Gastric Bypass or Lap Band surgery is done in order to treat obesity. In case of obese patients whose body mass index is above 40, the risk of heart attack and many other health problems double. So to help them reduce their extra pounds and lead a healthy life, doctor’s advice lap band surgery or Gastric bypass. In this, the size of the stomach is reduced by placing a band around it, which is inflated to make the person eat less and yet, feel full. Read more

How Do You Know If You Need Lap Band Surgery?

Obesity has a number of side effects. Side effects often incorporate an increased risk for psychological and physical well being that could result in a number of severe health risks. Lap Band surgery is one of the ways of losing weight. It is a safe and effective way of losing weight. Lap band surgery involves placing a lap band inside the abdomen. The lap band looks like a silicon donut .It wraps around the stomach near the top, making a small pouch. This pouch holds a fraction of the quantity of food as compared to the rest of the stomach. When the pouch is full of food, it sends a message to the brain saying that you’ve eaten enough and that you are full.

Obesity

Ideally, this stops the urge to eat and you don’t keep on eating until your stomach is at full capacity or beyond capacity. Once the band has been placed inside the stomach it is filled with a harmless saline solution via an access port attached to the skin. The lap band is filled with the saline solution so as to adjust the size of the band as well as the quantity of space within the upper pouch of the stomach. If the band is too tight some solution can be drained till it reaches proper size. Or if the band is not proving effective it can be filled with more solution till the desired result is attained.

Though the surgery is less invasive and more safe than other surgeries it is still not for everyone who thinks that he is obese. The best way to know whether or not to go ahead with a Lap Band surgery is by calculating the body mass index or BMI which is calculated taking height and weight into consideration. A BMI is calculated as follows – Healthy – 19 to 25 Overweight - 25 to 30 Obese - above 30 and extreme if above 40

Based on this a person can decide if he needs surgery or not. If in the obese range then one can give serious thought to Lap Band surgery. As every surgery even Lap Band can have some unwanted side effects. But most of the complications that can arise are minor ones and can be easily taken care of. So if you are thinking about undergoing Lap Band surgery rest assured that it is quite safe. Be sure to get all the details from your physician and only after consulting him make your choice.

Gastric BypassIs Gastric Bypass Dangerous, and Are There Any Downsides?

Gastric Bypass or lap band surgery, just like other surgeries do involve a certain amount of risk. However not in all cases, in fact, most of the patients lead a healthy life after undergoing the surgery, and lose unwanted body weight successfully.

In gastric bypass or lap band surgery, the size of the stomach is reduced, which makes the patient eat less and thus reduce weight, but this should be only undertaken in case of obesity causing major health problems for the individual. Because no matter how safely done, one cannot completely rule out the possibilities of complications arising and even leading to death of the patient. So, it should only be used as a last resort, when all other measures to lose weight such as, dieting, exercise, etc. fail to work.

Some of the fatal complications and side effects of the surgery are: common stomach ailments, nausea, vomiting, and infections in the wounds or in the stomach, leakage of digestive acids in the stomach. Besides these the one which can be most dangerous is formation of blood clots, which on reaching the lungs or heart can be life threatening, and even lead to death.

Therefore, a lot of precaution and care needs to be taken to undergo the surgery. It should be done only by a well-qualified and an experienced surgeon, in a good hospital, which has all the necessary facilities to tackle an emergency. And after the operation, patient should be kept under proper care and supervision. The healing time is 2 to 3 weeks, during which the diet needs to be strictly regulated.

Also one should be aware that, gastric bypass or lap band surgery is no magic wand that will give instant results. After the surgery, about 40% of the extra body weight is lost in first year, and 50% to 60% in the next year. However during the initial period after the surgery there may even be some weight gain, but one should not refrain from taking the necessary precautions, and avoid exercise, until given a green signal by the surgeon. Once the surgeon approves that the patient has recovered and there has been proper healing, the patient leads a normal life besides a few changes in the eating habits, and other necessary precautions. And when successfully done it gives marvellous results, and proves to be a great remedy for obesity.

 
 
 

What Is Lap Band? How Can It Help Me?

Gastric Bypass or Lap Band surgery is done in order to treat obesity. In case of obese patients whose body mass index is above 40, the risk of heart attack and many other health problems double. So to help them reduce their extra pounds and lead a healthy life, doctor’s advice lap band surgery or Gastric bypass. In this, the size of the stomach is reduced by placing a band around it, which is inflated to make the person eat less and yet, feel full. This band is placed by a surgery on the upper portion of the stomach. The lower stomach remains as it is. This squeezes the upper stomach, thus, the diet of the person decreases making him/her lose weight faster. Higher Level of Confidence

The surgery is done by making two or three incisions in the stomach, through which a small camera, the band and other devices used to place the band around the stomach, are inserted. Once the band is placed correctly around the stomach, it is then inflated to squeeze the stomach and reduce its capacity of food intake. It is not an open surgery wherein, there is a cut on the stomach, so the healing is also faster.

But immediately after the surgery a lot of care and necessary precautions need to be taken, till complete healing has taken place. Regular checkups and medical supervision by a specialist is very important until the band is settled inside the stomach, and all the wounds are completely healed. Once given a green signal by the doctor, that the surgery has been successful, the patient can be relaxed and get back to the normal routine. However, certain alterations such as changes in eating habits are to be followed. One should take small meals more frequently, rather than large meals after long durations. Also exercise should be done only after consultation with the surgeon, and under proper guidance. Besides these little things there are not any such hassles after the surgery. In fact, the weight loss is more rapid and easier. And over a period of time one can notice marvellous results. It is really beneficial to control obesity, and is now being undertaken by more and more people, who are obese. It makes a difference in their life by giving them a much healthier life and a better figure. It gives them a higher level of well being and confidence.

What Are The Upsides And Risks To Gastric Bypass?

Gastric bypass or the lap band surgery is done to reduce the body weight in case of people who are obese. As obesity is nothing less than a disease and disrupts the normal healthy living, resulting in a lot of other diseases such as heart problems, breathing problems, etc. Upsides And Risks

So, to tackle the excess body weight and help an obese person lose all the extra kilograms and get back into a normal shape, in order to lead a healthy life, gastric bypass or lap band surgery is done. However it should be only done in cases of serious obese patients and not used as a measure to easy weight loss. Lap band surgery or Gastric Bypass is extremely effective and beneficial, but at the same time it also has all the risks involved, as in case of any other surgery. So, it is very important that the surgery is done under proper medical supervision by an experienced surgeon. Otherwise it can lead to complications such as, damage of internal organs of the body, especially stomach around which the band is placed, leakage of digestive juices from the stomach which can damage other organs, formation of blood clots in the body, etc.

In spite of all the risks involved a large number of obese patients opt for the surgery, because once done successfully, it helps them tremendously, to lose the extra flab in their body and get back a healthy shape. However, as mentioned earlier it should be undertaken only in case of severely obese patients for whom, exercise and diet does not work and they are on the danger of falling prey to other health problems. It should never be used as an alternative to exercise. One should also not forget that, many other surgeries such as tummy tuck, uplift of thighs, and other body parts, become necessary after the person looses the extra weight, as an after effect of the gastric bypass or lab band surgery, as the skin becomes lose around the body. Therefore it is not just a onetime affair, but comes as a whole, package. It can never replace exercise and right dietary habits of losing weight, as they are not just effective but also keep the body well toned, and there are no such side effects as skin sagging , which need to be tackled by further surgery.