For those who have a BMI over 40, or who suffer comorbidities with a BMI over 35, Michael Feiz, M.D., F.A.C.S. and his team at Dr. Feiz & Associates can help. He and his caring team know that being obese or severely obese can not only limit a person’s ability to enjoy life as well as their self-esteem, but being so overweight can drastically limit a person’s lifespan. These people must lose weight, and keep it off, if they have any hope of defeating Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and joint pain. That’s why Dr. Feiz specializes in bariatric surgery, including sleeve gastrectomy after Lap Band, which can be a difficult procedure for some bariatric surgeons.

Many patients know they need to lose weight, but they think all weight loss surgery is gastric bypass. However, Dr. Feiz and his team will talk with you about the benefits of Lap Band vs. gastric sleeve, two of the most popular weight loss procedures today. Both are minimally invasive, although the Lap Band procedure is even less invasive than sleeve gastrectomy because no organs are removed. However, sleeve gastrectomy can be more successful for patients who suffer hunger pangs or intense cravings, because it removes the part of the stomach which produces the hormone ghrelin. This “hunger hormone” signals the brain that the stomach does not have enough food – even when we’ve actually eaten more than enough. Dr. Feiz has found that, for many of his patients, long-term outcomes are improved when ghrelin levels are reduced.

Whether you are curious about the difference between Lap Band and gastric sleeve surgeries, or you need a band to sleeve revision procedure, Dr. Feiz & Associates are here to help you.