What You Should Know About Bariatric Surgery New Jersey

By Cynthia Clark


There exists a wide variety of reasons why people need to lose weight. For some it is simply a matter of appearance, but for a growing number of people worldwide, it is actually about their health. Losing weight is much easier said than done, and is a real struggle for many obese people. That is why bariatric surgery New Jersey is a good idea, to help with the struggle.

When you visit your doctor to talk about your bariatric options, there will be many to choose from. Ultimately, the one your doctor chooses for you will depend on many things, including how much weight you wish to lose and what the current state of your health is, among many other considerations. They will always do the best procedure for your needs.

A popular method is the sleeve gastrectomy. This is where the surgeon literally puts a sleeve into your body, one that is shaped much like your stomach. The sleeve basically fills part of your stomach so you do not eat as much and feel full faster. This is typically only performed on patients who have a Body Mass Index, or BMI, or 35 or higher.

Gastric banding is an alternative to the sleeve where two pieces of equipment are placed inside the body. First, a band made of silicone is wrapped around the stomach, then an injection port is placed under the skin near the abdominal wall. The doctor injects saline into the port, which takes up room in your stomach so you feel full faster and on less food. The amount of saline can be adjusted periodically as you adjust your weight goals. You will need to visit the doctor fairly often with this procedure, even after you reached your goals.

Another process is called the Roux-en-Y. This one helps shrink your stomach by cutting into your small intestine and attaching it to a pouch so that your food bypasses a large section of the intestines. This means less food and therefore calories are absorbed into the body, which helps you lose weight quickly and easily.

When doing any of these, the surgeon may use older methods that require larger scars and longer recovery times. However, some robotic systems may be available that can use special instruments that bend. This means smaller incisions and less scars, as well as a shorter recovery time once the surgery is over. Once such example is the da Vinci system that makes things easier.

These are popular procedures, but they are invasive and do require a hospital stay most of the time, but you can still get weight loss surgery without incisions. Gastric balloons such as ReShape and Orbera are possibilities if you need to lose between 25 and 50 pounds. A gastroscope is used to put a balloon into your stomach for up to six months, after which it is removed. All you need is a little local anesthesia and you are done.

Some of these procedures will require additional doctors visits, or even a whole new surgery, called a revision. This could happen if you are experiencing complications, or just need to adjust things as your goals change.




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