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Last updated: 22-Oct-2026
Bariatric and metabolic surgery · Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Vasna, Ahmedabad
Bariatric surgery, also called metabolic surgery, makes the stomach smaller or reroutes the food path. It is a treatment for obesity as a long-term disease, and for the diabetes, blood pressure and fatty liver that come with it.
It is not a cosmetic operation, and it is not the first step for everyone. Diet, activity and newer weight-loss medicines come first or alongside, and some patients never need surgery.
The operation is the start of a lifelong plan. Daily vitamins and yearly blood tests are part of it, and a patient who cannot commit to them should not be operated on.
Obesity is a chronic disease that keeps coming back, not a lack of willpower. Extra fat, mainly around the waist, drives many other diseases.
Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital. Trained in super-specialty surgical gastroenterology programmes, qualified twice over in the specialty, with 18 years of experience in stomach and gastro surgery. The physician, the dietitian, the anaesthetist and, when needed, a psychologist assess each patient before surgery is planned.
Dr Harsh Shah
MS, MCh (Surgical Gastroenterology), DrNB (Surgical Gastroenterology)
Registered with Gujarat Medical Council, Reg. No. G-38738
Stomach & Gastro Surgeon · Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Vasna, Ahmedabad
Google rating at Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Vasna: 4.89 from 216 reviews. At Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Vasna, Ahmedabad: 4.94 from 18 reviews.
Indians tend to carry more fat around the waist at a lower weight. So diabetes and other problems start at a lower body mass index (BMI) than in Western patients. This changes when surgery is offered, as the next section explains.
The old rule of BMI 40, or 35 with a disease, is out of date. Current international guidance offers surgery at lower BMI levels, and lower still for Asian patients with diabetes.
| Your BMI | What current guidance says |
|---|---|
| 35 or more. | Surgery is recommended, with or without other diseases. |
| 30 to 34.9, with diabetes or another metabolic disease. | Surgery is recommended. |
| 30 to 34.9, when diet and medicines have not worked. | Surgery can be considered. |
| 27.5 to 32.5, in an Asian patient with type 2 diabetes. | Surgery can be offered, after a team discussion that is written down. |
The last row needs care. The evidence for the lower Asian level comes from patients who also had diabetes. Operating at a BMI of 28 on a person without diabetes or a metabolic disease goes beyond that evidence, and is not done here.
Age alone does not rule anyone out. What matters is fitness for the operation and the expected benefit.
Some people should not have this operation yet, or at all. Saying no, or not now, is part of good care.
Weight-loss medicines given by injection, called GLP-1 medicines, have changed this conversation. They are a real choice before surgery, instead of surgery, or after it when weight returns. A patient who picks medicines over surgery is making a reasonable choice, not refusing treatment.
The checks before surgery look for the causes of weight gain, the diseases it has caused, and anything that changes which operation is safest.
The choice of operation is shared between you and the team. It depends on your BMI, your diabetes, whether you have acid reflux, and your family history.
| Operation | What it does | Suits whom | Main caution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleeve gastrectomy. | Removes about three-quarters of the stomach along its length, leaving a narrow tube. | Many patients. No join in the bowel, and the stomach can still be seen by endoscopy later. | Can start or worsen acid reflux. Avoided when reflux is already severe. |
| Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. | Makes a small stomach pouch and joins it to a loop of small bowel. | Patients with reflux, with diabetes, or with a higher BMI. | Needs more vitamins. The bypassed stomach can no longer be seen by a normal endoscopy. |
| One-anastomosis gastric bypass. | A long pouch with a single join to the bowel. | A simpler bypass with a strong effect on sugar. | Bile can flow back into the pouch. The length of bypassed bowel must be chosen with care. |
| More malabsorptive operations (SADI-S, duodenal switch). | Bypass a longer length of bowel. | Very high BMI or severe metabolic disease. | The highest vitamin and protein risk. Only with strict follow-up. |
The gastric band is rarely used now, because many bands fail or need removal.
In India one more point matters. A bypass hides part of the stomach from future endoscopy, so a family history of stomach cancer or a likely need for future bile duct procedures can favour a sleeve.
Preparation starts two to four weeks before the operation. It makes the surgery safer, and it is the first practice of the lifelong routine.
The operation is done by keyhole surgery. Most patients walk within hours and go home in two to three days.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Day of surgery. | Sitting out of bed and walking within hours. Sips of clear fluid. CPAP restarted. Blood thinners to prevent clots. Diabetes medicines reduced. |
| Day 1. | Clear fluids, walking four times. The heart rate is watched closely. |
| Day 2 to 3. | More fluids. Home once fluids stay down, pain is controlled by tablets and the heart rate is normal. |
A fast heart rate in the first week is taken seriously. It is often the first sign of a leak, before any pain.
Food is brought back slowly, over four to six weeks, so the new stomach heals. The dietitian guides each stage.
Small meals, slow eating, and no drinking with meals help prevent vomiting. Sweet drinks and fried snacks can cause dumping after a bypass: a fast heartbeat, sweating and loose stools soon after eating.
