When faced with the choice of continuing a weight loss program that is not producing results or opting for a minimally invasive surgery that is proven to work, many individuals are opting for the latter.
The professionals at TopSurgeons can set you on the path to a healthy and more enjoyable lifestyle when it comes to your weight. After trying many different programs that did not produce the desire affect, individuals are moving ahead with Lap Band surgery.
Surgery Treats Being Overweight
The laparoscopic adjustable banding procedure is an invasive weight loss surgery that bands the stomach to an implanted prosthetic device. The device sections off the stomach into two pouches joined by a narrow passage, which slows digestion and limits the amount of food an individual will consume. The Lap Band procedure assists patients in reducing their appetite and allows them to feel full sooner while eating less.
In breaking it down, Lap Band surgery is made up of three parts:
Silicone or silastic (pliable soft plastic) band;
Reservoir or "port"; and
A tube connecting the band to the port
After performing a number of small incisions, a TopSurgeons doctor will insert a small video camera to view the region where the lap band device is to be implanted. At that time, the lap band is then inserted and placed around the upper portion of the stomach. A small stomach pouch is formed just above the band, and the bigger stomach pouch stays situated below the band. The reservoir or port is placed just below an individual's surface fatty tissue and skin. The port and the band remain inside the patient's body and are joined by the tube.
Lap Band and Saline
Once the port and band are inside the individual, the doctor then injects saline into the port to inflate the band, which makes the route to the stomach smaller, further limiting the amount of food intake.
Draining saline through the port deflates the band, increasing the route into the stomach, allowing for increased food intake. The amount of time for this procedure is generally anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, and may or may not require an overnight hospital stay depending on each individual case.
In the months following Lap Band surgery, periodic office visits are needed to adjust the band to each patient's specific requirements. The attending medical person will gently pierce the skin with a needle, into the reservoir or port just below the skin, and inject or drain saline.
Periodic lap band adjustments are a portion of the ongoing post-surgical treatment drawn up for each individual. Patients generally return to work in a week or so, and return to their pre-surgery condition in one to three weeks.
For more information about Lap Band, call 1-800-953-5000.
