FAQs

Immediately following adjustable gastric banding, only sips of water are allowed. Over the next two weeks, the consumption amount is increased gradually with fluids in the form of water and liquids, such as clear broth, skimmed milk, low-calorie juice and sugar-free ice lollies. You will need to watch how many calories you eat and limit your liquid intake to avoid nausea and vomiting. Low-fat pureed foods, protein-rich chicken and fish, mashed potatoes and peas are started three to four weeks after the operation.

Patients who undergo more invasive procedures follow a similar dietary progression for 12 weeks and then they are allowed regular, healthy foods.

Once healed, care must be taken to let your stomach adapt to its new environment. Vitamin supplements may be necessary

That depends on the procedure. Patients, who undergo laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding or sleeve gastrectomy surgery tend to stay in the hospital for typically one night.

Recovery times differ too. In one study, patients returned to normal activity in about one week after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding and between two to three weeks after a sleeve gastrectomy.

First, a rigorous medical and psychological screening process, performed by a team of healthcare professionals, will determine if you are a candidate. This process helps to identify the aspects of your health that will improve following treatment, as well as the aspects that may increase the risks associated with surgery.

You will also want to come to a complete understanding of the significant, lifelong, lifestyle changes you must commit to, including diet, exercise, limiting alcoholic intake and smoking cessation, if necessary.

Find out how many years of experience they have in the field, the number of operations they have performed and how many times they have performed a specific procedure. The consultant you choose should be experienced with the procedure you are considering. You should ensure they are certified, and if they are qualified to FRCS level and have held a substantive post within the NHS.

Discuss their commitment to follow-up, because weight-loss surgery often involves lifetime follow-up. The consultant should be working with all the aspects of management and assessment in a clinical, multidisciplinary setting. Key to the consultant being able to fulfil their commitments is that they are locally based with an established weight loss practice and are routinely available to the patient.

Weight-loss surgery may improve most obesity-related medical complications, including diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, sleep apnoea, reflux and osteoarthritis, as well as stress incontinence, dermatitis, muscle and joint pain. Improvements in body image and a reduction in the symptoms of depression have also been reported. Weight loss may also be associated with improved fertility and more favourable pregnancy outcomes.

Weight-loss procedures cost up to £10,000. Medical insurance will not normally cover these types of procedures; you may wish to check with your insurance provider before embarking on a weight-loss program.

Your medical history and weight are used to determine which surgery is the best option. It is also important to talk with your consultant to decide which option is right for you.

The most common complication associated with adjustable gastric banding is the enlargement of the stomach pouch, which can occur if the stomach slips up through the band. However, modifications to the technique have been made to prevent this from occurring. There have also been cases where the band erodes into the stomach.

In the case of a sleeve gastrectomy, as this is a significant surgical procedure, there are all the normal risks associated with abdominal surgery such as bleeding, pain, and blood clots. In a very few cases there may be some leakage from the stomach through the staple line where the stomach has been divided, however in most cases this can be detected quickly and repaired laparoscopically.

That depends on the procedure and the individual. With the adjustable gastric banding procedure, weight loss progresses steadily over a 2 to 3 year period and then stabilises. The final result could be approximately half of the patient’s excess weight. After four years, studies show the level of weight loss is equal to that achieved by gastric bypass surgery.

After interventional gastric surgery, such as a sleeve gastrectomy, even more excess weight loss could be expected, but it generally levels off in one to two years. A regain of up to 10 percent of your excess body weight is common.

The two most common operations are adjustable gastric banding and sleeve gastrectomy. With both procedures, the size of the area in stomach where food collects is reduced. The adjustable gastric band is less invasive than sleeve gastrectomy although both are done laparoscopically. The band is adjustable; the sleeve is not, also the band is reversible; the sleeve gastrectomy is not.

Details of all available procedures are discussed in the What we do section.

Candidates normally fall into the clinical classification of “obese”. That typically translates to a body mass index of 40 or over. You should have previously attempted to lose weight through traditional methods, including dieting, nutritional counselling and commercial or NHS run weight-loss programs. Candidates may have a body mass index of 35 or over if they have medical problems that are associated with obesity, such as hypertension and diabetes.

People with an inflammatory disease, severe heart or lung disease, oesophageal, stomach or intestinal problems, cirrhosis or who are pregnant are not candidates.

Weight-loss surgery alters the body’s digestive process by limiting the amount of food the stomach can hold and/or by limiting the absorption of nutrients. The most common procedures are restrictive, malabsorptive or a combination of both procedures. Restrictive procedures reduce the amount of food the stomach can hold, but don’t interfere with the body’s normal digestion of food and nutrients. Malabsorptive procedures bypass most of the small intestine so that fewer calories and nutrients are absorbed. Combined procedures restrict food intake as well as the amount of calories and nutrients the body absorbs.