Gastric sleeve is surgery to help you lose weight.

It makes your stomach smaller. And this helps you feel full sooner and eat less. Many people feel nervous or worried before having gastric sleeve surgery. And they may wonder what to expect.

Here's some information that can help. First ... follow your care provider's instructions for how to get ready for the surgery, including what you can eat or drink and which medicines to take. Before the surgery, you'll get medicine to make you sleep and keep you from feeling any pain.

Gastric sleeve is most often done as a laparoscopic surgery.

But it can also be done as an "open" surgery. Laparoscopic surgery is done through several small cuts ... called incisions ... in your belly.

Then the doctor puts special tools and a camera through the incisions.

Open surgery is done through a large cut in your belly.

During the surgery, the doctor takes out more than half of your stomach ...

and then staples the remaining part of it closed.

What's left of your stomach is a thin sleeve ... or tube ...

that's about the size of a small banana.

This smaller stomach will hold the food you eat.

The doctor then closes the incisions and covers them with bandages.

The surgery takes about an hour. When you wake up, you may have some belly pain, and the area around the incisions may be tender and sore. You'll get medicine to help ease the pain.

After surgery, you'll probably be in the hospital for 1 or 2 days.

And when it's time to go home, you'll need someone to drive you.

Now ... having surgery can be a little stressful.

But knowing what to expect and how to prepare can help.

And remember, you can always call your care provider if you have questions or concerns.