Are you struggling with severe obesity and treatments like restrictive diet or exercise haven’t worked for you? Do you often worry that a medical treatment for fat removal will be too costly? If the answer to those questions is yes, then believe us, undergoing gastric sleeve abroad is a viable solution for you to consider.
You might’ve noticed that people often believe that eating better and exercising a lot can result in losing weight without surgery. While that’s works for a lot of people, for some, fat reduction isn’t that simple. Obese people often eat instinctively and can’t stop their urges overnight. Moreover, people are often troubled by underlying health issues like slow metabolism, hypothyroidism, or other genetic issues because of which they gain excessive weight. For such people, there’s often no other option than to undergo surgeries to get rid of excessive weight.
Not only does a surgery like gastric sleeve help an overweight individual deal with the social stigma and resultant mental struggle, it also helps avoid the numerous health issues that generally result from excessive body mass.
Through this post, let’s try to look at a few aspects of gastric sleeve surgery.
What is Gastric Sleeve Surgery and who is it suitable for?
Gastric Sleeve is a type of bariatric procedures that can help you medically remove unwanted body mass to achieve a healthier weight. Though it is the most recommended procedure for obese people, only a selected number of patients who meet certain qualifying conditions can undergo it.
If you have BMI (Body Mass Index) over 30 alongside a co-morbid condition, or you have a BMI over 40 then, you’re suitable to have the operation. If you have a BMI over 45, doctors recommend having Gastric Bypass rather than Gastric Sleeve. It’s because the former leads to a more rapid weight loss suited best for those who have extremely high body mass.
The weight loss journey through a gastric sleeve procedure is comparatively low as compared to gastric bypass, but if you have a BMI that’s not at a dangerously high level, the treatment can be an ideal option for you.
What exactly happens in a Gastric Sleeve surgery?
As the name suggests, if you undergo a gastric sleeve procedure, after the surgery your stomach is expected to somewhat look like a sleeve. It becomes narrower and tube-like. Though once the surgery is done, it’s not possible to reverse it, your stomach may stretch naturally at a later stage in life.
The operation involves the removal of a large part of your stomach, reducing its size by nearly 80%. With such a small-sized tube-like stomach, you’re naturally bound to feel full much faster and eat far less food. Your intestines remain as they are, and hence, all the other processes including the absorption of nutrients from food still function normally. This is in stark contrast to gastric bypass which “bypasses” the large intestine to send food directly to the small intestine and thus cut down on the nutrient absorption.
What are the pros and cons of Gastric Sleeve surgery?
Like any other medical procedure, gastric sleeve surgery also has positives and negatives. Let’s take a quick look at both:
Pros:
- It’s a simple procedure with few risks and complications
- It doesn’t interfere with the process of digestion, and hence doesn’t cause many GI troubles
- It rarely leads to “dumping syndrome”
- No foreign objects are inserted into your stomach
- It reduces the amount of food you eat which lets you keep the weight off
Cons:
- The procedure involves the use of staples that may cause an injury later in your life
- You may not witness drastic changes immediately
- There are chances of developing an acid reflux problem
- After the procedure is done, you’ll be recommended to follow a restricted diet to ensure wellbeing
Why do people opt for getting the surgery done abroad?
For someone who has struggled with extra weight, the thought of living a “lightweight” life with a body that they can love is enough to motivate them to get the surgery done. As such, gastric sleeve comes under the category of treatments that can completely transform people’s lives.
Now naturally, when a treatment is so sought after, you can expect it to be heavy on the pocket. Not just that, since it involves making permanent changes to the way a person lives thereon, only a select few surgeons are considered gifted enough to perform the treatment in the best possible manner.
Keeping both the factors in mind, people often consider getting gastric sleeve done abroad to avail lower operation costs, better surgeons, and safer facilities.
Though the only way to find out the ideally suited country to get the treatment is through deep research, experts suggest that the most affordable countries for getting gastric sleeve done include:
- Germany
- Turkey
- The United Arab Emirates
- India
- Thailand
- Costa Rica
- Mexico
- France
- Latvia
Few points to consider before applying for Gastric Sleeve abroad
- Insurance: Make sure to contact your healthcare insurance company to check whether a treatment done outside the country would be covered or not.
- Don’t travel alone: Since you’ll be undergoing a surgical procedure, you’re advised to take a friend or family member along to help you during the procedure as well as through the recovery time.
- Research diligently: Thoroughly scout on the internet to check the credibility, reliability, and quality of the selected hospital and doctor. Also, make sure to read up about the after effects of the surgery so that you can be prepared for what’s to come.
Wrapping it up
Obesity has become a widespread concern, and a gastric sleeve surgery abroad is possibly the most effective, reliable, and cost-effective treatment for your problem. Gastric sleeve abroad not only allows you to get the procedure done at almost half the expected cost, but also gives you the chance to take a break from your regular life and experience a new country.
All the above-listed countries offer cheaper gastric sleeve surgery and have well-trained and highly experienced surgeons. We hope that this article will help you to make a prudent decision to turn your life around for the better.