Metabolic Surgery
Metabolic and bariatric surgery in Monterrey, Mexico, often referred to as weight loss surgery, is a surgical procedure that aims to treat obesity and related health issues by altering the digestive system to promote weight loss and improve metabolic function.
Metabolic surgery is an effective and long-lasting treatment for severe obesity, potentially leading to significant weight loss and the improvement or resolution of conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and sleep apnea.
What is Metabolic Surgery?
Gastric bypass and other types of weight-loss surgery — also called bariatric or metabolic surgery — involve making changes to your digestive system to help you lose weight.
According to Dr. Jesus Abraham Vega, the founder of Monterrey Bariatric Center, weight loss surgery is done when diet and exercise haven’t worked or when you have serious health problems because of your weight. Some weight-loss procedures limit how much you can eat. Others work by reducing the body’s ability to absorb fat and calories. Some procedures do both.
While bariatric surgery can offer many benefits, all forms of weight-loss surgery are major procedures that can pose risks and side effects. Also, you must make permanent healthy changes to your diet and get regular exercise to help ensure the long-term success of bariatric surgery.
Why is metabolic surgery done?
Metabolic surgery is done to help you lose extra weight and reduce your risk of possibly life-threatening weight-related health problems, including:
- Certain cancers, including breast, endometrial and prostate cancer.
- Heart disease and stroke.
- High blood pressure.
- High cholesterol levels.
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
- Sleep apnea.
- Type 2 diabetes.
Bariatric surgery is often done only after you’ve tried to lose weight by improving your diet and exercise habits.
What qualifies you for bariatric surgery?
In general, bariatric surgery could be an option for you if:
- Your body mass index (BMI) is 40 or higher, called extreme obesity.
- Your BMI is 35 to 39.9, called obesity, and you have a serious weight-related health problem, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or severe sleep apnea. In some cases, you may qualify for certain types of weight-loss surgery if your BMI is 30 to 34 and you have serious weight-related health problems.
Bariatric surgery isn’t for everyone who is severely overweight. You may need to meet certain medical guidelines to qualify for weight-loss surgery. You likely will have an extensive screening process to see if you qualify. You also must be willing to make permanent changes to lead a healthier lifestyle.
You may be required to participate in long-term follow-up plans that include keeping track of your nutrition, your lifestyle and behavior, and your medical conditions.
How you prepare
If you qualify for bariatric surgery, your health care team gives you instructions on how to prepare for your specific type of surgery. You may need to have lab tests and exams before surgery. You may have limits on eating and drinking and which medicines you can take. You may be required to start a physical activity program and to stop any tobacco use.
You also may need to prepare by planning for your recovery after surgery. For instance, arrange for help at home if you think you’ll need it.
What you can expect
Bariatric surgery is done in the hospital using general anesthesia. This means you’re unconscious during the procedure.
Today, most types of bariatric surgery are performed laparoscopically. A laparoscope is a small, tube-shaped instrument with a camera attached. The laparoscope is inserted through small cuts in the belly. The tiny camera on the tip of the laparoscope allows the surgeon to see and operate inside the abdomen without making the traditional large cuts. Laparoscopic surgery can make recovery faster and shorter, but it’s not the best option for everyone.
Surgery usually takes several hours. After surgery, you awaken in a recovery room, where medical staff watches you for any complications. Depending on your procedure, you may need to stay a few days in the hospital.
Types of bariatric surgery
Each type of bariatric surgery has pros and cons. Be sure to talk to your doctor about them. Here’s a look at common types of bariatric surgery:
- Roux-en-Y (roo-en-wy) gastric bypass. This procedure is the most common method of gastric bypass. This surgery is typically not reversible. It works by decreasing the amount of food you can eat at one sitting and reducing absorption of fat and calories.The surgeon cuts across the top of the stomach, sealing it off from the rest of the stomach. The resulting pouch is about the size of a walnut and can hold only about an ounce of food. Typically, the stomach can hold about 3 pints of food.Then, the surgeon cuts the small intestine and sews part of it directly onto the pouch. Food goes into this small pouch of stomach and then directly into the small intestine sewn to it, bypassing most of the stomach and the first section of the small intestine. Instead, food goes directly into the middle part of the small intestine.
- Sleeve gastrectomy. With sleeve gastrectomy, about 80% of the stomach is removed, leaving a long, tube-like pouch. This smaller stomach can’t hold as much food. It also produces less of the appetite-regulating hormone ghrelin, which may lessen the desire to eat.Advantages to this procedure include significant weight loss and no rerouting of the intestines. Sleeve gastrectomy also requires a shorter hospital stay than do most other procedures.
- Mini gastric bypass surgery.The Mini Gastric Bypass is a newer version of the traditional gastric bypass. It is both restrictive and malabsorptive. The main difference is that it is a less complicated procedure because it bypasses 2m of the small bowel.The mini gastric bypass procedure also has less likelihood of a staple “leak” than the standard gastric bypass because it requires only one anastomoses (surgical join), compared with standard Gastric Bypass, which requires two.Mini Gastric Bypass is simpler than traditional gastric bypass, has fewer complications, requires shorter hospital stays, and achieves excellent weight loss outcomes.
- Revisional bariatric surgery. Revisional bariatric surgery is performed to repair or change a previous weight loss surgery. It might be appropriate for you if you have had less-than-optimal weight loss or weight regain, or if you experienced complications from your original procedure.
After Metabolic Surgery
After weight-loss surgery, you generally won’t be allowed to eat for 1 to 2 days so that your stomach and digestive system can heal. Then, you’ll follow a specific diet for a few weeks. The diet begins with liquids only, then to pureed and very soft foods, and eventually, to regular foods. You may have many restrictions or limits on how much and what you can eat and drink.
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