Gastric band surgery in India is a type of surgery to reduce weight. In this type of surgery, your surgeon will place a silicone band around the upper part of your stomach to decrease the size of your stomach which helps in reducing the food intake.
Your surgeon will place the band around the upper portion of your stomach, and the tube which is attached to the band is accessible through a port that is under the skin of your abdomen.
By using this port your surgeon will inject saline solution into the band to inflate it.
The adjustments around your stomach are made to alter the degree of constriction and also the band will create a small stomach pouch above it, with the rest of the stomach below.
The smaller stomach pouch is made so that the amount of food you intake will be reduced which means while eating less amount of food you feel full. This, in turn, reduces hunger and helps lower overall food intake.
The major advantage of this bariatric procedure is that all food you consume will be easily digested and absorbed normally and there is no malabsorption. Another advantage of gastric band surgery is that it will help you to accomplish long-term weight loss and also it will improve your other health problems such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.
Surgery for Gastric Band
Your surgeon will fit the gastric band under general anesthesia and this is usually done in an outpatient clinic, and you can go home on the same day.
This is the minimally invasive procedure and your surgeon makes keyhole incisions to perform this procedure. Your surgeon will make around 2 to 5 small surgical cuts in your abdomen and will perform the surgery using a laparoscope which is a long narrow tube with a camera. The procedure will take 30 to 60 minutes to complete.
Your surgeon will advise you not to eat from midnight before the day of the surgery. Most people can resume their normal activities within 2 days after the surgery; however, the other may take a long period to recover.
What diet needs to follow after gastric band surgery?
The following is the diet you need to follow after gastric band surgery:
• For the first few days, your dietician will allow you to take water and fluids, such as thin soups.
• At the end of 4 weeks of your surgery, your dietician will change your diet plan which involves liquids and blended foods, such as yogurt and pureed vegetables, etc. can be eaten.
• From 4 to 6 weeks, your dietician will allow you to eat some soft foods.
• After 6 weeks of your surgery, you can resume a normal diet.
Benefits of Gastric Band Surgery
The following are the benefits of having laparoscopic gastric banding surgery and this includes:
• Gastric banding surgery provides long-term weight loss for those people who are dealing with obesity.
• There are fewer chances of wound infections and hernias after gastric banding surgery.
• This surgery reduces the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, urinary incontinence, and other health conditions that are related to excess weight.
• Most of the people enjoyed an improved quality of life after gastric banding surgery.
• There is no loss of nutrient absorption after gastric banding surgery.
• Speedy recovery after gastric banding surgery.
There is also an option to remove or adjust this band which means this band can be tightened or loosened easily if you face any difficulties such as, if not enough weight is being lost as expected, or you feel vomiting after eating.
According to the study, on average, between 50 to 70% of excess weight may be lost after gastric banding surgery, however, this will also depend on the individual body.
To whom Gastric banding surgery is recommended
The gastric band is a procedure which is only recommended in cases of severe obesity, which means if your body-mass index (BMI) is 35 or above, or body mass index over 30, in case there are other obesity-related problems, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, or sleep apnea.
The surgeons at the hospitals under We Care India only recommend surgery when all other forms of treatment have failed to reduce the excess body weight, such as changes in lifestyle and activity, and medications.
To whom Gastric banding surgery is not recommended
Weight loss surgery is not recommended for people with the following:
• People with uncontrolled psychiatric illness.
• People who consume drugs or alcohol.
• People who are unable to understand the risks and benefits, outcomes, alternatives, etc. about the gastric banding surgery.
How much does the cost of Gastric Banding surgery in India?
India is a country where you will get a reasonable and affordable cost for gastric banding surgery which is around USD 3,500 which is quite reasonable as compared to the gastric banding surgery in other developed countries like the USA, UK, Australia, Russia, etc.
Other Weigh loss options
Apart from gastric banding surgery there are other options which you can opt to reduce your excess body weight and these are:
a) Gastric bypass: This is also known as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. This is a procedure in which surgeons at the hospitals under We Care India will staple your stomach to make it smaller and after that, it attaches the stomach directly into the small intestine. This procedure will reduce your food intake and absorption of calories and other nutrients.
b) Sleeve gastrectomy: This is a procedure in which your surgeon will remove a large portion of your stomach and leaving a tube which is closed with staples. This is a procedure, in which you eat less and feel full, but this can disrupt your metabolism and this procedure is not reversible.
c) Duodenal switch: This surgery involves two procedures. First, in which your surgeon will redirect the food to the small intestine, as in gastric sleeve surgery. Secondly, in which the food will be redirected to bypass most of the small intestine. In this procedure, you will find a rapid weight loss, but the risks are also greater, including surgery-related problems and nutritional deficits.
