What is bariatric surgery?
Bariatric surgery is a type of surgery that’s performed on your stomach and your small intestines to help you lose weight. It alters your stomach and small intestines so that it holds less food and absorbs far fewer nutrients than it normally would, often resulting in rapid long-term weight loss.
Who qualifies for bariatric surgery?
Your body mass index (BMI) is used to determine whether you qualify for bariatric surgery. BMI is a measurement of an adult’s body fat based on their height and weight. You may be eligible for bariatric surgery if:
- You have a BMI of 40 or greater or you are over 100 pounds overweight
- You have a BMI of 35 or more and have one or more obesity-related conditions (such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, or sleep apnea)
- You’ve tried to lose weight using other methods, without success
- Please note you may still qualify even if you don’t meet the above criteria (call Ditto Surgical to schedule a consultation to determine if weight loss surgery is right for you.)
What are some types of bariatric surgery procedures?
Bariatric surgery procedures work in two main ways. They either limit the amount food that can be held inside your stomach at any one time or they alter the way your body digests the food you eat. Some of the types of bariatric surgery work in both ways.
When you come in for a consult, Dr. Ditto assesses your individual situation and recommends the type of bariatric surgery that’s best for your needs. Examples of the types of procedures he performs include:
Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy
Nearly 80% of your stomach is removed, and the remaining portion resembles a banana-shaped pouch. The procedure, also known as the gastric sleeve, decreases the amount of food you can consume at any one time. This surgery also affects hunger and satiety hormones and can help control your blood sugar.
Gastric bypass
During gastric bypass surgery, a significant portion of the stomach and the first part of the small intestine are sectioned off. Then the small remaining portion of your stomach is reconnected further down in your small intestine.
The new smaller stomach holds less food, making you feel full faster and eliminating the desire to overeat. Bypassing part of the small intestine changes the gut hunger and satiety hormones and also means there’s less absorption of food.
Adjustable gastric band
A saline-filled band is placed around the upper portion of your stomach during adjustable gastric band surgery. The band can be tightened or loosened to control the amount of food entering your stomach, and the food is digested and absorbed normally. The goal of this procedure is to help you lose weight by making you feel full faster.
What are the results of bariatric surgery?
As you lose weight after the surgery, the quality of your health will most likely improve progressively.
If you need medications for obesity-related health conditions -- such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, or high blood pressure -- your doctor may be able to lower your medication dosage at some point. Your chronic obesity-related health conditions may even resolve after you’ve lost a significant amount of weight.
About 90% of people who have bariatric surgery keep at least half their excess weight off for the long term. Often, health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and other obesity-related illnesses disappear entirely after surgery.
