Weight loss surgery
Weight loss surgery, also called bariatric surgery, changes the stomach and gut so that you feel full sooner and your body handles food differently. It can also improve diabetes, blood pressure, sleep apnoea and joint pain.
- Left: sleeve, the stomach made into a narrow tube
- Right: bypass, a small pouch joined to the bowel
- Dotted outline: part removed or bypassed
Common signs
When to see a surgeon
- Severe obesity that has not improved with diet, exercise and medicines
- Obesity with type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnoea or fatty liver
- Being ready to change eating habits and attend follow-up for life
Go to an emergency department now if after weight loss surgery you have severe abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, fever or a fast heartbeat.
Treatment
What can be done
Whether surgery suits you depends on your weight (BMI), your other health problems and what you have already tried. Indian guidelines use lower BMI levels than Western ones, because health risks rise at lower weights in South Asians.
The two most common operations are sleeve gastrectomy, which makes the stomach smaller, and gastric bypass, which also re-routes food past part of the gut. Both are done by keyhole surgery.
Surgery is one part of the treatment. Diet support, vitamin supplements and regular blood tests are needed after it, for life.
From the first test to the last visit
Recovery ruler
Before
Blood tests, scans, endoscopy, diet and fitness review, and an anaesthesia check
Surgery day
Keyhole surgery under general anaesthesia
Days 1 to 3
Hospital stay; sips of fluid, then liquids
Weeks 1 to 4
Liquid, then soft diet in stages
Months 1 to 12
Steady weight loss; diet, exercise and vitamin checks
Every year
Follow-up blood tests and review, for life
Every patient is different. Dr. Aslam Baba will explain your own plan before surgery.
Patients often ask
Questions before surgery
How much weight will I lose?
It varies from person to person. Most of the loss happens in the first year or two. Results depend a lot on eating habits and activity after surgery.
Will I need vitamins forever?
Yes. After weight loss surgery the body absorbs some vitamins and minerals less well, so supplements and yearly blood tests are needed.
Can the weight come back?
Some regain is possible, especially if old eating habits return. Follow-up visits help to catch this early.
Booking a visit
Send a WhatsApp message with your name and the clinic you prefer.
The clinic team will reply with a time. Bring your old reports, scans and a list of the medicines you take.
Clinic
GastroMed Clinics
Ground Floor, Alam Residency, 10-3-444/4
St Mary's School Road, beside St Ann's Girls High School
Vijaya Nagar Colony, Hyderabad 500057
Monday to Saturday, 2 pm to 10 pm
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Renova Century Hospitals
Road No. 12, Bhola Nagar
Banjara Hills, Hyderabad 500034
Please call for OPD days and timings
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