While it’s no surprise that many aspects of your life change after having gastric sleeve surgery, there are many “good surprises” our patients often tell us about. From looking at food in a whole new light to fewer cravings for unhealthy foods, here are a few things you might experience after having gastric sleeve surgery.

3 Surprises We Often Hear from Our Gastric Sleeve Patients

#1 They’re satisfied after eating only a small amount. Before having gastric sleeve surgery, patients are often concerned that they won’t feel satisfied after a meal because they’re not able to eat as much. Though this is understandable, many of our post-surgery patients tell us this isn’t a problem. While they can still eat what they’re family’s eating for dinner, they just don’t eat as much, and they’re totally satisified.

#2 They’re cravings are different, or non-existent. While many patients had cravings for unhealthy foods prior to surgery, we often hear them tell us they no longer crave those foods near as much, if at all. For many, it’s not uncommon to feel “out of sync” from eating sugary or processed foods once you’ve begun incorporating healthier foods into your diet.

#3 They look at food differently. Many who come into our office have a different outlook on food after gastric sleeve surgery. While before they may have looked to food for comfort, they now view it as a means to survive. Having a goal for each meal, whether that’s to get in protein or nutrients, makes them realize the importance of eating the right foods.

At Birmingham Minimally Invasive Surgery, we work to educate our patients on the surgery itself as well as life after surgery. We want them to be as prepared as possible to ensure they’re going to truly be happy with whatever surgery they go with. At the same time, every patient is different and has their own unique experiences post-surgery, but often we find these surprises end up being good ones that contribute to their overall health and wellness.

Discuss Your Weight Loss Surgery Resolutions at Birmingham Minimally Invasive Surgery Today

Birmingham Minimally Invasive Surgery is a caring group of professionals who specialize in all types of bariatric surgery.  Our surgeon Dr. Jay Long has highly specialized training in bariatric surgery, having completed a fellowship in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, where he focused on taking care of patients that are morbidly obese.  And we are so proud of our pricing that we publish the costs right on the front page of our website!  Insurance won’t pay?  We have a variety of financing options we can offer you so that you are able to get the healthy body you’ve wanted for years.  Visit us today at http://www.bmisurgery.com/ or give us a call to set up a consultation at 205-833-6907.

By Caitlin Hastings, Physician Assistant

Patients often come to Birmingham Minimally Invasive Surgery wanting the least invasive surgery possible, and while this is completely understandable, the fact is, all of our weight loss surgery options are, well, minimally invasive. With the gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, and the LAP-BAND being the most common of the weight loss procedures, each is done laparoscopically, requiring only 4-6 tiny incisions and less than 2 hours in the operating room.

Another factor that patients often overlook is how insurance plays a major role in choosing which weight loss procedure is best for them. While many insurance companies require a certain BMI for different surgeries, this can often dictate which ones are covered. On the other hand, for those paying out of pocket, the cost of the procedure often plays a major role. Take a closer look at the most common weight loss surgeries below to get a better understanding of which one might be right for you.

The Gastric Sleeve Procedure

During gastric sleeve surgery, we’re basically cutting away the top and largest part of the stomach called the fundus. This is where the hunger hormone, ghrelin, lives, and that’s why we often hear our post-surgery patients say they’re never hungry. Along with eliminating this hunger hormone, we’re also removing about 2/3 of the stomach, which is why these two combining factors lead to significant weight loss.

Who’s a good candidate for gastric sleeve?

Those using insurance to cover the procedure must have a minimum BMI of 35 to 40, along with various comorbidities like diabetes, sleep apnea, or heart disease or a BMI > 40 with or without comorbidities. While the sleeve is great for anyone that meets these requirements, patients that have severe acid reflux disease aren’t going to be good candidates since this procedure has shown to be acid inducing.

What are the benefits of the sleeve as opposed to other weight loss surgeries?

Compared to other weight loss surgery options, the sleeve is definitely a simpler procedure. We’re not rerouting the intestines like we do during the gastric bypass, and we’re not putting in a foreign body like we do with the LAP-BAND. It’s a quick procedure where we’re literally stapling the stomach and cutting 2/3 of it away, leaving the patient with a very small banana-sized stomach.

Gastric Bypass Procedure

With the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, we create a very small stomach pouch that restricts food intake. Next, a Y-shaped section of the small intestine is attached to the pouch that allows food to bypass the lower stomach, the duodenum (the first segment of the small intestine), and the first portion of the jejunum (the second segment of the small intestine).This ultimately reduces the amount of food you can take in because you have a very small stomach that holds about one to two ounces. At the same time, we’re decreasing the absorption of food and nutrients, which also aids in the weight loss.