Sugar levels often fall within days, before much weight is lost. Diabetes and blood pressure medicines usually have to be reduced at once.
Many patients see their diabetes go into remission, meaning normal sugar without medicines. Some still need medicines, at lower doses. Your own outlook is discussed in person.
Low vitamins after this surgery are expected, not unusual. Daily supplements and yearly blood tests prevent anaemia, weak bones and nerve damage.
| When | What is checked |
|---|---|
| Two weeks. | Wound, diet stage, fluids, medicine doses. |
| Six weeks, three, six and twelve months. | Weight, sugar and blood pressure, medicines, dietitian review. |
| Every year, for life. | Blood count, iron, vitamin B12, folate, vitamin D, calcium and protein. Zinc, copper and vitamin A after a bypass. |
| Every visit. | Whether the vitamins are actually being taken. |
The minimum daily supplements are a bariatric multivitamin, iron, vitamin B12, calcium and vitamin D. Stopping them can cause harm that does not always reverse.
Every operation carries risk. These are the main ones, and your own figures are discussed in person before you agree.
A few warning signs need the hospital the same day. Patients and families are taught these before discharge.
Some weight regain over years is part of a chronic disease. It is treated early, step by step, and not straight away with another operation.
The dietitian and the psychologist come first, then an endoscopy or scan to check the shape of the stomach. Weight-loss medicines can help. A second operation, for weight regain or for severe reflux after a sleeve, is considered only after a team discussion.
★★★★★
“I am very thankful to Dr. Harsh Shah for treating me for gallstone disease and performing my laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The entire treatment and surgery were handled very professionally. Dr. Harsh Shah explained everything clearly and made me feel comfortable throughout the process. My recovery has been very good, and I am extremely satisfied with the care I received. Highly recommended for laparoscopic and gastrointestinal surgery.”
Akshaya Shaw · Google review
★★★★★
“Fast recovery after a laparoscopic operation by Dr Harsh Shah. Minimum pain & stayed in hospital for 2 days. I will highly recommend the doctor for any Laparoscopic surgery in Ahmedabad.”
Ila Rambhia · Google review
★★★★★
“We consulted Dr Harsh shah for my Husband as having cyst . surgery was done by Doctor very successfully. today we got discharged. our experience with sir was very good . he is very cooperative, explained about diagnosis very calmly. well Experienced, good Doctor . also thanks to Roshani maam for good cooperation. Thanks sir Dr Priyanka Prajapati”
Priyanka Prajapati · Google review
Quoted exactly as written on Google. These patients describe keyhole gallbladder surgery with Dr Harsh Shah. No review yet names bariatric surgery.
The cost depends on the operation chosen, the tests needed before it and the days in hospital. A written estimate is given first.
What moves the estimate is the type of operation, the stapler cartridges used, any sleep study or heart check, and the length of stay. Insurance cover for bariatric surgery varies by policy and usually needs a medical reason such as diabetes; Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Vasna, Ahmedabad checks this with your insurer before admission. Please bring every report, your medicine list, your insurance card and an ID. For questions before booking, call +91-63555-64601.
No. Current guidance offers it from a BMI of 35, from 30 with diabetes, and from about 27.5 in Asian patients who have type 2 diabetes. The old rule of BMI 40 is out of date.
Yes, for many people. GLP-1 medicines are a real choice before surgery, instead of it, or after it. The choice is made together, after the full check.
Many patients reach normal sugar without medicines, and most need fewer medicines. Sugar often falls within days, so doses are reduced at once. Your own outlook is discussed in person.
It depends. A sleeve suits many patients but can worsen acid reflux. A bypass suits patients with reflux or harder diabetes, but needs more vitamins. The team advises after your endoscopy and tests.
Yes. Low iron, vitamin B12, calcium and vitamin D are expected after this surgery. Daily supplements and a yearly blood test are part of the operation, not an extra.
Usually two to three days. Most patients walk within hours. You go home once fluids stay down, pain is controlled by tablets and the heart rate is normal.
Wait 12 to 18 months after surgery, while weight is falling fast. When you plan it, the pregnancy is looked after jointly, with closer vitamin checks.
Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Vasna, Ahmedabad
Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Dr Jivraj Mehta Marg, Vasna, Ahmedabad 380007.
Endoscopy, keyhole stomach surgery, intensive care and inpatient care.
Google: Dr Harsh Shah · 4.94 · 18 reviews
Directions to Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Vasna · WhatsApp +91-63555-64601
Patients come to Ahmedabad from across Gujarat, southern Rajasthan and western Madhya Pradesh.
Thinking about weight-loss surgery, or told your sugar is hard to control? Your weight history, sugar reports (HbA1c), medicine list and any scan or endoscopy report can be sent ahead, so the consultation starts with them already read. Whether surgery suits you is decided at the consultation, after a full check. Call +91-63555-64601 · Bring the reports to the visit
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