Important Facts On Lap-band And Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy

By Joseph Foster


The use of surgery in weight loss is a practice that has continued to attract a lot of interest all over the world. The main reason is that surgical techniques have been refined over time and are associated with very few complications and failure rates. These procedures are broadly known as bariatric surgeries. Examples include lap-band and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. There are a number of things that you should know if you consider having any of these operations.

It is important to stress that weight loss surgery is a last resort option. One needs to try out other modalities of weight loss. Lifestyle changes are not only easy to implement but also result in very few complications if any. Ensure that you modify your diet so that it contains less calories and has more protein, vegetables of fruits. Reduce stress, get enough sleep and exercise regularly.

The alternative name for lap band surgery is gastric banding. This term has been adopted because of the use of a silicon band in the procedure. When this band is fitted to the upper section of the stomach, the capacity of this organ is significantly reduced. This operation is usually done laparoscopically. This means that only small incisions are required to gain entry into the abdominal cavity.

When the size of your stomach is reduced to a small pouch, the amount of food that you can consume at meal time is significantly reduced. You will notice that you get early satiety. Within weeks or months, you will start to lose weight because most of what you eat is used in the provision of energy and very little is converted to fat.

A plastic tubing is usually connected to the silicon tube on the stomach to help make adjustments when need be. This is made possible by filling this tube with saline or withdrawing the same. When the tubing is filled with saline, the degree of the squeeze is increased and the size is reduced further. The reverse happens when the saline is drawn from the tube.

Just like the lap band operation, gastric sleeve gastrectomy is a restrictive operation. This means it limits the amount of food that one can eat in one sitting. The stomach is cut along its length to leave just a small portion of the original. Generally, between 75 and 80% of the organ is removed. What is left is a tubular structure that can only hold a fraction of the food held previously. Weight loss is through reduced food consumption and reduced absorption of nutrients.

Complications are few and rare with these operations. Those that are likely to be encountered include nausea, vomiting, minor bleeds, food leakage, esophageal spasms and infections among others. Many of them are fairly easy to manage and resolve within a few days or weeks. Potential candidates need to discuss the possibility of these complications with their surgeons beforehand.

You should appreciate the fact that the results of the operation are bound to vary among patients. These differences exist because of patient and doctor factors. Patient factors may include the severity of the problem, genetic factors or the lifestyle after the operation. The doctor factors may include skill and type of technique used.




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