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Gastric Band Surgery
Everything you need to know about the Gastric Band Procedure

Gastric Band Surgery Perth

What is gastric band surgery and how does it work?

During a Gastric band Surgery, an adjustable silicone band is wrapped around the stomach forming a small pouch. This results in less food needing to be consumed before you feel satisfied and full, as the pouch takes less food to fill up compared with your stomach.

The band is attached to a tiny device that is positioned beneath the skin (usually near the middle of the chest). This allows for post-operative band tightening.

  • Expected excess weight loss: On average, patients lose 40 per cent of their excess weight
  • Average procedure time: 1-2 hours
  • Average recovery time: 1 week

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Weight Loss Expectations from Gastric Band Surgery

Typically, this surgery results in weight loss of between 35% and 45%. For instance, a person who is 50kg overweight may anticipate losing 15 to 20 kg after getting a gastric band. Results, however, differ greatly. The treatment can be undone if necessary, and the stomach usually grows back to its regular size with time.

Eligibility for Gastric Band Surgery

Candidates for lap band surgery must be:

  • at least 18 years old
  • have made a sincere effort to lose weight through diet and exercise, but have been unsuccessful or have only had temporary success.

Additional requirements include:

  • Do not suffer from any other illnesses or health issues that could be contributing to your weight gain.
  • Are willing to improve their food habits and other significant aspects of their lifestyle.
  • Don’t consume large quantities of alcohol.
  • Are not pregnant.
  • Patients must have a BMI of at least 40 (which corresponds to being overweight by at least 45.4 kilograms) or a BMI of at least 30, be at least 13.6 kilos overweight, and have at least one major obesity-related, co-morbid health issue in order to be candidates for lap band surgery.

Gastric Band FAQs

How much weight do you lose with gastric band surgery?

Most gastric banding patients lose about a quarter of their excess weight within six months and continue to lose about one or two kilograms per week for several years.

How long does gastric band stay in for?

While the Lap-Band was designed to last a lifetime, it’s not yet proven whether or not it will. Studies show that 35% to 40% of people may have their gastric bands removed after 10 years.

Gastric band removal may be necessary for a variety of reasons,

  • Inadequate weight loss.
  • Complications such as esophageal dilation.
  • Severe heartburn/reflux.
  • Slippage of the band.
  • Erosion of the band.

Most gastric banding patients lose about half their excess weight within six months and continue to lose about one or two pounds per week for several years.

What happens during gastric band surgery
  • You’ll be put under general anaesthesia. A tiny incision will be made on your abdomen, and a device will inflate your abdomen with carbon dioxide gas to create space within your belly for the surgeon’s work.
  • The gastric band will be placed around the top portion of your stomach and tightened to form a pouch.
  • The gastric band has a hollow channel that can be filled with fluid, making it adjustable. You’ll be able to adjust the pressure of the gastric band by adding or extracting fluid through this port.
  • The gastric band is attached to a small tube that runs under the skin and into a port. After surgery, your healthcare provider will be able to access the port with a special fine needle to inject or extract fluid as needed.
  • When everything is in place, your surgeon will release the gas from your abdomen and close your keyhole incisions. The procedure takes about 30 to 60 minutes.
Is the procedure painful?

You are likely to experience some discomfort where the operating instruments and camera entered your body via entry ports, especially if they were placed in deep tissues.

It is common to experience left shoulder pain that actually originates in the diaphragm—a large, thin sheet of muscle separating the chest from the abdominal cavity.

This pain usually settles after a few days. Most people with the condition experience mild pain that can be controlled by over-the-counter pain killers.

Which is better gastric sleeve or band?

After gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy, you tend to lose weight at a faster rate than after gastric banding.

People who have gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy tend to lose more weight than those with a band.

The risk of serious surgery complications is generally higher with gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy than it is for gastric band surgery.

Gastric bands can be removed, so patients who are unhappy with the results of their surgery can have it reversed.

Do gastric bands work long term?

When you have a gastric band implanted, it is meant to stay permanently in place. However, there are certain complications that may require us to remove the band.

How long does it take to recover from gastric band weight loss surgery?
After surgery, the patient can probably go home on the same day and resume normal activities a couple of days later.
Most people take a week off from work after surgery. Patients are usually on liquids or mashed-up foods for two to three weeks following their operations, and it takes about six weeks before they can eat regular food again.

Considering Gastric Band Surgery?

This is where you can find everything from general information about the procedure, how to prepare for & recover from your surgery, and what life will be like after recovery.

Take your first step towards your best life with a team of expert bariatric surgeons

At Perth Obesity Solutions, we can help you decide whether gastric band surgery is the right option for you.

As there are several weight loss procedures available to you, our highly experienced surgeon Dr Siva Sundararajan will advise the most suitable surgery for your needs. No matter whether you proceed with the gastric band or another procedure, Dr Siva and our team will support you throughout every stage of your health journey.

