GASTRIC BYPASS
Gastric bypass, also known as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, is a bariatric or weight loss surgery that changes the stomach and small intestine in order to alter the food absorption and digestion. Gastric bypass is performed laparoscopically in order to lose excess weight and reduce the risk of potentially life threatening weight related health problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.
Gastric bypass helps weight loss by:
- Restricting the amount of food that stomach holds
- Limiting the amount of calories and nutrients that body holds
- Changing gut hormones that helps to feel full longer, contributes to appetite suppression
Gastric bypass can be performed if:
- Body mass index (BMI) is 40kg/m2 or above
- BMI is 35 to 39.9 kg/m2 with serious weight related health problems
- Healthy enough to have the surgery
It is important to mention that the individual should be willing to make permanent lifestyle and behavioral changes including diet and physical activity. The physician will explain the surgery process and examine the patient. Depending on the doctor’s recommendation the patient may have some eating, drinking and medication restrictions before the surgery. Therefore, the patient needs to tell the medications, vitamins and mineral that he uses regularly to the physician. As body starts losing weight the individual may experience some changes due to the rapid weight loss in the first 3-6 months after the surgery. Physician, psychologist and dietitian works as a team before and after the surgery in order to provide the best medical support.
SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY
Sleeve gastrectomy is a surgical weight loss procedure that usually being performed laparoscopically. About 80% of the stomach is removed during the operation, leaving a banana shaped stomach which limits the size of the stomach. Losing the excess weight helps to reduce the risk of potentially life threatening weight related health problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes.
Sleeve gastrectomy can be performed if:
- Body mass index (BMI) is 40kg/m2 or above
- BMI is 35 to 39.9 kg/m2 with serious weight related health problems
- Healthy enough to have the surgery
It is important to mention that the individual should be willing to make permanent lifestyle and behavioral changes including diet and physical activity. The physician will explain the surgery process and examine the patient. Depending on the doctor’s recommendation the patient may have some eating, drinking and medication restrictions before the surgery. Therefore, the patient needs to tell the medications, vitamins and mineral that he uses regularly to the physician. As body starts losing weight the individual may experience some changes due to the rapid weight loss in the first 3-6 months after the surgery. Physician, psychologist and dietitian works as a team before and after the surgery in order to provide the best medical support.
GASTRIC BOTOX
In the last 30 years, there is an increase in consumption of processed food and sedentary lifestyle. This has lead people to gain a lot of weight and obesity increased rapidly. This increased the rate of obesity related diseases and mortality. Therefore, some medical intervention methods were used in order to prevent obesity. In 2000, animal studies have shown that injection of botox to stomach can lead to weight loss. As a result of this, gastric botox has become popular and has applied all over the world in the last few years.
Botox is a neurotoxic protein produced by the microorganism we call Clostridium Diffisile. Botox is used in plastic surgery, neurology and general surgery. Botox injections block certain chemical signals from nerves, mostly signals that cause muscles to contract. In local applications, botox is used for muscle paralysis. The effect of the procedure lasts 3-6 months. Botox is injected into certain parts of the stomach by entering the stomach with a lighted camera called endoscope. The procedure is performed under sedation and takes approximately 15-20 minutes. After the procedure, the patient should be monitored for 1-2 hours. With gastric botox, appetite decreases and nutrients stay longer in the stomach. Diet and physical activity are recommended to increase the effect of weight loss. Patients can lose up to 10 to 25 kilos. Unfortunately, weight loss can be very low in 1-2 out of 10 patients, even if they eat healthy and do exercise regularly. It is important to know that gastric botox is not an alternative to metabolic and weight loss surgeries. Also, it is not recommended for the patients who have mood disorder and comorbid metabolic disorders. Gastric botox can be applied to people who have body mass index (BMI) ranging from 26 to 35 kg/m2, and are able to eat healthy and do exercise.
