If you have excess weight that you have struggled to lose by diet and exercise, it may be time for you to consider your surgical options. There are many types of bariatric surgery – gastric sleeve being one of the most popular.

Gastric sleeve surgery is a restrictive weight loss procedure that can help patients achieve significant weight loss. At Birmingham Minimally Invasive Surgery, our award-winning bariatric surgeon performs gastric sleeve surgery at our center in Birmingham. For Mobile, Alabama, residents, it’s just a three and a half hour trip to one of the areas top bariatric surgery centers.

To learn more about Birmingham Minimally Invasive Surgery and our weight loss surgery options, you can contact us by phone, (205) 833-6907.

Gastric Sleeve Procedure

Gastric sleeve is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that alters the structure of your stomach. During the procedure, your surgeon will remove 80 to 90 percent of your stomach to reduce its capacity. The lower stomach capacity will limit the amount of food you can intake and cause you to feel full faster.

At Birmingham Minimally Invasive Surgery, our skilled bariatric surgeon, Dr. Long, performs the procedure via laparoscopy. After you, the patient, have been given general anesthesia, Dr. Long will make five small surgical openings in your abdomen. Through these incisions and with the use of specialized tools, he will cut and remove the larger portion of your stomach and join together the smaller portion of your stomach. What remains is a long, tube-like stomach.

Dr. Long can complete gastric sleeve surgery in under an hour. Following the procedure, we will provide you with pain medication and start you on a liquid diet. Gastric sleeve is an outpatient procedure that does not require a hospital stay. Our Mobile patients can stay in the area or may return home within the day.

Advantages of Gastric Sleeve

  • Gastric sleeve is a minimally invasive procedure, which means surgeons can avoid large abdominal incisions. As a result, patients experience less pain and recovery more quickly.
  • Gastric sleeve surgery does not change the way the stomach functions.
  • Patients can continue to eat most foods after the procedure but will need to adjust the portion size.
  • Bariatric surgeons do not alter the sphincter muscles during gastric sleeve surgery. These muscles allow food to enter and exit the stomach, and injury to such can cause patients to experience issues of regurgitation and heartburn.
  • Bariatric surgeons do not alter the stomach’s pyloric portion. Damage to this portion of the stomach can cause dumping syndrome or rapid gastric emptying that causes nausea, diarrhea, and cramps.
  • Patients can experience improved health, and many have found it easier to complete daily activities after losing weight from gastric sleeve surgery.

Disadvantages of Gastric Sleeve

  • Gastric sleeve is a permanent, non-reversible surgery.
  • Gastric sleeve is a restrictive procedure, but it is not malabsorptive.
  • In the years following the procedure, a patient’s stomach can re-stretch.
  • Patients with severe reflux disease cannot undergo this procedure.

Contact A Top Bariatric Surgeon Near Mobile, AL

If you are considering gastric sleeve surgery, you should speak to a certified bariatric surgeon like Birmingham Minimally Invasive Surgery’s Dr. Long. Dr. Long is knowledgeable, friendly, and has been performing bariatric surgery for over 18 years. He can sit down with you to discuss your weight loss surgery options and answer any questions about the process.

To schedule a one-on-one consultation with Dr. Long, give us a call at (205) 833-6907 or send us a message using our contact form. We have helped dozens of patients from Mobile, Alabama, and would be happy to do the same for you!

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