Who’s a good candidate for gastric bypass?

The bypass is usually a better option for our heavier patients because most will lose up to 80% of their excess body weight as opposed to about 60% with the sleeve. It’s also going to be the better option for anyone with severe acid reflux or poorly controlled diabetes since the bypass has proven to cure both.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of gastric bypass?

The gastric bypass is technically considered reversible, but we never want to reverse this procedure because you will gain all of your weight back. After surgery, you do have to be on nutritional and vitamin supplements for life because of the malabsorption of food. For patients with more weight to lose and more comorbidities, like sleep apnea, high blood pressure and/or diabetes, gastric bypass really is going to be a better procedure overall with more rapid weight loss.  

A lot of people are afraid of the bypass because they think it’s a much more “invasive” procedure, but it’s really not. It’s about the same amount of incisions, 6 versus 5, and it’s still done completely laparoscopically. It’s just a little more labor intensive because we’re changing the anatomy.  

The LAP-BAND Procedure

During this procedure, we place the LAP-BAND, a foreign body made of a special material, near the top of the of the stomach where it meets the esophagus. This creates a very small pouch that empties into the larger remaining portion of the stomach. The band is connected to a port, which is underneath the skin of the abdomen, and this port how we put fluid in the band, allowing us to make the band opening larger or smaller in size, giving the patient more or less restriction.

Why choose the LAP-BAND?

Many patients prefer the LAP-BAND because they don’t want anything permanent done, and with the LAP-BAND were not changing the anatomy of the stomach…so it’s completely reversible. We can always go in and take the LAP-BAND out if the patient chooses to do so.

Another reason patients prefer the LAP-BAND, especially those paying out of pocket, is because it’s about $2,000 less than a sleeve…so it’s one of our more cost effective procedures.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the LAP-BAND?

The LAP-BAND isn’t necessarily an overnight fix. We have to find that “happy place” where the patient is able to get food down but also able to maintain smaller portion sizes, and that’s where these band adjustments come into play.

The goal of all of these procedures is for the patient to lose weight, but it’s still important to keep in mind that none of them are a magic fix for permanent weight loss. While it will certainly help, diet and exercise are still going to be important. Eating the right foods, not consuming excess calories, and establishing an exercise routine are essential when you’re trying to lose weight and keep it off.  No matter which weight loss surgery a patient ends up going with, it’s important that they have the right mindset and are ready to make major lifestyle changes.

Birmingham Minimally Invasive Surgery is a caring group of professionals who specialize in all types of bariatric surgery.  Our surgeon Dr. Jay Long has highly specialized training in bariatric surgery, having completed a fellowship in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, where he focused on taking care of patients
that are morbidly obese.  And we are so proud of our pricing that we publish the costs right on the front page of our website!  Insurance won’t pay?  We have a variety of financing options we can offer you so that you are able to get the healthy body you’ve wanted for years.  Visit us today at http://www.bmisurgery.com/ or give us a call to set up a consultation at 205-833-6907.

Over the years, my weight had just kind of gone up and down. I’d tried Weight Watchers, Medifast, and nothing seemed to work. When I changed jobs a while back, I even looked into weight loss surgery and went to a seminar held by Dr. Long at Birmingham Minimally Invasive Surgery. I was seriously considering it until I found out it wasn’t covered under my insurance.
I had kind of given up on the idea of having weight loss surgery until the daughter of one of my mother’s friends had it performed by none other than Dr. Long. One day she asked me if I’d thought about doing it and even went on to tell me she’d help me out if it wasn’t covered. So out of curiosity I checked again, and turns out, my insurance plan had changed, and it was now covered!

Without giving it a second thought, I went to Birmingham Minimally Invasive Surgery to see Dr. Long.

Before I knew it, I was done with the insurance-required six-month supervised diet, and in June of 2017, I had gastric sleeve surgery. Looking back, it’s one of those things where you feel like it should’ve been harder than it was. I’m not saying it was easy by any means, but it was exactly what I needed.

When people ask if I wish I’d done it sooner, I tell them, yeah, I wish I’d done it sooner. But at the same time, given my personality and where I was at in my life, I think it was the right time for it to work for me.

Since the surgery, while I tend to crave a variety of things, I’d say I eat very healthy most days, and I even feel out of sync if I don’t have a small salad as part of a meal at least once a day. That’s not to say that I don’t still eat things that might be considered unhealthy, but I rarely want them since they typically make me feel bad afterwards. For instance, I found that if I have something that’s super processed or full of sugar, it makes me feel weird, like I can feel my system is in the wrong gear. Because of this, I definitely crave unhealthy stuff a whole lot less than I did before, and for someone who was able to always pack it in, it’s nice to have an internal governor that makes me want to stop after only a bite or two.

