much different method. The end goal is the same, but the route that your trusted surgeon will take to get there will be different. A patient who wishes to lose at least half of their excess weight should consider the differences in these surgeries before making a decision.