Obesity has become the most significant health issue in the USA reaching near epidemic levels. The combination of sedentary lifestyles and poor dietary habits has led to serious health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. In cases where lifestyle changes fail to produce the desired weight loss, weight loss surgeries can offer a life-changing last effort. Denver provides a variety of weight loss surgery options, offering individuals several choices to address their health concerns. In this article, we’ll give a rundown of the various options of weight loss surgery in Denver.
Gastric Banding
As a restrictive weight loss surgery, gastric banding is one of the most popular options.
Functioning Mechanism
The surgeon uses a lap band (silicon, inflatable band) and divides the stomach into parts, like a tiny upper pouch and a large lower part. The two parts remain linked through a tiny medium that slows down the food breakdown of the upper pouch.
Advantages of Gastric Banding
Gastric banding is minimally invasive, simpler, and safer than other weight loss surgeries. The best part about the procedure is that patients don’t have to get their intestines or stomach surgically divided or sectioned. Further, patients have tiny scars, and the healing process is faster because the hospital stay is significantly less. Patients can adjust the lap band in the doctor’s office via a port settled at the skin during the surgical procedure. The surgeon injects a saline solution into the band to stiffen the band and limit the stomach size. On the other hand, to loosen it, surgeons use a needle to eradicate the excess saline.
Side Effects
One of the common side effects of gastric banding weight loss surgery is vomiting after a patient eats quickly. Further, the band can often slip out of place, leak, or become loose. The risk of the second surgery is around 35%, but it is a rare phenomenon. Similar to other surgeries, there are complications, but gastric banding is safe.
Sleeve Gastrectomy
Also known as VSG (Vertical Gastric Sleeve), it is yet another restrictive weight loss surgery.
Mechanism of the Surgery
This surgery eliminates almost 80% of the stomach. The surgery reduces eating capacity as the stomach size reduces. What remains after the surgery is a thin sleeve or tube, more or less similar to the size of a banana, which interlinks with the intestines. Because the process removes a part of the stomach, it decreases appetite and hunger pangs.
Benefits of the Procedure
It is one of the safest surgery options for weight loss. The procedure is minimally invasive and quicker healing because of small incisions and scars. Patients can expect a minimum of 60% weight loss in two years. If the surgeon and the patient opt for a second surgery, it is possible after a year based on the weight loss and the overall health. The surgical process doesn’t influence the intestine; sleeve gastrectomy doesn’t change how the human body absorbs food. Unlike other surgical methods, patients can eat an extensive range of food without falling short of nutrients.
Side Effects
Patients have a significant chance of 20% or more developing GERD (gastroesophageal reflux). Furthermore, the possibility of nausea and scar tissue is common.
Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (Gastric Bypass Surgery)
It is a combination of malabsorptive and restrictive surgical methods.
Mechanism
This weight loss surgery splits the stomach into two parts and seals off the upper part from the lower section. It is followed by linking the upper stomach area directly to the lower portion of the small intestine. The procedure makes a shortcut route for the food bypassing the small intestine and the stomach. It indicates that the body absorbs fewer nutrients and calories.
Benefits
The weight loss is fast as patients can expect up to 70% or more excess body weight loss in the first year. Rapid weight loss helps to handle health conditions like sleep apnea, heartburn, high cholesterol, high BP, diabetes, infertility, arthritis, stroke, and cancer better. Furthermore, the surgery delivers long-term results for most patients.
Side Effects
It is a more complex process than the other two weight loss surgical approaches, and it is riskier. The rapid weight loss often results in malnutrition, vomiting, low sugar, ulcers, hernias, and bowel obstructions.