For me, my personality is such that the stricter you make it, the more I’m going to act out. But with the sleeve, if I really want pizza, I can still have it, but again, I just eat a bite or two before I’m good. That’s a big reason as to why I think the sleeve was such a perfect fit for me. It’s not restricting and just allows me to listen to my body.

My advice for anyone that’s considering weight loss surgery – talk to people that have had it done and are maintaining so you know what it’s like after surgery.

Get their perspective – is there stuff they miss? You should go into it with the understanding that you’re not going to be able to eat like the rest of your family, that you really can’t do carbonation, and if you have a really bad day, you can’t eat a whole pizza and drink a bottle of wine. You can have a piece and a glass, but that’s it.

Once you learn about the surgery from someone who’s been through it and been successful, I believe you’ll be better prepared going into it, and there’s no one better to go see than Dr. Long. It’s not an easy journey, but if you’re like me, it’s exactly what you need.

Birmingham Minimally Invasive Surgery is a caring group of professionals who specialize in all types of bariatric surgery.  Our surgeon Dr. Jay Long has highly specialized training in bariatric surgery, having completed a fellowship in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, where he focused on taking care of patients that are morbidly obese.  And we are so proud of our pricing that we publish the costs right on the front page of our website!  Insurance won’t pay?  We have a variety of financing options we can offer you so that you are able to get the healthy body you’ve wanted for years.  Visit us today at http://www.bmisurgery.com/ or give us a call to set up a consultation at 205-833-6907.

With Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding, better known as the Lap-Band System, being one of the more popular surgical weight loss solutions, our patients often come to us wanting to learn more about this procedure and its benefits. We understand, the fact that you’re simply placing a band around the upper end of the stomach in order to reduce its size and restrict food intake definitely sounds appealing. But even with its many perks, the truth is, not everyone’s going to be satisfied with the LAP-BAND System in the long run.

On the other hand, there are just as many people who are perfectly happy with LAP-BAND system years down the road, and depending on your lifestyle and your unique situation, it could be the perfect solution. Here, we’ll take a look at five reasons the LAP-BAND System might be the right choice for you.

1. Minimally Invasive – Recognized as the least traumatic of all the weight loss surgeries, the LAP-BAND procedure is performed laparoscopically and doesn’t require any cutting, stapling, or stomach rerouting. This in turn means less post-operative pain, a shortened hospital stay, and, ultimately, a reduced recovery time.
2. Low Risks – When compared to other procedures, there’s a lower mortality risk as well as a lower chance of suffering from nutritional deficiencies or hair loss. Patients are also less likely to experience what’s known as “dumping syndrome” when it comes to dietary restrictions.  
3. Adjustable – The LAP-BAND System can also be adjusted to your own customized weight-loss rate. This is done without the need for additional surgery through an access port that’s placed below the skin during the initial procedure. If you and your doctor decide it’s time for an adjustment, the size of the band can be either inflated or deflated with the use of saline solution.
4. Reversible – Since it hasn’t been altered in any way, the stomach typically returns to its original form and function if the LAP-BAND system is removed. This means, no matter the reason, you can restore your stomach if you and your doctor so chose.
5. Effective – With more than 860,000 cases performed around the globe, patients lose an average of 40-60% of their excess body weight within two years though its been shown that 65% of excess weight can be lost at one year.

With many surgical weight loss solutions out there, finding the one that’s right for you takes careful consideration, and more importantly, the opinion of a professional surgeon who understands your lifestyle. By working with an experienced surgeon, together, you can select the weight loss solution that you’ll be happy with for years to come.

Birmingham Minimally Invasive Surgery is a caring group of professionals who specialize in all types of bariatric surgery.  Our surgeon Dr. Jay Long has highly specialized training in bariatric surgery, having completed a fellowship in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, where he focused on taking care of patients that are morbidly obese.  And we are so proud of our pricing that we publish the costs right on the front page of our website!  Insurance won’t pay?  We have a variety of financing options we can offer you so that you are able to get the healthy body you’ve wanted for years.  Visit us today at http://www.bmisurgery.com/ or give us a call to set up a consultation at 205-833-6907.

I’ve been a police officer for the last 28 years, and along with the way, I’ve had several injuries that caused me to get set back. In March of 2013, I even tore my posterior tibial tendon and meniscus while I was tackling a burglar on a bicycle. It seemed like every time I got hurt, I was laid up for a while, and I’d get big. I was struggling with my weight, and though I’d considered weight loss surgery before, everybody talked me out of it. I tried doctor supervised diets, but I just felt like all these diets were all wrong for my body makeup. Every diet I tried, it seemed like I would lose some weight, and then it would just pack right back on.

