Thinking About Lap Band Surgery?

If you are thinking about Lap-Band surgery, you probably got to this site by doing alot of research. Or maybe you are just starting your journey for information to find out if it is right for you. I was in a unique position of having the ability to formulate my decision over a long period of time; by working in a Lap-Band practice and seeing the BENEFITS as well as COMPLICATIONS. As a result, I not only developed long-standing relationships with Lap-Band patients (as well as Lap-Band co-workers) but I also could see the long-term (several years) benefits that patients were able to achieve as well as complications that might come down the line. After having what I like to call a long-term "engagement" period, I decided to "commit" and I have never regretted the decision. My beginning....

The Why of it All

I hope to share some valuable information with anyone who reads my blog. I have been thinking for quite some time now about writing this blog, but since I'm not really a technology wizard, it's taking a bit of time to understand how blogs can and do work!
My goal here is to share the knowledge I have gained over the many years working with Lap-Band patients as well as my own experiences as a Lap-Band patient myself! Are these really "secrets"? Well, maybe not entirely, since if you spend enough time reading and talking and more reading and more talking, you might get all the information that I have gathered over the years, but do you really want to sift through the pages and pages on the internet (worrying if it is even accurate?) I also know that there is very little valuable information for those of us who are now living with the "Band". Sure, there are a few books out there, some poorly written or some with more technical medical terms that leave us needing a medical dictionary to translate!

WHY did I choose to have Lap-Band surgery?

Well, after years and years of frustrating dieting with minimal success, I guess you could say my weight finally caught up with me; it became a health hazard. I have heard many people say, "Well, I really don't have any health problems as a result of my excess weight". That was me. (Up until a few years ago.) During my annual check-up with my doctor, it was discovered that I was 'pre-diabetic'. We are talking Type II diabetes, which was strictly related to my obesity. My blood sugars and blood pressure were elevated and so was my cholesterol. NOT A GOOD COMBINATION. Now did I mention that I am also a breast cancer survivor? More about that later, but needless to say, I finally saw the writing on the wall and that writing was telling me that I seriously needed to lose weight once and for all. So a spent another 6 months or so struggling on weight loss plans that left me hungry, grumpy and with little to show in the way of weight loss and that is when I decided that I needed a helping hand. To make my long story shorter, I had the surgery and at my next doctor's appointment after losing about 45 lbs., my blood sugars were normal, blood pressure normal and cholesterol normal. HEY! My doctor said that I literally turned back the hands of time; medically speaking. For the first time in a long time, I felt great!


It is definitely important to do your research. There is plenty of information about Lap-Band surgery available. Some mis-information of course, but for the most part you will find that legitimate websites, blogs (!), books and of course, surgical practices that offer free seminars to help you formulate your ultimate decision about Lap-Band surgery.

What is Lap-Band Surgery?

You have probably heard it referred to as a 'tool'. Well, that is a pretty accurate description. A tool is what you make it. It is waiting for you to pick it up and build something (a better life, maybe?). But the key here is learning how to use it. No one is born knowing how to use tools, we have to learn along the way.



Band around stomach

 
Strictly speaking, it is a restrictive bariatric (weight-loss) procedure. A band is placed laparoscopically (this mean, making small incisions) by the surgeon, around the upper part of the stomach. This band will 'restrict' the amount of food that can be eaten at one time. In the picture to the right, you can see a nice image of the stomach with the band wrapped around and buckled together. In the smaller picture insert, you can see how the stomach is then folded over the band and stitched to the upper stomach. This will help to keep the band firmly in place. Once the band is in proper position, the surgeon then places the"port".




Band with port

In the picture to the left, you can see how the port is attached to the band by hollow "tubing". Now, it is important to note, the "port" is not visible; it is stitched to your abdominal muscles by the surgeon. It is located fairly deep but still accessible. The idea here is that when a needle is placed into the port by a doctor or nurse, fluid (saline) is injected into the port which in turn travels up the hollow "tubing" filling up the inner ring of the band. When the inner ring of the band is filled, it tightens around the upper stomach, making that "restriction" occur. Yay!