Gastric sleeve surgery, or sleeve gastrectomy, is one of our most popular weight loss surgery options at Birmingham Minimally Invasive. There are many benefits and reasons to choose this surgery, including the fact that it is a cost-effective choice for many. It’s also a low-risk procedure with a high success rate.

Advantages of Gastric Sleeve Surgery

Gastric sleeve surgery is a laparoscopic bariatric procedure that reconfigures the stomach into a sleeve-like shape. In doing so, we remove a part of the stomach responsible for producing ghrelin, the hormone, that tells your brain when you’re hungry. The surgery also restricts the size of the stomach, making it much harder to eat large portions of food. These two factors combine to help you lose weight.

While weight loss is, of course, the biggest advantage, there’s a lot more to it than just that!

Considered to be a more simple surgery

Compared to other options, gastric sleeve is considered to be a more simple procedure. We do not reroute the intestines like we do during gastric bypass, and we do not put in a foreign body as we do with the LAP-BAND. Gastric sleeve surgery typically takes only about 30 to 45 minutes, and we perform the surgery laparoscopically. This means we avoid the need for large abdominal incisions, which typically results in less pain, shorter hospital stays, and faster recovery.

Minimally invasive 

You benefit from minimally invasive surgery dramatically compared to traditional open surgery. Minimally invasive surgery offers less pain, reduced scarring, lower risk of infection, less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, quicker return to work, and less occurrence of post-operative incisional hernias. 

Cost-effective option

The cost of gastric sleeve is often an appealing factor. Our price at BMI Surgery is $8,999. This is the best price you will find in our area because our goal is to make losing weight more attainable for you. Since gastric sleeve is considered one of the less invasive weight loss procedures, we can offer it at a lower price than some other options. It requires less time to perform the surgery and a shorter hospital stay in most cases. 

Gastric sleeve cost includes more than just the surgery

We are very upfront about what’s included in the $8,999 cash price and what’s not. We don’t want you to feel like there are any surprises. Here’s what is included:

• Pre-operative testing with blood work and EKG, if necessary
• Surgeon fee for the procedure
• Anesthesiologist fee
• Post-operative office visits for 90 days
• Surgery center fee (Not all patients are candidates for outpatient surgery. If the procedure has to be performed in the hospital, the total price will be $12,800, and this cost will cover a one-night stay in the hospital.)
• Monthly support group meetings

Pay with or without insurance

If using insurance to cover the procedure, you must have a minimum BMI of 35 to 40, along with various other health issues, such as diabetes, sleep apnea, or heart disease. If your BMI is higher than 40, these other health issues are not required. Gastric sleeve is a good option for anyone meeting these requirements without insurance coverage as well. Whether you choose to pursue private pay or insurance coverage, we will help you meet the requirements so you can lose weight and start feeling great.

Restrictive procedure that allows for significant weight loss

Gastric sleeve surgery greatly reduces the size of your stomach and limits the amount of food you can eat at one time. It does not cause decreased absorption of nutrients or bypass your intestines. After eating a small amount of food, you will feel full very quickly and continue to feel full for several hours. The procedure may also cause your appetite to decrease by reducing the amount of “hunger hormone” that your stomach produces. Depending on your pre-operative weight, you can expect to lose between 40% to 70% of your excess body weight in the first year after gastric sleeve surgery.

Improve other health problems

Many obesity-related problems improve or resolve after the procedure. Diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, and abnormal cholesterol levels are improved or cured in more than 75% of patients undergoing gastric sleeve.

Let Us Help You Reach Your Goals with Gastric Sleeve Surgery

We know you have goals related to weight loss, and so do we. But our ultimate goal is to help you become healthier overall so that you can live a happy, active life for yourself and your family! Contact us to see if gastric sleeve might be the right option for you.