Gastric Sleeve

The benefits of a gastric sleeve are substantial and rapid weight loss and the improvement of physical and mental health and wellbeing.

A sleeve gastrectomy helps to improve cardiovascular health, dramatically reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Losing weight via gastric sleeve surgery can also cut the risk of cancer.

Sleeve gastrectomy can prompt obesity-related illness and disease to go into remission, including type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnoea and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Losing excess weight can also help to alleviate other health conditions including gout and urinary incontinence.

Losing weight can also help with musculoskeletal problems. Shedding the pounds reduces the pressure on the bones lessening the risk of fractures and osteoarthritis. It also means that you are less likely to experience joint problems in the hips, knees, ankles, feet and shoulders.

The weight loss resulting from gastric sleeve surgery can also help to improve fertility, cut miscarriage risk and reduce pregnancy complications in women.

Substantial weight loss not only improves physical health, but it also improves psychological health too. People who are obese or morbily obese suffer a higher rate of mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. They may choose to avoid certain social situations or certain activities such as swimming, which will expose the body. This can also have a negative impact on intimate relationships too. This all feeds into mental ill health.

Depression, anxiety and low self-esteem can also trigger binge eating disorder. A gastric sleeve will help with this.

Your surgeon will help you to weigh up the benefits and risks of gastric sleeve surgery and help you decide whether this is the right weight-loss surgery for you.

A gastric sleeve is permanent. Because a large part of the stomach has been removed, the procedure cannot be reversed, unlike gastric band surgery.

However, the gastric sleeve can be converted to a gastric bypass or could even be combined with a gastric band if required. However this is major surgery and should not be entered into lightly.

If you follow all the aftercare instructions issued by your surgeon, including a diet plan and exercise plan, there is no reason why you can’t enjoy the results of your gastric sleeve for many years to come.

Book an appointment with one of our weight-loss surgeons at the Cadogan Clinic to discuss gastric sleeve surgery in London.

Gastric sleeve surgery is not painful. The procedure itself is carried out under a general anaesthetic. This means that you will be unconscious and not able to feel the incisions being made or a portion of the stomach being removed.

When you wake up after gastric sleeve surgery, you may find that you are experiencing pain or discomfort. If this is the case, our nursing team will administer painkillers. Once you have left the clinic, any pain or discomfort can be controlled with over-the-counter painkillers.

As part of your treatment journey with the Cadogan Clinic, you will have access to 24/7 on-call nurse assistance for the duration of your recovery.

After your surgery you may have some mild pain in the left shoulder as a result of the carbon dioxide gas that is used to inflate the abdomen during the operation. Rest assured that this is normal and the gas will disperse in the hours following surgery.

Gastric sleeve surgery and a gastric bypass are both major weight-loss surgeries. But although the goal is ultimately the same, they are two very different procedures.

Sleeve gastrectomy is a one-step procedure which sees part of the stomach removed. In a gastric bypass, surgical staples are used to create a small pouch at the top of the stomach. The surgeon then attaches this pouch directly to your small intestine, bypassing the rest of the stomach. Gastric bypass makes the stomach smaller and bypasses part of the bowels. This alters the signals sent between the bowel and brain that controls your appetite and how full you are feeling.

One of the Cadogan Clinic’s expert surgeons will be able to identify which type of weight-loss surgery is best for you.

Once you have fully recovered from your sleeve gastrectomy, it is important that you follow the diet plan issued by your consultant.

Because you have reduced stomach capacity, you should reduce your portion size accordingly. You can eat most foods, as long as they don’t cause you discomfort (ie acid reflux), but as you will now be consuming less food overall, it’s important that you have a balanced diet, eating healthy foods which are high in protein but low in sugar and fat. You should include fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, lean meat and fish. You may find that eating small amounts more frequently during the day is preferable with a gastric sleeve. You can drink alcohol, but only in moderation, as alcohol has a very high calorie count.

Sometimes people may experience something called dumping syndrome after gastric sleeve surgery. This happens when particularly sugary or starchy food moves too quickly through the stomach and is 'dumped' into the small intestine. This can cause unwelcome symptoms such as a drop in blood pressure, bloating, nausea, indigestion or diarrhoea. Not everyone who has a gastric sleeve will experience dumping syndrome.

Although your stomach will be around a tenth of the size it was before gastric sleeve surgery, it is still possible to stretch the remaining part of your stomach.

If you overeat, this will cause your stomach to stretch. Overeating on a regular basis causes the signals sent between the stomach and brain to become confused, so your stomach only feels full up once stretched. This cycle of overeating will lead to your stomach becoming permanently stretched and you will be in danger of putting back on all of the weight you have lost since your gastric sleeve surgery.

However if you follow the nutritional advice issued to you after your sleeve gastrectomy, and stick to smaller portion sizes, then you can prevent your stomach from stretching.

A person who has undergone a sleeve gastrectomy should expect to lose in the region of 60 to 70 percent of their excess weight within the first two years. Most of this weight loss occurs within the first 12 months of surgery.

However this figure varies from person to person. Some people may lose more weight while others may no lose so much. The outcome depends in part on how closely the patient is following their diet and exercise plan. Those who are eating healthily and doing regular exercise should expect to lose more weight than those who don’t.

More people tend to lose more weight more quickly with a gastric sleeve than with a gastric band.

A gastric sleeve is easy to maintain if you follow the diet and exercise plan issued by your surgeon. Exercise, eat healthily and eat smaller portions to avoid stretching your stomach.

To help prevent stretching the stomach, you should also practice eating slowly, putting a small amount of food in your mouth each time. You should make sure you drink at least 1.5 litres of fluid a day. But avoid all fizzy drinks as these make you bloat and contribute to stretching your stomach. Fizzy drinks like cola can also be very calorific.

After your sleeve gastrectomy you will have a number of follow up appointments here at the Cadogan Clinic to make sure you are following your plan. If you have any concerns, our team will be able to offer you help and advice.