It’s common knowledge that obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States. It’s also becoming more common than ever before for obese patients to have surgery done that significantly reduces their body weight. One such surgical treatment is known as gastric banding, or more often referred to simply as lap-band surgery.
The basic idea of lap-band surgery involves an adjustable belt placed around parts of a patient’s stomach. This silicone belt essentially makes the stomach much smaller than normal. A smaller stomach makes it much more difficult to overeat. But it also makes it so food that a lap-band patient eats takes a long time to reach their stomach. This is essential to mention, because it means that the signals your stomach sends to your brain saying it’s had enough food can be sent when you eat much less than you did before getting lap-band surgery.
So, who exactly should be considering having a lap-band procedure done? Typically, people who are more than 45 kilograms, or about 100 pounds over their ideal body weight will benefit the most from lap-band surgery.
There are certain instances where a surgeon or program may not find surgery a good fit for you, either due to health-related complications, your age, your use of drugs and alcohol, or other factors that potentially put you at risk.
The lap-band procedure itself usually lasts just an hour or two, once the patient has been fully anesthetized. After hospitalization and enough rest, most lap-band patients can return to work and other certain lifestyle activities in as little as one week. Patients can expect to return to all their normal activities after about 6 weeks have passed since their surgery.
Within one year, the average lap-band patient can look forward to losing upward of 40% of their body weight within the first year after the procedure, with another 10 to 20 percent in their second year after lap-band surgery.
It’s always recommended to remain in touch with your surgeon, in case you need any adjustments made to your lap-band.
