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Lapband Surgery Facts And Information

By Matthew Hall


Over the years, many people have struggled with obesity. While the best mode of treatment remains lifestyle modification, over time more and more people have opted for surgical options. Among the most used surgical options is lapband surgery, also called gastric banding. There are many fundamental pieces of information about this procedure that one should know before considering it.

The procedure involves placement of an adjustable belt on the upper part of the stomach using a laparoscope. The band is made of silicone and can get tightened by adding salt to it so that the band is filled. The band is normally connected to some port that is put within the abdomen, under the skin. This port is used to introduce or remove saline into the band.

The main aim of the procedure is for restricting size of your stomach and also the amount of food that it is able to hold. It also gets to slow down passage of food into intestines. By doing this, signals will be sent to the brain by the gut to give the sensation of fullness, which makes one eat less. The signal is sent from the small pouch created by the the band at upper sections of the stomach. When this pouch is full, there is sending of a signal that is sent to the brain.

The procedure happens under full general anesthesia and will take between one and two hours. It is performed using laparoscopic technique which involves making between 3 to 5 very minute incisions. The incisions are approximately 1 inch in length. The surgeon will insert a small camera into one of the incisions to view the procedure on a screen. The camera is attached to a tube. The remaining incisions will allow for use of surgical instruments and placement of the band.

Proper preparation for the procedure is important. Depending on your surgeon or the program, preparation varies. Most institutions will want to see commitment from their patients as regards lifestyle changes. This should be before the surgical procedure. The patient may be required to start eating 5 to 6 small meals daily for preparation of changes ahead. They will be required to keep off high calorie foods like milk shakes or ice cream.

Recovery is different in different individuals. In general however, the procedure has a short period of hospitalization and quick recover when compared with the other gastric procedures. Majority of people resume work in a week. This is the case if the work in question is not very demanding. You can resume normal activity after 6 weeks.

After the procedure, one may feel some pain and discomfort but this is easily controlled using medications. After between 6 to 8 weeks, normal activities can resume. The weight loss will be gradual. In the beginning, the loss of weight might be more dramatic but this slows down after a while. Average weight loss will be 40 percent of excess body weight.

There are a few side effects that you should expect. These include nausea, vomiting, ulceration at the band site and dehydration. It is also possible for a patient to experience weight regain.




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