Bariatric surgery is the collective name for different weight-loss surgeries, including gastric bypass. Your doctor may recommend this treatment process only if your weight causes serious health problems or when exercises and dietary programs fail to work for you. These procedures work by limiting how much you can eat or your body’s ability to absorb nutrients. While bariatric surgery is effective in fast weight loss, the major procedures involved may pose serious risks and side effects, some of which need surgery revisions in Frisco. You may also need a second surgery if you have already attained your weight-loss goals.
Gastric band surgery complications
Band intolerance
At least 6.9% of patients may have band intolerance after surgery. A band is a foreign object, and your body may not respond well to it. As a result, you may develop excessive scar tissue in your body. Symptoms of band intolerance include vomiting, nausea, and reflux. In severe cases, these symptoms do not improve even after the removal of fill fluid. In such cases, the remaining solution to fix the problem is band removal.
Band erosion
This occurs when the band erodes through the outer stomach wall into the inside portion of your stomach. This affects the band’s effectiveness as it fails to restrict the size of the stomach, which causes you to feel hungrier. Band erosion can also result in progressive infections, which may be life-threatening.
Band slippage
When the bad slips out of correct positioning – usually downwards, you may experience acid reflux, vomiting, and gastric perforation. Professional surgical techniques may reduce the risk of slipping. However, this does not eliminate the risk as band slippage may recur. When this is the case, your specialist may recommend revision surgery to remove the band.
Food trapping
The band placed during surgery constricts the stomach, which makes it narrow. As a result, food particles may get caught in the narrowed stomach when you do not chew well or eat inappropriate foods. Sudden altitude changes may also cause the stomach to swell, which makes the band tighter. It can also occur when there is a build-up of scar tissue in your body caused by a response to the introduction of foreign material. Your specialist may fix the problem by adjusting the band with the guide of a laparoscope.
Esophageal dilation
A patients’ esophagus may enlarge 5-7 years after bland placement. When it becomes dilated, the valves between the esophagus and stomach become less effective. This affects how food is pushed down towards the stomach, and as a result, one may experience symptoms including heartburn, acid reflux, difficulty swallowing, and vomiting. Sometimes difficulty swallowing may indicate band tightness.
Port flip or inversion
Ports used to fill the gastric band contain an anchor. When these anchors become loose, the port may flip to the side or upside down. Your doctor may then not be able to access the port for fills or drains. Your specialist may recommend second surgery to reposition the port and its anchor system if you have this complication.
Unfortunately, there is no way to tell which patient will suffer the complications of gastric band surgery. It is also important to note that the side effects are not rare and, in most cases, not preventable. If you have further questions or need a second surgery, reserve a session with your specialist at The Bariatric Experts for consultation.
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