Gastric Sleeve Surgery. Safety & integrity first.

A Gastric sleeve operation limits your stomach wall’s stretch and in doing so makes you feel full sooner. It also reduces a key hunger-causing hormone called Ghrelin. Most patients will lose 60-100lbs of weight, depending on their starting weight. Today, weight loss medications can be used to help maintain and/or achieve better weight loss results. We are committed to helping you achieve your best results but know that all results vary between individuals.

Vertical sleeve gastrectomy or “the sleeve” is performed in roughly 45 minutes to 1 hour including your time under general anesthesia. You are completely asleep for the procedure. The procedure is performed as a day procedure and after a monitored period in our recovery room you are safely discharged once you are tolerating some fluid intake by mouth and your pain is more than manageable.

Over the next few days, you slowly increase your fluid intake and manage your mild pain and nausea, if any, with our comprehensive script of medications. We encourage you to be mobile, up and about every day, and ready to connect with us for our check-in appointments.

Sleeve surgery will not directly impact any foods you enjoy eating. Your cravings may change, but the most significant impact will be on your hunger drive and food portion sizes. Both our surgeons and our medical team at the HOW clinics are here to guide you every step of the way with food choices, one-on-one coaching and answers to all your surgical questions.

Quick fixes only lead to quick losses. We want you to lose weight and gain all the benefits of life changing weight loss and do so in a healthy fashion and most importantly, with long lasting results.

Over the course of the first year and a half after sleeve surgery, we expect you to lose the most significant amount of your weight. Our partnership with HOW Clinics is central to your success as we want to support your progress with important lifestyle advice and targeted medical therapies if needed. This investment in your success can help make your weight loss long lasting. If gains occur along the way, you are not alone and we are here to guide and support you.

If you have struggled with weight loss, have a BMI >30 and are interested in timely, on-demand surgery, private weight loss surgery may be right for you. Surgery is not covered by OHIP but individual private plans may provide some coverage. Customized, on-demand care is why patients seek a private surgery option.

Yes, publicly covered OHIP is available in Ontario if you meet certain clinical criteria. Our team at MyLife Bariatrics would be happy to guide you toward public surgery channels if you qualify and are interested.

Gastric sleeve surgery is covered by OHIP if:

1. Your BMI is more than or equal to a BMI of 60
2. You have a significant amount of scarring within your abdomen that is prohibitive for undergoing a gastric bypass operation.
3. Finally, you have a medical condition that makes performing a Gastric Bypass operation unsafe or clinically not recommended for you.

If you are interested in OHIP covered bariatric surgery, please discuss this with your family doctor who will send a referral to the Ontario Bariatric Network.

At MyLife Bariatrics, we offer gastric sleeve surgery, also known as vertical sleeve gastrectomy. Under general anesthetic, within 30-45 minutes, we remove the majority of your stomach and its Ghrelin (hunger hormone) producing cells.

Weight loss is understood to occur through both a restrictive and hormonal fashion. First, with a smaller stomach that is less distensible, your stomach fills up faster with less food, thus making you feel full. Additionally, with less Ghrelin production and faster movement of food through the stomach, your body undergoes a hormonal response that stimulates the satiety center more than your hunger center in the brain.

The vast majority of patients prefer to undergo surgery without delay and defer payments until later. We offer financing options through Medicard and Beautifi. Both offer competitive interest rates and a streamlined application process. Please ask Amanda from our MyLife team about payment options and we would be more than happy to help.

Medicard – Affordable Health Simplified.
Beautifi – Making Health and Beauty Affordable

Yes, of course – experience Out of Province Surgery. We will see you via a Zoom meeting, ensure that you are optimized for surgery and book your surgery date. We recommend a three-day stay in the area. All post-surgery follow-ups and the How2HEAL program can be done remotely. We are here to facilitate every step in this process. Call our patient concierge today to get more information and ease your troubles.