I knew I had to do something. I had to come to terms with myself and put myself first this time because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be there for my family.

My oldest is 30-years-old, and I have two other kids who are 27 and 23, and my youngest is 10. I wanted to be here for my youngest when he was 20, and I knew that if I didn’t do something, I wasn’t going to be here very long.

I was just miserable – I had high blood pressure and my blood sugar kept going up. It had gotten to the point where I couldn’t even go to Walmart with my wife and walk to the back of the store without sitting down. I got up to 420 pounds, and I was going to have to go on medical retirement, which would ruin all my pension.

I was seeing a neurologist about my back, and that’s who told me I should consider weight loss surgery with Dr. Long. So, of course I went to see him, and the first time I did, I asked Dr. Long, “Where do I sign up?” I was convinced that this was what I wanted to do.

I took a leap of faith and just did it, and I took off work on December 28th, 2016 to have gastric sleeve surgery.

After the surgery, I stuck to what Dr. Long and his staff told me to do, and the weight just started coming off. I lost the first 80-90 pounds really fast, and after that, I started seeking out other things to do health-wise. I started watching my carbs and sugars, and I just did a little bit every day; whether that was walking up and down the driveway, or parking my car a little further away from the entrance.

As I lost the weight, I know my wife thinks I just got fanatical with it because it got the point that every time she would stand still long enough I’d do pushups on the floor. We’d be shopping in Walmart, and I’d crawl up on the clothes rack and do dips. I even upped my workout program to about 5 times a week and started finding hobbies to do.

Everything is just great; I’m living it, and loving it. I’m doing things I’ve never done in my life.

Me and my wife do everything together; we go kayaking, we ride bikes together, heck, we even race go karts together ever since I found out I could fit in one. I’ve been racing go karts all this year, and right now I’m third place in the points standings in my class. I do a lawn care service also. I’ve always had to hire help to do the hard stuff like the weed eating and whatnot, but now I do it all by myself.

Everything at work has even gotten better. I’m probably more fit than most of those guys in the department now. They don’t hound me about my weight, and a few of them have gotten on the program, working out and doing things with me.

I don’t look for food for comfort anymore, I just look at it as a way to survive.

My lunch and dinners don’t change much because I just don’t look at food the same way anymore. My wife packs my lunch every day, and it consist of celery sticks with peanut butter, snow snap peas with my homemade ranch, and maybe some protein and cheese. I snack on that all day long, and I’m most definitely satisfied. If we go out to eat for dinner, I usually just eat the protein off her plate.

Not only have I reached my own personal goal, but I’ve reached Dr. Long’s goal for me as well. While I didn’t think I’d want to be any lighter than 190, I’m now down to 171. Dr. Long’s goal for me was 175. I went from a size 58 in the waist to a 30. I not only contribute this success to my staying active and watching what I ate, but what I felt was my duty to motivate others to do the same.

I found that the more people I stepped out and helped, the more it helped me.

If I talked to somebody who needed or wanted to do this program or asked me what I did, I would share it with them. I’d stay with them until they lost the weight. I’d share my diet plan, I’d share everything with them. It helped me to help them, and it kind of kept me in check – I guess the whole practice what you preach kind of thing.

The surgery has been life changing. Dr. Long and his staff saved my life.

I had tried every diet out there, and they never worked. This tool that Dr. Long gave me really helped me do what I needed to do. I am where I am today because of that, and the people who supported me.

Dr. Long is a super nice person, and his staff is amazing. They always remember you by name, and they’re always really respectful. Right after I had my surgery, they called and checked on me the first month it seemed like every other day.

My advice to anyone considering weight loss surgery – don’t let anybody make the decision for you. If you’ve made up your mind, don’t let anybody talk you out of doing it. Just take a leap of faith and do it. I wish I would have done it 10 years ago; I wasted that 10 years of my life. It’s not going to be easy. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but the rewards are so great.

Birmingham Minimally Invasive Surgery is a caring group of professionals who specialize in all types of bariatric surgery. Our surgeon Dr. Jay Long has highly specialized training in bariatric surgery, having completed a fellowship in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, where he focused on taking care of patients that are morbidly obese. And we are so proud of our pricing that we publish the costs right on the front page of our website! Insurance won’t pay? We have a variety of financing options we can offer you so that you are able to get the healthy body you’ve wanted for years. Visit us today at http://www.bmisurgery.com/ or give us a call to set up a consultation at 205-833-6907.