PrintThe Basics of Surgery
What Are the Surgical Options?
There are several types of restrictive and combined operations. Each form of weight loss surgery has its own benefits and risks.
Restrictive Operations
Purely restrictive operations only limit food intake and do not interfere with the normal digestive process. To perform the operation, doctors create a small pouch at the top of the stomach where food enters from the esophagus. At first, the pouch holds about 1 ounce of food and later may stretch to 2-3 ounces. The lower outlet of the pouch is usually about inch in diameter or smaller. This small outlet delays the emptying of food from the pouch into the larger part of the stomach and causes a feeling of fullness.
After the operation, patients can no longer eat large amounts of food at one time. Most patients can eat about to 1 cup of food without discomfort or nausea, but the food has to be soft, moist, and well chewed. Patients who undergo restrictive procedures generally are not able to eat as much as those who have combined operations.
Purely restrictive operations for obesity include adjustable gastric banding (AGB) and vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG).
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This morning it wasn’t the sun, the wind, or the birds that woke me up. It was the soft, insistent vibrating of a medical device urging me to check my blood sugar. Opening my eyes, still safely under the covers, I checked my blood sugar with a meter smaller than a deck of cards, calibrated my continuous glucose monitor, and then glanced at my insulin pump — which reminded me that today was the day I needed to change my infusion set. My dLife is pretty high tech. And I’m...
