Gastric Band Surgery – Obesity Surgery in Mexico

About Gastric Band Surgery

Obesity is one of the biggest problems facing people in America at the moment. Some people gain weight due to poor lifestyle choices and jobs that require people to sit all the time. Additionally, there are other people who are obese due to their genetics, and these people have slower metabolism that the general population and hence, they find it difficult to lose weight. Gastric banding provides a solution to obese patients looking to lose weight through surgery.
Gastric Band Surgery is recommended to people with a body mass index of over 40% to 45% body fat who have tried dieting and exercising and did not benefit much from it. Let us have a look at what happens in the surgery and how does it help you lose weight.

Gastric Band Procedure

The basic idea behind gastric band surgery is to create a pouch by placing an inflatable band around the upper stomach. A normal human stomach can hold up to 6 cups of food. The holding capacity of the pouch created by placing the band reduces to around 1/2 cup. It also slows down the passage of food from upper stomach to lower stomach. Thus the upper stomach fills soon, making you feel full early and for longer time. Combined with a healthy lifestyle, the person starts to lose weight soon.

As the individual loses weight, the band will need adjusting to maintain the effectiveness of the band and continue weight loss. To adjust the band, a saline solution is added through entry ports into the band making it tighter and further restricting the flow of food. Over the course of many visits, an optimal restriction is achieved and the patient continues to lose weight and gain a healthy body.

Advantages of Gastric Band Surgery

1) Least invasive surgery.

Unlike other weight reduction surgeries available, this surgery does not need cutting or removing any part of the stomach or the digestive system.

2) Can be reversed if needed.

Unlike surgeries that remove parts of stomach, this surgery can be easily reversed just by removing the band placed at the top of the stomach.

3) No interference with food absorption.

The process does not interfere with food absorption in any way like other surgeries such as gastric bypass surgery.

4) The patient’s stay at the hospital is short and the recovery is much quicker as compared to other metabolic procedures.

Risks and Considerations

1) Ulceration and gastritis can be amongst the few complications experienced.

2) Nausea and vomiting are sometimes experienced. Can be easily reduced by increasing or reducing the tightness of the band as needed.

3) The band may migrate from the outside of the stomach to the inside slowly through the stomach wall. This can lead to complications.

4) Internal bleeding, infection, slipping of the band can cause few problems too.

Though there are few problems that can be experienced with gastric band surgery, it is amongst the safest procedures for weight loss. Consult Dr Castaneda and find out how this procedure can help you reduce weight.