Getting Prepared for Gastric Band Surgery

Make sure that you schedule about a week off work, if you’re a stay-at-home parent, have someone to help take care of your children and household responsibilities. You may need to follow a liquids-only diet in the days leading up to surgery.

You should stock up on the post-op foods that your doctor or surgeon has approved. These will include clear liquids and broths, soups, sugar-free popsicles, and other low calorie treats.

For most surgeries it is best to eat and drink nothing after midnight the night before.

Minimising Risk

You can help lower some of the risks and possible side effects by:

The Day Before Your Surgery

To ensure a safe and successful procedure, it is important that you follow all the instructions your team provides to you before surgery. You should not eat or drink anything after midnight on the night before surgery. Your stomach must be empty for the operation to go smoothly

What to Expect During Your Gastric Band Procedure

While all surgeries are risky, with the gastric band, there is a very low risk of complications following your surgery. You can rest knowing that after the procedure is complete you will be at far less risk for many more dangerous weight-related illnesses than before.

Risks During Surgery

Gastric Band surgery is one of the safest weightless procedures available.  which is also reversible. As with all surgeries however, there are some potential risks to the patient.

The immediate/early complications are rare, and they include:

  • Infection
  • Oesophageal/stomach perforation
  • Internal bleeding
  • Blood clots in legs or lungs

Risks of late complications from this surgery can include:

  • Infection to the access port
  • Heartburn/reflux oesophagitis
  • Damage to tubing near access port causing deflation of band
  • Internal hernia caused by tubing leading to bowel obstruction
  • Oesophageal dilatation
  • Access port can flip and become inaccessible for band adjustment
  • Band slippage causing obstruction to stomach
  • Band erosion into stomach

Recovering from Gastric Band Surgery

After surgery, your first priority should be to recover. You will be given instructions for diet and exercise—and you can begin improving the quality of your life immediately by following those recommendations. But in order to lose weight permanently, it’s critical that you make active lifestyle changes now. Here are the steps you can take to ensure your recovery is successful.

Your First Week After Surgery

Pain

You may feel some regular nagging pains in your abdomen. Most of these will be at the site of your incision. The incision is typically located a few inches below your ribs on the left side. You should continue to take pain medication as needed, and limit physical activity during this first week of recovery.

 

Diet

After Lap Band surgery, most people are advised to eat only liquid or soft foods for the first week. Meal replacement shakes will become your best friend during this period.

Get rid of anything you find tempting or hard to resist. If it’s not essential, don’t keep it in your kitchen. And if you don’t own a blender and bottle for mixing shakes, get one—it’ll make the diet much easier!

Keep drinking plenty of fluids. Chew your vitamins and take other supplements as directed by a medical professional. Check the colour of your urine frequently and monitor bowel movements.

 

Sleep

It may be difficult to sleep following your surgery, but it is important that you rest in order for the recovery process to go smoothly.

To remain comfortable while sleeping, you should sleep on your back or side with a supportive pillow; this will keep your spine aligned and reduce the chances that you’ll turn onto stomach during the night.

 

Exercising

To continue to have a healthy circulation, get at least 30 minutes of walking daily. Do not lift anything heavy and do not engage in strenuous activity.

Keep up your activity routine. As you are able to walk more, do so—but don’t exhaust yourself or push yourself too hard. Keep motivated and resist boredom at all costs!

Life After Your Gastric Band Surgery

Life will change in many positive ways after gastric band surgery. However, as great as you may feel, it’s crucial to remember that your body and lifestyle will need to adjust accordingly—including changes in eating habits and physical activity levels.

Returning to Work After Surgery

We recommend that patients wait 1-2 weeks before returning to work. This only applies if the job does not require regular strenuous activity.

Health Concerns After Surgery

Failure of the procedure to achieve adequate long term weight loss is the main drawback

Hardware complications such as band slippage, erosion and access port malfunction occur in 1-10% of patients.

The band itself can be removed, however, if there is chronic obstruction at the level of the gastro-oesophageal junction, the oesophagus will be stretched. If this problem is not recognised, the oesophagus can be permanently damaged.

How Long Does a Gastric Band Last?

People who have Lap Band surgery are advised to keep their band around their stomachs forever since another major procedure would be required to remove it.

The Lap Band is made of silicone, which is a durable material. There’s no indication that silicon will degrade over time.

This procedure is however reversible through surgery.

Weight Loss Expectations

With gastric banding surgery, you can lose approx. 0.5 to 1kg  per week—so by six months, that’s 10-20 kg lost.

Lap Band patients who make the necessary lifestyle changes can continue losing weight in year two and three.

For Lap Band surgery to be successful, you must alter your diet and lifestyle.

Getting Back to a Normal Diet

For 2 to 3 weeks after your surgery, you will eat only liquids or pureed foods. Then you will slowly add soft food and then regular food into your diet again.

After weight loss surgery, you can still eat many different kinds of food—but in general your diet should consist mostly of lean meats, beans, vegetables, fruit and low-fat dairy products.

Ready to Get Started on Your Journey to a Healthier, Happier You?

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