Surgical Options for Weight-Loss

Valley Baptist offers two different weight-loss surgical procedures. Each has specific risks and benefits, and our staff and doctors will review each with you.

Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy

This surgery involves removing between 60 and 80 percent of the stomach, so that what’s left looks like a tube, or a sleeve. A smaller stomach means that you eat less, and that, along with a slower digestive process, leads to weight loss. This surgery is performed in Harlingen and Brownsville. Learn more about sleeve gastrectomy

Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass

This surgery creates a small pouch at the top of your stomach, and in addition your small bowel is divided. The biliopancreatic limb is reattached to your small bowel on one end, and the other is connected to the pouch, creating what’s called a Roux limb. The pouch releases food slowly, so you feel full after eating very little food. Learn more about gastric bypass

Bariatrics Surgery Disclaimer: Weight loss surgery is generally designed for those with a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 40, or equal to or greater than 35 with serious co-morbidities.  Weight loss surgery is considered safe, but like many types of surgery, it does have risks. Consult with your physician about the risks and benefits of weight loss surgery.

We also offer revision bariatric surgery to address complications from a previous surgery or enhance weight-loss results.

Bariatric Support Groups & Informational Seminars

Weight-loss surgery isn’t just about losing weight. Not everyone in your life will understand that. Valley Baptist provides support groups so that you’ll immediately have a caring community of friends to lean on for support. If you have had weight-loss surgery, or are considering it, please join us. You’ll be able to share what life is like after surgery as well as learn more about what to expect from the procedure. Every month, we hold a meeting for the community so that anyone interested in bariatric surgery can find out what’s involved, from the costs to the surgery itself and what happens afterward.
See our Bariatric Classes & Events

Vitamins and Protein Supplements

Following surgery, your dietary needs will change. Your smaller stomach will hold only a certain amount of food, and not all of it will be digested and absorbed. To make up for the digestive changes, you’ll need to take vitamin and mineral supplements, as well as maintain a high protein intake, for the rest of your life.