Sleeve gastrectomy is a minimally invasive procedure that is used to reduce the size of the stomach. The procedure has over the recent years gained popularity as a weight loss surgery across the world. Sleeve gastrectomy has enabled very many patients with obesity or weight problems to achieve their desired goals that involve improving both their health and quality of life. Those people who suffer from morbid obesity can really benefit from having this procure done on them. Actually, based on the very many patients with morbid obesity who have gone through this procedure, they always have their self-worth and confidence restored. 
 

Sleeve gastrectomy is a minimally invasive surgery during which a portion of the stomach is removed to reduce the size of the stomach of patients with morbid obesity. This surgery often involves limiting the amount of food that a person can eat at a time since the stomach is now smaller than before. During the procedure the surgeon can operate by observing the internal organs at a monitor. Images are sent to the monitor by the help of a camera that is passed through one of the incisions that are made. There are other smaller instruments that are used in which those that are used in cutting or reducing a portion of the stomach are passed through the various incisions. 
 

When the stomach is reduced the patient will eat less food. Additionally, the procedure is associated with hormonal changes that are designed to lead to decreased appetite. Therefore, the extremely obese people will now be able to achieve their goals which are healthy weight and more confidence. 
 

Basically, sleeve gastrectomy works by changing the anatomy of your stomach and the digestive system and also by causing the different physiological changes in your body which will change your energy balance and fat metabolism. When the anatomy of your stomach is changed, sleeve gastrectomy often affects the production of intestinal hormones in such a way that it reduces hunger and your want for food thus increasing fullness. This means that you will have less desire to eat and the frequency of eating will be greatly reduced. 
 

Patients that have undergone through sleeve gastrectomy have seen greater success in terms of their weight and self-worth or confidence. This procedure is associated with greater weight loss success while it is just simple procedure. The patient is not required to do hard tasks like going to the gym in order to lose weight. Here the surgeon is often in control within a short time you will start enjoying the benefits. Generally, is very logic that with a small stomach, you will eat less and loose more weight. 
 

Sleeve gastrectomy is much more effective than any other type of changing the anatomy of the stomach and the digestive system. This is because it does not require any placement of foreign materials like needle adjustments as it happens with the band procedure. Also it has very low risks unlike with gastric bypass that is often associated with some long term risks.
 

Sleeve gastrectomy does not take long to perform, it actually takes around one hour to complete and most of the times the patient can spend a night or two in the hospital after the surgery. Patients also take a very short time to recover, where in most cases they are able to walk a day after the surgery. Although, there might be some pain around the incisions, it can be treated with pain killers and resolves within a few days. Patients can return to their normal activities within a very short time.
 

Here are some of the advantages of sleeve gastrectomy:
 

As aforementioned sleeve gastrectomy is a procedure that involves the reduction of the stomach. A reduced size of the stomach means that less hunger hormones will be released or produced, for example the production of ghrelin. This hormone stimulates the body to have the desire to eat more. But with the suppression of such hormones, the patient tends to eat less than before.
 

Based on various studies it was established that sleeve gastrectomy can lead to loss of more than half of the extra weight. On average the patient can lose about 60-70% of their excess weight after the surgery. For this to be visible it can take a period of a few months. 
 

Sleeve gastrectomy is very effective at treating diabetes, high blood pressure or hypertension as well as other medical conditions that are associated with morbid obesity. The surgery controls the high cholesterol levels, thus reducing the high risk of heart disease.
 

Sleeve gastrectomy is a safe procedure to perform and that’s why it is the most preferred procedure by most patients with morbid obesity. The procedure itself takes a duration of around one hour to perform, and does not involve the placement of foreign materials and does not lead to the reduction of absorption of nutrients in the intestine.
 

Due to the success of the surgery patients are often reported to have more confidence and vitality. They are always pleased to have the ability to take part or perform more activities, which was not the case before the surgery. Generally, people with morbid obesity often feel dull and have no confidence with themselves which lead to bad life. By undergoing the surgery, patients have their self-worth restored and have more energy levels.
 

Other bariatric procedure require various maintenance and after care, but for the sleeve gastrectomy, no maintenance or after care is needed. Patients can live better lives with zero maintenance after the procedure.
 

After the surgery, an individual is able is able to tolerate a wide range of foods unlike with other procedures such as gastric bypass and gastric banding.
 

Various studies have shown that those with morbid obesity and undergo sleeve gastrectomy always have a lower risk of death than individuals affected with morbid obesity and do not under the surgery. One of the studies indicated that there is a about 89% greater reduction in mortality through a five year observation period for individuals who had sleeve gastrectomy than individuals who did not. Another study found that there is a greater than 90% reduction in death that is associated with diabetes and another greater than 50% reduction in death from heart disease. All these findings show that there is an exceptionally low mortality rate with sleeve gastrectomy and is quite great considering that most patients that have morbid obesity are usually in poor health and have life threatening diseases.
 

To be a candidate for sleeve gastrectomy, the individual must have severe obesity or morbid obesity. Morbid obesity basically is defined as being about 100 pounds over your ideal body weight. Body Mass Index is usually used to define morbid obesity better. Therefore, in order determine if you qualify for sleeve gastrectomy, you will start by entering your weight and height into a BMI calculator. If you are 100 pounds over your ideal body weight then you are a good candidate for sleeve gastrectomy candidate.
 

The decision on sleeve gastrectomy should be informed with information about the whole procedure in order to really understand during the process. Also you need to have information about what will happen after the procedure so that you can prepare accordingly. Most types of surgeries are decided based on the premise that the treatment will be less harmful than the diseases being treated. Given the advantages of sleeve gastrectomy it can be easy for you to decide on the procedure.
 

Conclusion
 

Sleeve gastrectomy is very effective procedure for people with morbid obesity. Its effectiveness coupled with its safety has made the procedure to gain popularity in the weight loss procedures. There are other types of surgical procedures of treating obesity, but among all the procedures sleeve gastrectomy happens to be the most preferred procedure. Perhaps this can be attributed to the fact that it is a minimally invasive procure. The duration that the procedure takes to complete is about one hour which is really shorter. Some can even take shorter than that. The time of recovery is often very short, actually some patients can leave the hospital one after the surgery while others can spend two nights in the hospital. Patients can return to their normal activities within a very short. Although, patients can feel some pain around the incisions, they can take pain killers and the pain disappears after a short time. It is evident that the advantages of sleeve gastrectomy exceed its risks.