Is Gastric Sleeve Gastrectomy Healthy?

The question of whether sleeve gastrectomy is healthy requires answering the question of whether it is right to intervene in a healthy organ to achieve healthy weight. The concern of regretting gastric sleeve surgery and further deteriorating your health may naturally come to mind. According to positive medicine, it is sometimes necessary to intervene in an intact organ for health. For example, complete removal of the gallbladder for stones in the gallbladder, organ transplantation, i.e. removal of a kidney to restore the health of a relative, are also intervened in healthy organs for health.

As can be seen from the examples above, the idea of intervening in the healthy organ comes into question in situations that threaten our health. When obesity rises above a certain level, it significantly threatens human health and shortens life span. When obesity is neglected, the circulatory system deteriorates and high blood pressure and heart failure may occur. Again, due to severe obesity, the balance of metabolism is disrupted and diabetes may occur after insulin resistance. Likewise, severe obesity leads to fatty liver, disrupts metabolism and shortens life span. Due to the fat tissue accumulated in the neck area due to obesity, the person cannot breathe comfortably at night, sleep apnea disease develops, so the person becomes prone to serious conditions that threaten his health such as heart diseases and stroke.

Likewise, in patients with asthma problems, the condition worsens in the presence of severe obesity and treatment is not responded to. With weight loss after sleeve gastrectomy surgery, most asthma patients experience fewer attacks and their health improves.

Therefore, obesity, which prepares the ground for the serious chronic diseases mentioned above, is a serious disease. In order to live a more comfortable quality life and to stay away from chronic diseases, it is very important for those with severe obesity to quickly return to their normal weight without neglecting them.

On the other hand, some vitamin and mineral deficiencies are among the side effects of gastric sleeve surgery. Reduced stomach volume partially impairs digestive function. Especially iron, vitamin B12 and calcium absorption may decrease. Anemia may occur due to iron deficiency. Other disadvantages of sleeve gastrectomy include malabsorption of magnesium, zinc and folic acid. The good side is that these deficiencies can be easily corrected with external vitamin and mineral support. In order to early diagnose vitamin and mineral deficiencies that may occur after sleeve gastrectomy surgery, blood tests are performed at 1-3-6-9 and 12 months after surgery. Deficiencies are replaced according to the test results.

Nutrition and food selection after gastric sleeve surgery is also very important in preventing vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Vitamin mineral deficiencies are less common after sleeve gastrectomy, especially in those who consume red meat and fish.

As a result, with sleeve gastrectomy surgery, our intact stomach is reduced in size and some vitamin and mineral deficiencies may be seen, but these can be corrected with external supplements. On the other hand, by getting rid of severe obesity with sleeve gastrectomy surgery, we can remove chronic serious diseases that shorten our lives and threaten our health from our lives. We can live both more comfortable and healthier.

CAN GASTRIC SLEEVE SURGERY BE PERFORMED ON EVERYONE WHO IS OVERWEIGHT?

Sleeve gastrectomy may not be suitable for everyone who is overweight. It is important that the person's obesity problem is at a level that threatens his/her health. The degree of obesity is determined by the percentage of fat in the body. Since there is no system that can measure this exactly, the height - weight ratio of the person is calculated. The height-weight ratio is called 'Body Mass Index' and obesity is divided into subgroups according to this ratio:

Class 3 Obesity: Those with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 and above,
Class 2 obesity: Those with a body mass index (BMI) between 40 and 35 and compromised health with comorbidities such as diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and fatty liver,
Class 1 Obesity: Body mass index between 30 and 35,
Overweight group: Those with a body mass index between 27-30.

Those who are in the class 2 and 3 obesity group above and cannot lose weight with diet and exercise for at least six months are candidates for sleeve gastrectomy surgery. Most patients can lose weight with diet and exercise at first, but as time passes, they gain weight again for different reasons.

'Although it is healthier to lose weight with diet and exercise, it is very difficult to maintain!

People in Class 1 are evaluated separately. In addition to comorbidities, surgery may be considered in cases where the social and psychological burden of obesity is more burdensome than the complications of surgery.

Gastric sleeve surgery can be applied to people who have been suffering from severe obesity for a long time in a healthy way, who have at least 25 kg excess weight and who have not been successful with diet and exercise.