IGS Improved Gastric Sleeve®

These bariatric surgeries work differently. They both have pros and cons and you would definitely want to discuss this with your surgeon. We prefer the least invasive bariatric procedure that offers the best results, so we always recommend a sleeve gastrectomy before gastric bypass surgery. At our medical facility in Mexico, gastric sleeve patients can always upgrade to a bypass or gastric band at a later date if you find that it’s a better choice for your long-term weight loss goals. However, your bariatric surgeon cannot perform a sleeve gastrectomy after a bypass.

In the fight against obesity, the only proven method to lose weight that outlasts temporarily limiting your food intake and increasing your activity level is weight loss surgery. Recent advances prove that weight loss surgery not helps many patients lose weight, it also balances out the metabolism. This is why weight loss surgery is now called ‘Metabolic surgery’. How surgery regulates insulin, blood sugar, cholesterol, lipids, and other health concerns is not completely understood. However, it does directly impact, control, and often cure serious health conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and sleep apnea for improved quality of life.

OCC’s complication rate is one of the lowest among bariatric procedure medical facilities in published literature. Add that to the benefits of the IGS Improved Gastric Sleeve®, and suddenly, the results are more promising than ever. 

At OCC, our bariatric procedures result in a quick recovery for our actual patients. Suffering through pain and discomfort to lose weight is not our goal. Every OCC healthcare provider uses specialized pencil-thin instruments, bladeless abdominal wall trocars, and localized abdominal wall blocking agents that diminish the cascade of mediators that cause pain and inflammation.

We use half the amount of gas pressure, (10 to 12mm/hg vs. 20mm/hg), resulting in fewer dreaded “gas pressure pains” associated with laparoscopic surgery. Our relatively minimally invasive techniques take a fraction of the typical reported time thanks to our the process. Less time under general anesthesia means quicker recovery after your sleeve gastrectomy weight loss surgery in Tijuana, Mexico.

Yes, thankfully! This is what we have named “Sleeve Rescue”. OCC is considered one of the top facilities for gastric sleeve revision and tightening surgery (re-do surgery) and is frequently asked to treat patients that have regained weight or have heartburn symptoms after sleeve surgery. In fact, many of the popular, cheaper centers are a constant flow of patients that have “sloppy sleeves” that fail over time.

Yes, sleeves will stretch over time and they will fail. This is why we created the “Double-Buttress” technique to oversew and reinforce the staple line providing a more durable double-sealed gastric sleeve.

Gastric sleeve, Lap-band or Gastric Plication procedures have the common purpose of a restrictive “pouch”, meaning the stomach´s limited food capacity. Under some situations, the pouch can be stretched to the point where there is less restriction.

ALL ACTIONS COUNT, HERE ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT:

• Do not combine solids with liquids. This increases the pouch volume. Drink liquids 5 min before a meal and resume drinking 45 min later.
• Avoid drinking carbonated drinks like sodas, mineral water, champagne, beer. Any “bubbles” will add air, therefore volume to the pouch.
• Do not force liquids. Sipping throughout the day is the best way to stay hydrated. After bariatric surgery, you´ll need to drink 1oz every 15 minutes. After a week you can slowly increase the amount you can drink. Once healed, ½ cup is likely what you´ll be able to tolerate.
• Avoid forcing the feed. At the early stages before bariatric surgery, most patients feel full with 2-3 tablespoons. The pouch will slowly adapt to its final size about 7 months post-surgery, when most patients will be able to eat about ½ cup of food. You should only eat what you can tolerate and stop eating once you feel satisfied, not full. If you feel discomfort, or have P-Bing, you are eating too much.
• Do not use a straw. You´ll pull air in to your pouch. Same thing happens if you chew with your mouth opened (gum, or food).
• Avoid junk food. Some patients eat junk food and then food, doing so easily doubles the portions.

Unfortunately, the latest research has non-conclusive evidence. A gastric sleeve will reduce the size of the organ and also the part that predominantly produces the Ghrelin hormone, also referred to as “the hunger hormone”. When the bariatric surgery is performed, this hormone tends to decrease weeks after the procedure.

Medical studies have also seen this pattern in patients undergoing gastric bypass surgery and gastric plication (the stomach sparing variety of the gastric sleeve). In these cases, no stomach tissue is removed, but the same hormonal effect is observed.

All patients are reminded to keep hydrated before and after their bariatric surgery, but it’s important to advise how much and when to intake those liquids.

After bariatric surgery patients will have a very dry mouth. However, it doesn’t mean that they should guzzle water. Instead, we give patients liquids in 2 forms: ice cubes and small (8 oz) water bottles.

The ice cubes are an excellent way to keep patients hydrated and to rationalize the amount of water intake. By giving a patient an ice cube, and just letting it melt in his or her mouth, it’s a very small but very important amount of water that the patient drinks. If a patient intakes too much liquid too fast, their stomach may become inflamed in the first few hours, leading to extreme discomfort and vomiting.

After tolerating ice cubes, patients can move to small water bottles.  We will instruct patients on the amount of water to be taken with each sip of the bottle. By teaching about the correct amount of water intake, we can prevent most problems with inflammation that can lead to a difficult recovery process, more medication, and a prolonged hospital stay.

In a world where the mentality of “more is better”, patients after a gastric sleeve surgery in Mexico benefit from the idea of “slower is faster” as in slower intake equals faster recovery.

Click here to see how OCC compares to other facilities in terms of surgical rates, infection rates, mortality rates, and more.