What is Laparoscopic Gastrectomy Surgery?
A Gastrectomy is the surgical removal of all or part of the stomach.
The stomach is a muscular organ located on the left side of the upper abdomen and receives food from the esophagus. As food reaches the end of the esophagus, it enters the stomach through a muscular valve called the lower esophageal sphincter. The stomach secretes acid and enzymes that digest food.
Gastrectomy is performed for the following conditions:
TYPES OF PROCEDURES
There are several approaches our surgeon can adopt to perform a Gastrectomy. His chosen procedure and technique depend on the condition he is treating:
A Billroth Procedure is performed for severe gastric ulcers involving the duodenum, the pylorus, the lower portion of the stomach, may be removed along with the all or part of the duodenum, the upper portion of the small intestine. It is a standard treatment for ulcer disease, stomach cancer, injury and other diseases of the stomach. This was first described by Theodor Billroth, the pioneer in modern surgery.
The Laparoscopic Gastrectomy Advantages
Results are different for each procedure and each patient. Some common advantages of Laparoscopic Gastrectomy surgery are:
PREPARATION FOR SURGERY
Before traveling to Cyprus, as part of your Gastrectomy surgery preparation you will complete a detailed bariatric specific questionnaire, which will allow our doctors to determine your eligibility for Gastrectomy surgery. If you are not ready to make lifestyle changes, you will not be considered eligible for the procedure.
Ten days prior to your arrival in Cyprus, you will receive all the necessary pre operative instructions, to prepare yourself both physically and mentally for your chosen procedure.
After hospital admission, you will receive psychological advice. This will help you adhere to a healthier lifestyle. Without changing your lifestyle, the surgery will not be a success. You will also receive nutritional counseling before (and after) your surgery, by our specialists.
RECOVERY AFTER SURGERY
Following surgery, most patients make a full recovery within one month. You are able to return to work, resume some lifting and less strenuous activity, in most cases, in about two weeks post operatively.
Laparoscopic Gastrectomy is a restrictive procedure. It greatly reduces the size of your stomach and limits the amount of food that can be eaten at one time. After eating a small amount of food, you will feel full very quickly and continue to feel full for several hours. Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy may also cause a decrease in appetite.
Daily light exercise such as walking should begin about one month after surgery.
Following your recovery diet you will slowly begin to introduce new foods in increasing quantities until about 6 months after surgery when your new bariatric diet will be in full swing. All Gastrectomy procedures require a complete change in diet for your procedure to be considered successful.
Assuming you follow the diet and exercise guidelines of our surgical team, all indications are that your health improvement following the Gastrectomy surgery may be permanent.
LIFE AFTER SURGERY
These guidelines give you an overview of what you may expect as part of your
care after you leave the hospital. Be sure to follow your doctor’s discharge
instructions if they are different from what is listed here.
Post-Surgery Nutrition
After surgery, you will need a new nutrition plan. Our surgeon and/or dietitian can help you learn about and get used to the changes in lifestyle and eating habits you need to make. It is very important to follow the eating and drinking instructions beginning immediately after the operation.
In the first few weeks after your surgery, you will be on a liquid diet since only thin liquids will be tolerated by your stomach at that time. As you heal, you will gradually progress to pureed foods (three to four weeks post-op) and then soft foods (five weeks post-op). Finally, you will be able to eat solid foods.
When you are at the stage to eat solid foods without problems, you will need to pay close attention to your diet.
You will also need to learn to eat slowly and chew your food very thoroughly.
It is recommended that you eat only three small meals a day and make sure that these meals contain adequate nutrients. Foods that have a concentrated supply of calories with little nutritional value, such as milkshakes, syrups, jam, and pastries, should be avoided as much as possible.
Your Activity
It is fairly common to feel weak and tired immediately after discharge from the hospital. The body needs time to recover from the stress of a major operation.
Exercise is very important and incorporating regular physical activity into your daily routine is as important as following your nutrition plan. Gastrectomy patients have been inactive due to decreased activity tolerance, psychological constraints and in some cases, physical disabilities. After Laparoscopic Gastrectomy aerobic activities, particularly walking and swimming are generally best tolerated. Your surgeon will advise you on which activity is right for you.
Your bowel habits
You may have different bowel habits after your surgery. Loose stools are common for the first week or two after surgery. If you have watery diarrhea, call your surgeon. This may be a sign of a bowel infection. Severe constipation should be avoided. See the section below on medicines for constipation.
Medications
Your medicines: Take the medicines you were taking before surgery, unless your surgeon has made a change.
For pain
Your surgeon will order a prescription pain medicine for you after surgery. As your pain lessens, over the counter pain medicines such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen can be used. They can also be used instead of your prescription for mild pain.
For constipation
Prescription pain medicines can cause constipation. Your doctor may order a stool softener to prevent this. You should be back to your normal bowel routine in about 2 weeks. If the stool softener does not work, take Milk of Magnesia. If you still are not getting relief, call your surgeon.
Call your surgeon right away if you have:
FOLLOW-UP
Follow-up after surgery is extremely important and our surgeons at Salus are committed to providing all the post surgical care you need. In order to identify and treat any complications as they may arise, close, lifetime follow-up is essential.