Five Disadvantages of a Gastric Sleeve Operation

If you are extremely overweight, there are various medical procedures that can help you lose the excess weight. Some of them include a gastric bypass, lap-band, and a gastric sleeve operation. The sleeve procedure removes a large portion of your stomach and converts it into a tube. There are numerous disadvantages of this procedure. This article will discuss the disadvantages of a gastric sleeve operation.

Irreversible

One of the first disadvantages of a gastric sleeve is that the procedure is irreversible. Unlike gastric bypass surgery, over 60 percent of your stomach is permanently removed and can't be reversed. However, a gastric sleeve procedure can be converted to other weight loss procedures.

Leaking

A gastric sleeve operation requires staples to be inserted into the stomach. There is always a chance that a leak may occur. These leaking fluids frequently become infected after they leak out of the stomach and can cause serious health problems.

Weight

Another disadvantage is that this procedure does not always produce the weight loss that you may expect. It is also possible to regain lost weight with a gastric sleeve. Snacks and foods with a lot of calories can make the procedure virtually ineffective. Also, patients who have a higher body mass index will usually have to have a second procedure to help lose more weight.

Stretching

Stretching of the gastric sleeve is yet another disadvantage. Your stomach tube may stretch out after awhile and cause you to regain any weight you may have already lost. A gastric sleeve doesn't have any devices to prevent it from stretching over time or to reduce its size after it has already stretched out.

Insurance

One of the last disadvantage of a gastric sleeve operation has to do with insurance. This procedure is rarely a covered benefit of most insurance companies because they consider it to be experimental. This means that the company likely won't pay for the procedure so you would have to pay for it yourself. At an average price of $8,000, this is out of range for most people.